MANASAROVAR – The blissful trip

Hello All. Hope every one of you enjoyed reading and knowing about Mt. Kailash and the importance of Lake Manasarovar. I want to make your work easy by also informing about how to get to Mt. Kailash. It is geographically located in Tibet, Asia.

There are 3 best routes to get to Manasarovar:

• India

• Nepal

• Tibet

It is located in southern Tibet culminating in south west of Tibet. The best season to visit is at the time of the Saga Dawa Festival. The highlight is a kora around Mt Kailash - This trip is open to all, it does not matter what your beliefs are, as long as you respect other beings.

Saga Dawa Festival falls in May or June each year. It is the holiest festival in Tibet. The coincidence of Buddha's birth and later his enlightenment on the same day is celebrated by Buddhists.

On this trip, people fly from Kathmandu to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. They spend time getting to know the city and the outlying monasteries before starting to visit the sacred Mt Kailash. They then drive across the wide open spaces of the Tibetan Plateau to make a brief visit to Lake Manasarovar and then to complete a kora around Mount Kailash. They then make their way to Kathmandu, enjoying the arid beauty of the vast plains. This is truly yet another "trip of a lifetime" with its stunning scenery and cultural highlights.

People from different places may choose the best, based on their choice.

India is also another best place to start the tour with.

But, for all international travelers, the best route would be from Katmandu, Nepal.

Easiest route is to fly to Katmandu and you would be received by the travel-agents who assist you the best in the travel and comfort you to the maximum.

People who don’t have flights to Katmandu directly may either fly to Lhasa or to India and get there.

Practically, Lhasa is a farther route to Mt Kailash than the rest.

You can get to the location by helicopter or road.

PLACES OF VISIT ON THE WAY FROM KHATMANDU

Travelling overland between Kathmandu and Lhasa or Kailash is an incredible journey in which you can see the world’s heights mountains, travel on the world’s highest plain, meet nomadic Tibetian pilgrims and walk amidst the burning butter lamps and chanting monks of Tibet’s ancient and legendary Buddhist Monasteries. This is a wonderful and amazing trip. However if you not up for a bit of adventure, or for accommodations and amenities that may be far from perfect, perhaps this trip is not for you as the trip to Tibet is not easy and is well worth the effort. Tibet was opened to tourism in 1985, before this it avoided influence from the western world and developed its unique culture and religion independently. The infrastructure of the tourist industry is still very basic in this remote country. Please do not expect the standard you are accustomed to in the West.

Embark on a scenic drive from Kathmandu – Kodari. Take a walk on the friendship bridge and drive up hill to Zhangmu. After completing custom and immigration formalities, proceed to Nyalam.

Trek to Serlung Monastery and to Nandi Parbat for an excellent view of Mount Kailash.

In short, the following route may be followed :

Kathmandu - Naylam - Saga - Parang - Manasarovar - Darchen - Mt Kailash - Tharpoche - Tingri - Mt. Everest Base Camp - Lhatse - Shigatse - Gyantse

The most notable is the ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
The Jains and the Bonpas of Tibet equally revere this spot with great enthusiasm.

TRIP PLAN

The most important condition required by the travelers is health fitness. It is a must for those visitors to get certified by their doctors prior to trip preparation, it may be said that your trip preparation starts with getting certified on your physical fitness and getting special insurance. The traveler must be fit enough to walk for miles together and carry his/her own baggage (food, clothing, tent, etc). It is advisable to take a special insurance as this trip is adventurous.

You need to be conditioned to hard hiking / trekking over a number of days, though it is made easier by providing yaks to carry your main baggage while trekking. If you prefer it is possible, at extra cost, to hire a horse and either ride the hardest sections or ride all the way. For your safety the agents provide a portable compression chamber and a supply of oxygen to reduce the effects of altitude sickness. But it is always better to mention all your physical conditions to the agents so that they make proper preparations to avoid any emergencies.

