Lord Krishna said in the Bhagvad Gita, “Of the mountains, I am the Himalaya.” Swami Vivekananda remarked that India has so many gods and goddesses because it is so close to their home, the Himalaya, the Dev Bhoomi. 

Tirths are often located at picturesque places that bring their own joy to the pilgrim — beside rivers, on top of moun­tains, on islands. The Brihat Samhita describes a tirth in these lyrical words, “The gods always play where the lakes are, where the sun’s rays are warded off by umbrellas of lotus leaf clusters, and where clear water paths are made by swans, whose breasts toss the white lotuses hither and thither.” The Himalaya finds extensive mention in Hindu mythology, including in the different Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The five icy summits of the Panchchuli Range belong to the five Pandava brothers. Uttarakhand’s legendary Gandhamadan, from where Hanuman collected the Sanjeevani herb to revive Lakshman, is believed to be a reference to the ethereal Valley of Flowers, now a notified National Park. Many holy rivers, including the divine Ganga, are born here. The Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh, the ‘valley of gods’, alone has over 350 temples. The sleepy little village of Naggar in Himachal is home to four temples — taking the circuitous path to all of them is considered equivalent to doing the Char Dham Yatra! Almost every mountain lake is a revered site, and most passes, windy ridges and icy summits have not only Hindu lore associated with them, but also Buddhist and Sikh legends. In fact, as adventurers will testify, many a trekking trail merely follows an old pilgrimage route.

Covering a total area of about 600,000 sq km, the youngest mountain range in the world is still rising at the rate of about 6mm a year. This aalaya (home) of him (snow) has the earth’s largest snowfields (more than 45,000 sq km) outside of the polar region. Whether adventurer, philosopher, artist, ecologist, thinker or tourist, anyone who sets foot here makes a pilgrimage. Even the intrepid mountain hiker will tell you that a journey to the Himalaya always involves a certain uplifting of the soul. The pilgrims’ perception of this sacred landscape, which Hindu scriptures call the Kedarkhand, is somewhat different. Their goal is single-minded: that of darshan of their beloved deity. The actual trek is then necessary penance, a sublime worship undertaken within what is possibly the most beautiful temple in the world.

ADI KAILASH YATRA

The circumambulation of the Adi Kailash Range, approaching up the Darma, using the Shin La as the link and returning via the Kuthi Yankti Valley to join the Tibetan pilgrim route down the Kali Ganga is known as the Adi Kailash Yatra. The circuit is rarely completed because the Shin La is a high pass, usually snow-bound. However, increasing numbers of Indian pilgrims trek up to Jollingkong via the Kali Ganga route. Also, thanks to easing of restrictions, foreigners can undertake the journey as well.

Adi Kailash or Chhota Kailash and Parvati Sarovar (Gauri Kund) are consi­dered near equivalent to Mount Kailash and Manasarovar Lake in Tibet. The Adi Kailash Yatra is considered next best to visiting Mount Kailash itself. Along the route is the breathtaking Om Parvat. Snow falls upon this beautiful mountain in the shape of the sacred ‘Om’, which is just as beautifully reflected in Gauri Kund, at its base. This incredible phenomenon will move even the most die-hard cynic.

The route for this pilgrimage is the same as that of the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra (MEA trek) up to Gunji. From Gunji, Kailash-Manasarovar yatris head for the Lipu Lekh Pass, beyond which lies China. Adi Kailash permit holders need to go to Gunji via Budhi and then trek onwards to Jollingkong, from where Adi Kailash and Parvati Sarovar are a short return trip.