Park of China
Overview
| Province | Tibet |
| Location | Tibet |
| Mountains / Rivers and lakes | Gangdise Mountains; Lake Mapam Yumco |
| Latitude, longitude | 31.0, 81.4 Google Maps |
| Nearby cities | Dhangadhi |
| Highlights | Sacred mountain and holy lake; the highest freshwater lake in the world |
| Elevation | 4,585 m |
| Highest point | 6,656 m |
| Nearby sites | Zanda Earth Forest and Guge Kingdom 162km Search nearby |
| Themes | Mountain, Famous Mountain, Snow Mountain, Glacier, Lake, Buddha, Hiking & climbing, Tibetan Buddhism |
About
Mount Kailash (Gang Rinpoche), 6,656 m, in the Gangdise range of western Tibet, is sacred to Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of Bön, who circle it on pilgrimage. Lake Manasarovar (Mapam Yumco) below it, at 4,585 m, is one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world and equally holy.
Kang Rinpoche ('precious snow mountain' in Tibetan) in the Gangdise range is sacred to Tibetan Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of Bon; the Shiquan River, the upper Indus, rises on its northern side.
The outer pilgrim circuit around the mountain is about 52 km; Buddhists and Hindus walk it clockwise, Bon followers counterclockwise.
Lake Manasarovar lies south of the mountain at about 4,588 m, covering some 412 sq km; it drains through the Ganga Chu channel into the salt lake Lhanag Tso (Rakshastal) to the west. Pilgrims walk around the lake.
Photo credits: Mount Kailash: Ondřej Žváček (CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks 162km, Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area 374km, Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha 433km, Red Fort Complex 478km |
| National parks | Zanda Earth Forest and Guge Kingdom 162km |
| National geoparks | Zanda Earth Forest National Geopark 172km |
| Nature reserves | Mapam Yumco Wetland National Nature Reserve 37km |