As you are traveling over high terrain, you are likely to experience some of the minor symptoms and discomfort of altitude sickness (headache, loss of appetite) until your body adjusts to the elevation. This can take from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on an individual. Take it lightly, but drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids. Proper hydration is necessary to acclimatize.

Cost of the trip

The cost is high in this trip, so it is always better to plan this adventure not alone, but with a couple of others together. This thereby decreases the cost of accommodation and you may be given discount to some extent. The following are a list of expenses one may incur in this trip. It may be noted that all the costs mentioned below are not the only expenses. Also please note that not all these expenses are met by the travelers(some are optional depending on one’s need and interests).

Preparation must be made to meet the following expenses:

• Airfares to Katmandu and Lhasa / India / Khatmandu

• Luxury 4X4 Toyota Landcruisers for all the transportation in Tibet and Nepal.

• Booking helicopter (optional)

• Kathmandu / Lhasa flight

• A double entry visa is required for Nepal if you plan to visit Tibet and return via Nepal

• English speaking Tibetan guide and Nepalese support staff

• Guided sightseeing tour in Lhasa, Gyantse & Shigatse

• Hotel in Lhasa and Kathmandu with breakfast only

• Fully supported trekking around Mount Kailash which includes tented camping in as many areas as possible

• All the food you need and non-alcoholic drinks

• Portable Pressure Chamber (Gammow bag) for emergency use & first aid kit

• Border / Kathmandu transfers

• All airport transfers in Nepal and Tibet

• Long-haul airfare and departure taxes

• Local departure taxes leaving Nepal

• Personal Travel Insurance

• Hire of horses and horse handlers

• Tips, vaccination costs

• Necessary medicines to avoid various discomfort

• Miscellaneous other emergency expenses

Certain unavoidable circumstances such as landslide, road blockage, flood snow, political unrest, cancellation of flight, delay arrival, sickness or accidents are likely to occur. You may incur any extra costs in such circumstances on the spot.

Also quite useful is a Kathmandu – Lhasa route map, to know where you are going and have been each day.

CLOTHING

Casual wear and comfortable walking shoes are the rule for Tibet. Be sure to carry warm clothing as nights and early mornings can be quite chill enough to right cold in winter. Carry all the film, cosmetics, persona toilet items, etc. that you will need from home as you may not get it in Tibet. A small first aid kit is also a good idea.

May to October
Raincoat or Windbreaks
Jackets
Sweaters
Sun hat
Shirts (cotton/woolen)
Comfortable Shoes

November to April
Dawn Jacket
Thermal Underwear
Warm Trousers
Warm Sweaters
Woolen Shirts
Gloves
Warm hat & scarves
Light leather boots in Case of Snow

Feet must be dry. Use dusting powder. Wet shoes cause blisters.

During electric storms, don't point upwards metallic objects like wireless aerials which can attract lightning. Also, keep away from conical rocks. Don't take shelter under a tree. Don't remain on the top of hills. Open space is safer. One can even sit down on a non-coducting sheet etc. if one has.

The best time for visiting Kailash Mansarovar is between the middle of May to the middle of October. The weather is generally stable and visibility is at its best during this time. Temperatures are cool during the day and below freezing at night.

I am glad, I got this opportunity to share with everyone of you about the most a wonderful and amazing place.

Please log on to the following websites to get further information about the trip.

www.travel-library.com/tours/asia/nepal/kathmandu/kailash_mansarovar_yatra.html

www.kailashmansarovar-yatra.com/faq.html

www.kailashhelicoptertours.com/kailash_manasarovar_overland_tour.php

www.mansarovar-kailash.com

Manasarovar- The Holy Lake

"As the dew is dried up by the morning Sun so are the sins of human beings by the sight of Holy Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar". - Skanda Purana (Hindu Ritual Text)

The Himalayas is known for its millions of mountains not only for its height but also for purity. The Asians believe that these mountains are holy and many priests visit this place for moksha (salvation). The more you discover the Himalayas the more interesting it becomes. The Himalaya is the world's largest mountain range. The Himalayas range covers an area of 612,021 sq. km. The Himalayas passes through five nations: India, Pakistan, China, Bhutan and Nepal. Within such range of mountains lies the holy mountain Kailash geographically located in Tibet.

