It’s 5am and we’re walking a mystic land 4700m above sea level. Stars shimmer overhead, pilgrims quietly walk around the holy Mount Kailash. A deep quiet descends. A certain knowing takes root. There’s a feeling to sit and absorb. We sit. The knowing grows. I’ve been here before. This land where the legendary Milarepa walked. There’s a deep sense of recognition of having lived a lifetime here, in this holy land, in the company of the holy masters. Maybe as a porter, maybe as a student, I don’t know but tears of recognition well up. The same feeling I get when I walk amidst the samadhis of devotees of Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi at the Ashram in Tiruvannamalai. Tibet feels like a second homecoming.
This was day 3 of the parikrama or Kora as the Tibetans call it. Day 2 is actually the most grueling day (if at all am allowed to use the term). Tibetans complete the parikrama in a single day! But for most of us, this 52km walk around the holy mountains is an intense 3 day hike. 52km, the highest point of Dolma La Pass at above 5600m! And oxygen levels half of what one finds at sea level.
Shiva, Guru Padmasambhava, Goddess Parvati, and all the other gods have lived here. This is the god realm. Accessible to superhumans like Milarepa as well as mere mortals like you and me, the Tibetan Plateau is special beyond words.
As an Indian citizen, I travelled in a big group of 60 people which I’ve never done before and it had its own set of human challenges but the lord ensured there’s Shakti walking alongside in the form of a dear friend, Prerna and there are several other souls with whom karmic connections have to be lived through.
In 2026, the Horse Year, I was booked for June 6-20 and this also happens to overlap with Saga Dawa, the most auspicious time for the Tibetans. We’re in Timure (the border town in Nepal) and the Chinese authorities have blocked entry for Indian pilgrims for a bit so that the crowds at Mount Kailash can be eased. After 3 days of wait, we’re finally let into China- Saga, then Dirapuk and then Darchen. From Darchen, one can visit Ashtapada where the first Jain Tirthankar attained liberation. One gets full darshan of Mount Kailash from here.
This is also the time when one gets to view the majestic Manasarovar lake. One of the highest fresh water lakes at an altitude of about 4600 m and roughly 320 sq. km in size!
And finally, the day is here when we’re beginning the Parikrama! The Parikrama starts from Yam Dwar (Tarboche in Tibetan)- taking permission from the god of death as one embarks on this epic walk.
Day 1 is nice and gradual, about 13km with gentle climbs but all of this is at about 5000m which makes it challenging. There’s always a slight daze in the head, breathing is labored. One step at a time, we walk. There are a couple of tea houses on the way which are bustling with activity and it’s possible to find a nice vegetarian meal here- rice along with tofu, greens and noodles. The night stay is in dorms along the way.
On Day 2, we start early for a long 22km stretch. The first 6km is a strenuous ascent to Dolma La Pass which is at above 5600m and then a steep 6km descent followed by a long winding 11-12 km walk to Zuthulpuk. The trek up is arduous; the air is thin with people panting for breath. But there’s a certain charge in the air, everyone walking towards Ma. This is one of the toughest non-technical passes and it pushes the body to the limits. Only faith can take one through; esepecially here.
Immediately after the pass, one descends on to Gauri Kund in the distance, this is where Goddess Parvati sculpted Lord Ganesha to life. Surrounded by jagged Himalayan peaks, this sacred turquoise lake serves as calming presence after the intense climb. Going downhill also has its own set of challenges with many patches having railings for pilgrims hold on to and walk. Despite this, a couple of falls on the backside are almost a given!
As we walk down, we enter a long, long stretch where one feels that Zuthulpuk village is just around the corner but it doesn’t show up. The straight walk almost feels too much after the uphill and downhill! But eventually, the village does show up and this is where Milarepa’s monastery is as well. The monastery here is built around the famous “Miracle Cave” where Milarepa’s handprints and footprints are embedded directly into the solid rock ceiling and walls. Legend goes that Milarepa created the cave to shelter himself from a sudden, fierce storm. Finding the natural cave too cramped and low, he used his extraordinary spiritual and physical powers to literally stretch the solid rock. He pushed the ceiling upward with his hands and pressed the floor and walls outward with his feet to create more space, leaving his handprints and footprints deeply embedded in the stone as if it were soft clay.
And Day 3 is again a gentle 8-9km walk along this mysterious land with a lot of sacred spaces with footprints or markings of saints and sages who have walked this path. And as mysterious things can be, this is when I had the most profound experience of the walk. The second homecoming. I’ve walked this land before and am immensely grateful to have been able to recognize this again.
Here are a couple of shorts from along the way:
Entering the Realm of Tara: Dolma La Pass at above 5630m 🏔️🙏
