Four Religions in Mount Kailash: Shared Myths and Different Views

There lies a pile of rocks we call it Mount Kailash, in the land of Tibet. Equally sacred Four Religions in Mount Kailash, how can a single monument attract people from all around the globe towards it like a magnet pulls? There are thousands of peaks on Earth. Some rise above the land, and some lie hidden deep in the ocean.  To be surprised, why does this stand like an old watcher since ancient times, older than the Himalayas?

The unusual snow carvings across the black rock of Kailash have tales and mythologies recited from different people from different religions. People from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon all look up to the same summit and experience something spiritual in a different way. This unity in diversity is what makes Mount Kailash the most sacred mountain in the world. This is the charm of the mountain.

Mount Kailash Mystery

The mountain has various mysteries, believed by four religions in Mount Kailash that are unsolved to date. Many questions have been raised that modern science is unable to answer. It is said that the contemporary scene of the 21st century is not capable of understanding the mystery that remains in Kailash Mansarovar.

There are hundreds of mountains taller than Mount Kailash, yet no mountaineers have ever achieved it. 14 peaks taller than 8000m have been climbed by humans, but this mountain, with just a height of 6,638 m, has not been climbed by any human beings on earth. Mount Kailash refuses human footsteps on its crown. Isn’t that strange?

A Mountain with Many Eyes on It

This mountain is sacred to not only one religion but to all four religions in Mount Kailash. These are highlighted by the various festivals celebrated around it. These festivals belong to various sessions and are performed by people of different faiths. Buddhists and Bonpos of Mount Kailash dominate the festival, whereas Hindus and Jains perform smaller rituals like puja, home, and chanting.

Mount Kailash sits in the middle of Asia like the axis of the earth. People call it the axis mundi, which means the centre of the world. It is the cosmic pillar connecting the earth with the heavens and the underworlds. This sounds dramatic, but this is the image every believer has in their mind while going to Mount Kailash. Additionally, the pyramidal shape of the mountains is intriguing, as many rumours exist among people about their formation. Some believe God made it this way, while others say ancient humans carved it, or some believe aliens made it the way it is. Such myths are still heard.

Maybe that’s why Kailash Travellers in 2024 and 2025 travellers, YouTubers and some drone footage hunters keep buzzing around “Kailash mystery”. Every year, curiosity rises again.

Mount Kailash: The Abode of Lord Shiva

For Hindus, Kailash is not just sacred. It is the home of Rudra. Lord Shiva resides here with his wife, Mata Parvati, and their two sons, Ganesh and Kartikeya.

Mount Kailash: The Abode of Lord Shiva

For Hindus, Kailash is not just sacred. It is the home of Rudra. Lord Shiva resides here with his wife, Mata Parvati, and their two sons, Ganesh and Kartikeya. Shiva is the Yogi god, the destroyer, and he sits in stillness and cosmic dance simultaneously. Shiva meditating at the top of Mount Kailash, right on the mountain top. Parvati sits calmly beside him. Nandi and Shiva Gan guard the sacred place.

For Hindus, going to Kailash is not only a trek to a mountain, but also a profound experience of meeting Lord Shiva. It is a tour to the home of the greatest lord of mankind. The fact that the shape of Mount Kailash resembles a lingam makes the journey even more sacred.

Mansarovar Lake, located nearby, was created from Brahma’s mind. Even touching the divine water from Lake Mansarovar makes you free from all the sins done in this lifetime. People often become emotional while washing their faces and dipping their feet in the water. People are like Shiva lives there. When you see the mountain rising so sternly, you get to know why that belief stuck for thousands of years.

What do Buddhists believe about Mount Kailash?

Buddhists perform different rituals around Kailash. For them, multiple gods, demons and dakinis live there. Mount Kailash is a whole cosmic geography. Tibetan Buddhists call the mountain Gang Rinpoche, the Jewel of Snow Mountain. For them, it is the home of Demchok (also known as Chakrasamvara), a wrathful yet compassionate deity who symbolises bliss beyond duality.

Tibetan texts in Buddhism have described Kailash as Mount Meru, the centre of the universe. It is the axis mundi, a point from which the Earth rotates around its axis. Circumambulating around Mount Kailash is like walking through the layers of existence of the universe. There’s also the belief that a complete parikrama around Mount Kailash can erase a lifetime of negative deeds called bad Karma.

Jains:

Jains have another lens to look at Mount Kailash. They call it the Ashtapada. It’s believed that this is the place where their first Tirthankar, Rishavdev, got enlightened. This is the final liberation from the wheel of birth and death.

According to the Jain texts, Rishavdev is the founder of Jainism, who set the landmarks of human civilisation, such as farming, laws, and family structure. But the exact spot Astapad lies inside the Inner Kora. The Chinese government sometimes stop pilgrims from doing the Inner Kora.  Sometimes, the silence around Mount Kailash matches the Jain philosophy with simple, nonviolent, truth-seeking pilgrims in Kailash.

Bonpos of Mount Kailash

Bon religion in Tibet is older than Buddhism. Bon religion existed there before the introduction of Buddhism in the region. Later, the philosophy of Bon and Buddhism mixed together, and a new sect of Tibetan Buddhism was introduced. 

Bonpo is guided by the ancient shamanic mystic type. For them, Kailash is Yungdrung Gutseg, the Nine-Storey Swastika Mountain. It is the centre of all the stories among Bonpo believers. Tonpa Shenrab is believed to have descended near Kailash and fought the evil dakinis, demons and yakshyas in the Tibetan region.

Bonpos prostrate in a different way than other people do. Bonpos are often seen prostrating in the anti-clockwise direction. For them, it is the way to get connected to the ancestors and the origin of the universe. For them, the swastika sign also rotates in a counterclockwise direction.

Common Myths Across Four Religions

People from four religions in Mount Kailash do not always disagree. They have various beliefs that get matched during the Kailash pilgrimage. Some common beliefs shared about the Mount Kailash mystery are listed as:

• Mount Kailash is a cosmic centre or axis Mundi
• The presence of a divine person or energy in the mountain.
• Mount Kailash is not a mountain to climb but a place for devotion.
• They all believe that walking around is for Kailash Mansarovar spiritual importance.
• The geometry and geography of the mountain are a stubborn mystery.

Mount Kailash holds stories, myths and theories on its formation and the energy it possesses. Humans just love to talk about the Mount Kailash mystery. Humans keep on discovering and inventing stories and tales from religion and myths. The fact that no humans have ever climbed it makes it more mysterious. The Kailash Mansarovar spiritual importance of making the Kailash kora and taking a bath in Mansarovar is key to the Kailash pilgrimage. Locals, pilgrims, as well as the government of China, are very much aware of the fact that no one should ever dare to climb the mountain. People have reported the unusual growth of hair and nails when they are near Kailash. This is no myth. 

Mount Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2025 travellers keep searching Mount Kailash drone footage 2025” and wonder why no one has climbed Mount Kailash. This curiosity goes on increasing every year. You will not find the answer unless you step into the land of Tibet and Visit Mount Kailash in 2026.