Significance of Mt. Kailash

Mt. Kailash is a rock pyramid with 22,028 feet high. It embodies the age old concept of the ‘navel of the earth’, the ‘world pillar’, the ‘first of the mountains’, the ‘still point in the turning world’, ‘rooted in the seventh hell, piercing through to the highest heaven’.

Traditionally, Indians have embarked on many difficult yatras and, in the process, found that some places radiate elemental energy not felt elsewhere. Physically the journey culminates in a definite destination, a tirth sthana or a place that enables one to 'cross over'. The symbolic crossing is from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality. The tirtha sthana holds a special significance either because it is associated with a religious event or it may have a special location which evokes an experience outside the dull and gross phenomena of daily life. It is usually a place that lifts the mind out of its limited functioning, stretching it to grasp new meanings. Hindus believe that Kailash and its surroundings vibrate with an unearthly energy where the transcendent and the immanent, the phenomenon appear to fuse together in surreal complicity. Petty and disparate waves of thought subside when faced with the vastness that surrounds the spire of Kailash, which stands as a connecting link between heaven and earth, the ethereal and the terrestrial , the spiritual and the mundane, coalescing them into one unified whole.

Holy Mt. Kailash (or Mount Sumeru) is considered the abode of the primary Hindu god Shiva. For Hindus a pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash assures rebirth to Shiva’s paradise. For the Jains it is Mt. Ashtapada, from where their religious founder, Rishabanatha, achieved spiritual liberation.

Lake Manasarovar

The myths descend down from Mt. Kailash to the shores of Lake Mansarovar. It is said that Maharaja Mandhata has discovered the Lake. It is believed that Mandhata had done penance on the shores of a lake near the Mt. Kailash and thus the lake was named after himas Lake Manasarovar. This word originated from Sanskrit. According to the legend, there was a big mansion down below on its bottom.
Consequently, the religious importance of Mt. Kailash and its immediate hinterland of Lake Mansarovar are multifaceted. The region is venerated by all religions and ages in different ways. The essential unity of all the religions may be proved by the myths around this region.

From time immemorial this area has been sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and the followers of Bon, Tibet’s indigenous religion. Even today, pilgrims from all over the Himalayan region travel to Kailash to perform arduous Parikrama or Khora (circumambulating of the mountain), often prostrating themselves the entire way.

It is said to be the abode of the king of Nags – the serpent gods – and in the middle of the arc like surface of the lake once upon there stood a huge tree. Its fruits fell into the lake with the sound ‘Jam’; thus, the surrounding region came to be known as “Jambu-ling” or “Jambu-Dvipa” in the Hindu Puranas.

Buddhists belief

Buddhists believe that in the centre of the lake is a tree, which bears fruits of celestial medicinal properties that may cure all known physical as well as mental ailments. Thus, Mansarovar is described as Anotatta or Anavatapta – the lake without heat and trouble.

Holy Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are not only important for living beings, but for the dead spirits too. Since Kailash Mandala is Heaven, taking the spirits of the dead there is considered salvation for them. The reliquaries of high Buddhist Lamas, Sadhus, and their lay devotees are carried to Mt. Kailash. Relics, such as the hair and earrings of Shamans are compulsorily carried to Lake Manasarovar, for their salvation. Similarly, Hindu people‘s death spirits are also taken to Manasarovar, especially those who have become harmful ghosts.

Hindus belief

One myths goes that at the core of the Jambu, the landmass surrounding Lake Mansarovar, stood the glorious mountain of Meru with four colours and faces: white like a Brahmin, the priest, on its eastern surface; yellow like a Vaisya, the merchant, on the south; red like a Kshatriya, the warrior, on the north; black on its western side like a Shudra, the menial. This is known to all by the name Kailash.

