Gaurikund a perfectly round shaped lake of compassion & purity. A blue-colored reservoir is at a height of 5,608m, situated near the south face of Mt. Kailas. During Kailas Mansarovar Parikrama on the 2nd Day when yatri’s start descending from Dolma Pass they get to see this holy lake where it is believed that goddess Parvati had acquired her son Lord Ganesha at this place and so this lake is also known as “Parvati Sarovar”.
The ancient tale related to the Gauri Kund has been very finely demonstrated in the ‘Shiva Purana’. As notified by the Hindu Mythology, Goddess Parvati was able to acquire back her son- Lord Ganesha. This was with the help of soap lather on her body at the Gauri Kund. She formed an image of Ganesha with the soap lather and breathed life into that and thus, it led to the formation of her son. She was intending to place Lord Ganesha at the entrance of the place where she was taking bath so that no one could enter that spot and when Lord Shiva came, Ganesha stopped him from entering. Shiva found it to be a very disrespectful act and while being offended he cut off the boy’s head. Witnessing this, Parvati was stuck with immense grief and as a conclusion, she asked Shiva to bring Lord Ganesha back to life and thus, he took the head of a wandering elephant and placed it on the body that as a conclusion brought him back to life.
Significance of this Lake is such that yatri’s do take bath in this Holy Kund and it is believed that by splashing the holy water on the head one can purify his/her souls.
It is the highest point of the Kailas Mansarovar Yatra, it is at a height of 19,500 ft. It is named after Dolma Devi and all the yatri’s who reach to Dolma Pass prays to Devi for helping them to complete this Parikrama.
Yam Dwar is also known as “The Gate of Salvation”. It is one of the most prominent destinations on Kailas Parikrama. It is situated at a height of 4,724m. It is the Gateway for making an entry into the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva open for all the pilgrims who are looking forward to having an experience for the lifetime. It is believed by the devotees that Yama who is also known as the god of death and is also primarily responsible for bringing the mortal souls to heaven and deciding as well as acting upon their sins and merit move ahead for the fulfillment of his cosmic journey.
The Meaning of the name Ashtapad is ‘Eight Step’. Asht means Eight & Pad means steps. Ashtapad is situated at 17,000 ft height and is considered a major Jain Tirth. Ashtapad is considered to be one of the most splendid pilgrimage hubs and is spotted by the tourists when they are on their way to the holy abode Mount Kailas. There are many stories behind the name Ashtapad as some believe it might be informing that the ascending of the mountain can be done in eight giant steps or there exists an array of eight mountain peaks and also because the eight giant steps might lead to the palace. However, there is a prevalence of eight mountain peaks in Ashtapad. Amongst all the destinations falling in between the Kailas Manasarovar Yatra, the Ashtapad is concluded to be the most beautiful one accompanied by abundant natural beauty.
Just around 2 hours walk from Deraphuk Gompa situated on the way to Dolma – La is Shivasthal. Many pilgrims visit this place as it is known as a duplication of the magical funeral ground at Bodh Gaya. Pilgrims here experience the ritual of death and enter into the dreadful presence of Yama, before being reborn on top of the Drolma La pass, one can easily notice the ground which is laid out with an unbelievable collection of clothing, shoes, and bags along with terrible things like bones, hair and even blood. These things are mainly the offerings which are made by the people who pass from here. Above the burial ground is a red footprint of Milarepa (Tibetan yogi & poet) on the surface of a rock.
Tarboche flagpole is one of the most important aspects of Tibetan spirituality. On “Saga Dawa” which is an impressive and capturing annual festival of Mt. Kailas this giant flagpole which has numerous prayer flags on it is brought down and replaced. This annual festival or one can also mention it as a carnival attracts Tibetans from all over along with other tourists and pilgrims. This ritual is performed every year on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, to celebrate Sakyamuni’s enlightenment”. During the flagpole ceremony as the poles tip is raised and pointed east towards Gyangdrak Monastery, monks of that monastery carry out a special ritual. A cacophony of music from long trumpets, conch shells, and other instruments welcomes the rising flagpole. It is like a magical event that captures one’s senses. People gathered there attach there prayer flags and help in making the pole rise again. The flagpole should be standing in a perfect upright position or it is believed that things will not be good for Tibet.
Drirapuk Gompa which is at a height of 4890m shines in a brief sunny period among the rain and hail. The Gompa takes its name from the words dira (meaning ‘female-yak-horn’) and puk (cave). The great monk Götsangpa meditated here, supposedly from 1213 to 1217, and Buddhists say he first discovered the kora route around Kailas. He was led to Drirapuk by a yak that turned out to be the lion-faced-goddess Dakini (Khadroma), who guards the Khando Sanglam La. One can see the magnificent view of the North Face of Holy Mt. Kailas. The Lingam and Nagshesh Swaroop.
Zutulphuk Gompa is worth visiting place to see the temples and shrine that has been built around Milarepa’s cave. You can see Milarepa’s footsteps, His Holy stick, and the Holy stones of Inner Kora. It is an active residence for over half a dozen Tibetan devotees. A married elderly couple& few helpers supervise the temple and are busy with the tasks of maintaining the buildings and continuously chanting. One can imagine Milarepa’s disciples meditating here.
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