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Mount Kailash Photo Gallery - 2. Tirthapuri

In July and August 2006, we traveled to Dubai, Mount Kailash and Guge Kingdom in Tibet, Muscat, Iceland and a brief stop in London.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 01 Kailash Map from Google Earth Here is a great view of the Mount Kailash area from Google Earth.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 01 Kailash Map from Google Earth

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 02 First View of Lake Manasarovar We circled the prayer flags at the top of this innocent pass (4700m) with holy Lake Manasarovar at our feet, just 6km before Hor Qu. Alas, Kailash and Gurla Mandhata still remained hidden from view.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 02 First View of Lake Manasarovar

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 03 Peter throwing rocks just past Hor Qu We drove just past Hor Qu and had our lunch next to a small river, while we waited for the truck. Pete took the opportunity to thrown some rocks into the river.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 03 Peter throwing rocks just past Hor Qu

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 04 Darchen Our first rainy view We then drove to the turnoff to Darchen and watched the rain come in. We had initially planned to start the Kailash Kora today, but the weather was so bad we decided to delay it until later.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 04 Darchen Our first rainy view

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 05 Kailash West Face From Beyond Darchen2 From a small pass just 18km west from the turnoff to Darchen, I took this photo of the rarely seen West face of Kailash.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 05 Kailash West Face From Beyond Darchen2

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 06 Moincer Landcruiser Being Fixed As we went over a particularly big bump, Sadim stopped the Landcruiser and looked underneath. He walked up a hill and found some wire, and made some emergency fixes. When we got to Moincer (4420m), the local mechanic took about four hours to make the repairs.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 06 Moincer Landcruiser Being Fixed

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 07 Moincer Playing Pool While We Wait For Landcruiser To Be Fixed While we waited for the Landcruiser to be repaired at Moincer, Pete and I enjoyed a few games of pool.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 07 Moincer Playing Pool While We Wait For Landcruiser To Be Fixed

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 08 Moincer Letting the Sun Heat the Kettle We’ve got lots of sun in Tibet. Hmm, now what we can we do with it. I know, we’ll heat water – yeah, here’s a solar heated kettle.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 08 Moincer Letting the Sun Heat the Kettle

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 09 Moincer Chinese Mechanic and his Wife Here is the Chinese mechanic who fixed our Landcruiser in Moincer, with his beautiful young wife on the left. They’re come a long way from their home in China to try and make a living.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 09 Moincer Chinese Mechanic and his Wife

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 10 Moincer Home of the Mechanic and his Wife Here is the very basic room, including mechanic equipment, kitchen and bedroom for the young Chinese couple who repaired our Landcruiser in Moincer.

Tibet Kailash 05 To Tirthapuri 10 Moincer Home of the Mechanic and his Wife

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 01 Hot Springs On the banks of the Sutlej River, 75km and only a few hours drive northeast of Darchen, the Tirthapuri (4330m) Hot Springs is the third of the pilgrimage destinations which include Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. Pilgrims traditionally bathe here after completing their circuit of Kailash. The hot spring is extremely hot. Paldi was the only one who could put his hand in long enough to scoop out some of the minerals. The water cools off as it drains into some pools dug out below for bathing.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 01 Hot Springs

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 02 Prayer Flags span the Sutlej River Gorge Tirthapuri (also spelled Tirtapuri, and sometimes called Preturi) was originally founded as a temple and given its name in the mid-11C by the great Indian Buddhist scholar Atisha, who came to help in the revival of Buddhism in Tibet. Tirthapuri enjoys close association with Padmasambhava (Tib. Guru Rinpoche). The terrace to the left is tied to a corresponding terrace at the same elevation on the opposite side of the Sutlej River with sets of prayer flags. These help to restore the subtle energies carried along the discontinuous ridge severed by the river valley and maintain some continuity of earth energies.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 02 Prayer Flags span the Sutlej River Gorge

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 03 Our Camp We drove past the hot springs and the lower part of the kora and camped in an idyllic spot next to the Sutlej River.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 03 Our Camp

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 04 Mani Mandala on Rock As we walked by the side of the river, one of the Tibetan Guides for another group pointed out this beautiful carving of a mandala of Om Mani Padme Hum.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 04 Mani Mandala on Rock

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 05 Looking up to Pass at top of Kora It takes about an hour to walk Tirthapuri's own short kora. From the bank of the Sutlej, here’s a view looking up towards the pass at the top of the kora with mani walls below.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 05 Looking up to Pass at top of Kora

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 06 Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)  Cave This building covers a cave once occupied by Padmasambhava when he meditated on Yama (Lord of Death), and then later was used by Milarepa. Unfortunately it was locked.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 06 Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) Cave

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 07 Ranjung Self Manifesting Chortens Scattered among the shrines and mani walls are the stones identified as the ranjung, or self-manifesting chortens, soft fine-grained sandstone or calcium carbonate remnants of the mountain eroded by the action of wind-borne sand.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 07 Ranjung Self Manifesting Chortens

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 08 Large Mani Rock Here is a large rock with the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum painted on it.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 08 Large Mani Rock

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 09 Shiva Lingm This red protruding pinnacle of rock is said to resemble, eh, Shiva’s lingam.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 09 Shiva Lingm

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 10 Lhakhang and Cave Near the base of the ridge at Tirthapuri is a temple with a cave behind. Shiva’s lingam is in the background.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 10 Lhakhang and Cave

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 11 View From Pass On Kora After the hot springs the trail climbs past a cremation area consecrated to Yeshe Tsogyal, and then reaches a miniature version of Kailash's Dölma La, marked with mani stones, prayer flags and a large collection of yak horns and skulls. To the left is the end of a recently constructed over 200m long mani wall, which points to the northeast directly towards Mount Kailas. The wall was the end result of a demon firing an arrow at the guru. He stopped the arrow's flight and transformed it into this wall.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 11 View From Pass On Kora

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 12 Topa Moro Red and White Terraces Just after the pass is Topo Moro, consisting of a series of white and red limestone terraces.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 12 Topa Moro Red and White Terraces

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 13 Pilghrim Walking Below Topa Moro Red and White Terraces A pilgrim leaves the pass at the top of the kora and walks below the white and red limestone terraces of Topo Moro.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 13 Pilghrim Walking Below Topa Moro Red and White Terraces

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 14 Gompa and Circle of Mani Stones Outside the Guru Rinpoche (Tirthapuri) Gompa is a large circle of mani stones marking the spot where the gods danced in joy when Guru Rinpoche was enshrined at Tirthapuri. Note the mountains of India on the horizon.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 14 Gompa and Circle of Mani Stones

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 15 Kamet From the Tirtapuri kora, I looked toward the west and spotted Kamet peaking above the horizon. On the left is the rocky south face, in sharp contrast to the smooth snowy north face to the right. Kamet (7756m) is the second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of India after Nanda Devi and the 24th highest in the world.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 15 Kamet

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 16 Gompa Outside The most sacred relics in the Guru Rinpoche (Tirthapuri) Gompa are two stone footprints of Guru Rinpoche and his consort Yeshe Tsogyel to the right of the altar. Yeshe Tsogyel is a 'sky dancer' and reincarnation of Vajrayogini, the fierce protecteress of Tibet  There is also an image of Sakyamuni flanked by Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and his two consorts. No photography was allowed.

Tibet Kailash 06 Tirthapuri 16 Gompa Outside