THE
CALL OF KAILASH
It
is the abode of Lord Shiva, arguably
the most pristine place on earth.
Furhana Afrid chronicles
the extraordinary expedition of
Mukta Goel and
17 others through a 22-day trip
into the remote reaches of the Himalayas
that is as physically and mentally
exhausting as it is spiritually
uplifting.
Every
year thousands of pilgrims tackle
harsh weather conditions, altitude
sickness and rough terrain to visit
the revered Mount Kailash, a snow-capped
peak on the remote western Tibetan
plateau in the northernmost region
of the Himalayas. Rising to more
than 20,000 feet, Hindus, who believe
that it is the abode of Lord Shiva,
refer to it as Mount Meru, while
Tibetans call it Kang Rinpoche,
or Snow Jewel.
Many
of the pilgrims go through a parikrama,
or circumbulation, around the mountain
in the belief that they are making
a spiritual connection with divine
spirits and wiping away sins.
“He
who performs the parikrama, the
ritual circumambulation of the holy
mountain, with a perfectly devoted
and concentrated mind, goes through
a full cycle of life and death,”
according to Lama Anagarika Govinda.
Mount Kailash is also the source
of four major rivers: Indus, Brahmaputra,
Karnali and Sutleg.
Like
thousands of other pilgrims before
her, this sacred journey was undertaken
last year by Mukta Goel, a native
of Chandigarh who has lived in California
for nearly 30 years. Having been
on a spiritual search, Goel heeded
its divine call. “When the
mountain calls you, you go,”
Goel says. She was one of 18 pilgrims
who together undertook the 22-day
trip that tested them both physically
and mentally.
The
first physical challenge was to
become acclimated to the high altitude.
When they reached Kathmandu, many
of her group members got sick. They
experienced nausea, vomiting and
throat dryness. But Goel did not
seem to react so severely as her
colleagues. What was her secret?
“My secret is ginger candy,”
she notes.
After
leaving Kathmandu, the situation
became tougher as they only had
a driver and mountain guides, or
“Sherpas,” to lead them
through the desolate, dusty areas
with no roads. “You surrender
yourself to your driver and guides.
There are no highways, no vegetation
and your driver speaks no English,”
explains Goel, who rode in a beat-up,
rusty four-wheel-drive.
The
group took a bus to the Friendship
Bridge in Kodagri, between the border
of Nepal and Tibet, where they had
to secure clearance from Immigration
and Customs. Goel emphasizes that
on such arduous journeys it is crucial
to plan ahead and carry certain
documents, including a few passport
size photographs, that can save
time and money at check points.
She adds that prior to embarking
on such journeys, a doctor’s
certificate is required by most
travel agencies that endorse a clean
bill of health. Having specific
travel insurance that includes airlifting
is also crucial, notes the 46-year-old
traveler, who reiterated that most
standard insurance plans do not
cover costs for such situations.
She
also points out that having the
necessary paperwork is just as crucial
as making friends with drivers and
guides who have a big hand in making
their journey comfortable by clearing
objects and stones from footpaths,
cooking, setting up tents, and changing
tires. Recalling the contents of
her suitcase, Goel lists the range
of gifts she had carried with her:
“Win your driver and guides.
Give them hats, sunglasses, candy
and Indian music.”
She
also included other items that were
for personal use like masks and
a “neti-pot” to combat
dust and clean the nasal passages.
With the subject of dust on her
mind, Goel describes a village,
Nyalam, which she says books refer
to as “the gateway of hell.”
“Imagine
a place that is wind-swept, infested
with dogs, and has piles of animal
bones everywhere. You can’t
imagine how dusty it is. We had
to wear masks for breathing,”
explains Geol, adding: “You
can’t touch anything. Everything
is dusty and you need wet wipes.”
Travelers
need to be prepared to do without
the comfort and conveniences of
modern life on such journeys. One
should take it all in stride, focusing
on the spiritual purpose of the
trip, she notes. One has to be flexible
because there are no toilets or
bathrooms to take showers. In order
to avoid going to a pit that had
been dug up for everyone, Goel recalls
the chilling moments of one morning
when she woke up at the crack of
dawn.
“I
would wake up at 4:00 a.m. when
the temperature would drop to zero,
and I would go to a nearby stream,
get water, boil it, then go to some
other place nearby before the others
woke up.”
She
also points out that on some days
she had to go hungry because food
was unavailable in some villages,
or could not be consumed as she
is vegetarian. She was referring
to a place called Diraphuk, where
the group began their parikrama,
and is situated at an elevation
of 16,500 feet. It is abundant with
wild yaks, animals that are as big
as bulls and have a thick undercoat
and long hair to survive the bitter
winters. They were a component in
all the food – yak meat, yak
butter and yak cheese. Goel remembers
another instance in which their
truck, that had all their food,
had broken down due to a mechanical
problem and had to be left behind,
forcing them to go to nearby villages
to ask for food.
Yet,
much of their troubles were forgotten
when they had their first glimpse
of the holy mountain.
“I
felt a connection with something
so powerful. We didn’t know
how to react to this overwhelming
spiritual presence,” remembers
Goel. “We just fell on our
knees, closed our eyes and started
praying.” Then, after a brief
pause so she could catch her breath,
Goel adds: “It made us all
very calm.”
She
describes a similar calmness when
she laid her eyes on the icy-cold
Lake Manasarovar, 18 miles southeast
of Kailash. Bathing in it, or even
just dipping one’s head in
it, is supposed to be spiritually
beneficial. “Ancient texts
say that a sip of water from here
will absolve all your sins,”
Goel says.
The
lake, which is round in shape, had
shades of turquoise and reflected
the full moon. The sky was studded
with stars and Goel saw shooting
stars disappear into the cool water.
Goel
acknowledges that it is a challenge
to undertake such a pilgrimage.
Incorporating an exercise regimen
into one’s lifestyle and taking
the must-have items does make one’s
travel less painful. However, complete
preparation is unlikely because
unforeseen situations could arise;
one should focus on the purpose
of the trek.
“Your
inner determination and that spiritual
connection carries you through,
and your inner power pulls you like
a magnet,” says Goel, concluding
with a final thought: “Have
a spirit of adventure and discovery
and willingness to surrender to
a higher power.”
