| Summary/Abstract |
Pilgrimage to Mt Kailash has become a practice that continues to traverse the boundaries of religion, class and region. Besides Hindus, Buddhists, Jainas, Sikhs, and Bönpos who do the circumambulation1 of this mountain, many semi-pilgrims are drawn to this place not only because it is a dangerous undertaking, but also because it offers challenge to one’s endurance, patience, and financial situation. The cosmologies and myths of origin of each of the four religions (Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, and Bön) speak of Kailasa as the mythical Mt Meru, the centre and birth place of the entire universe. Pilgrimage to this mountain, undoubtedly, appears as a recurrent theme at all times in the art and literature of both India and Tibet.
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