Manasarovar is the Manas or the soul of Brahma. They believe that it is the place where Shiva and Parvati is take baths.

In this way Manasarovar is considered the Lake of Wisdom, the abode of compassionate or peaceful Gods and Goddesses. Therefore, Hindus often come here to make the circuit of more than 85 km around Manasarovar. Drinking its elixir water or bathing with it, one’s pollution of being born by womb will be purified, and one can derive wisdom.

Importance of Parikrama/Khora

According to legend one Khora around this holy Mountain cleans away the sins of a lifetime; 10 circuits cleans away the sins of one Kalpa (era) and 108 khoras secure Nirvana in this life. After making 13 khoras one is allowed to make the inner circumambulation. In this way the more Khoras you make, the cleaner and more pure you become. As you become more pure, you are allowed closer to the core of Kailash and nearer to nirvana/heaven. This is why the paths of holy Mt. Kailash are an endless stream of pilgrims throughout the summer months.

Mt. Kailash and Pashupatinath, in Nepal, are considered the residences of the Hindu God Shiva. Hindus recognize Shiva as the greatest Yogi, as well as Pashupati. Since Lord Shiva is considered the main god of Chodpa in Tibetan Buddhism and Kapalika in Shivaism, the cemetery (the place where a life ends, and gives space to a new one) is highly respected place of worship by mystics and Sadhus at both Mt. Kailash and Pashupatinath temple. It is said that the God Shiva is considered non- Aryan as the Tradition of worshiping the Shiva Lingam and Pashupati derived from the Dravidian culture of Sindhu. In Nepal, Hindu devotees consider Kailash the summer residence of the God Shiva, whereas Pashupati Shrine is his winter place. After the celebration of Shivaratri (His birthday), it is believed he moves to his summer place, bringing spring to Kathmandu.

Beauty of nature at Manasarovar

Mt. Kailash (6714m), Lake Manasarovar, and Rakas Tal (lake) are situated on the high plains of the western Tibetan plateau, between the mountain ranges of Gurla Mandhata in the southeast and the Kun Lun Mountains in the northwest. The situation of these mountain ranges, placing Kailash at their center, mimics the Buddhist mandala (representing the universe) and is not only religiously significant but is also scenically beautiful.

Scenically, the area is outstanding. At 6,714 meters (22,022 ft.), Kailash is a glittering snow-crystal towering above the Tibetan Plateau like a beckoning jewel, visible from miles away. Manasarovar is famous as one of the highest lakes in the world. Four of the greatest rivers of South Asia- the Indus, Sutlej, Ganges and the Brahmaputra (the Yarlung-Tsangpo In Tibet)- originate from around Mt. Kailash.

The Mansarovar Lake covers a total area of 320-sq-kms with a depth of 90m. During winter the lake freezes and melts only during spring. How much ever I share the importance, beauty and sacredness of the place, it is still less compared to what one experiences by visiting it. Or may be you are a better descriptor than I.

My next discussion would be on how to get to Manasarovar and all about planning a trip along with a few pictures.

TANJORE PAINTING - A traditional way to beautify your home.........

Art is not a handicraft, it is tansmission of the feeling that an artist has experienced. It is an expression of beauty personified. According to me, art pleases a soul, bonds relationships and also beautifies the environment. I would like to share with everyone about a very traditional painting I came across which gained tremendous commercial momentum in the 21st century. Yes, I am discussing about Tanjore paintings.

The beauty of Indian paintings not only lies in the dexterity of the artisans, but also in the authentic material used for such an art. Different schools of Indian paintings have different authenticity, but unique elegance in every school can be gifted by the craftsman only. This factor thereby acts as a marketing tool and creates awareness all over the world.

I visited my cousin in India who has a great hobby to collect precious things and antiques, especially. I was surprised to see a painting designed beautifully with gold foil and precious stones - all Hindu mythological figures. It was Tanjore painting. I saw many such paintings but not with a pleasant appearance. This interested me to know about the importance and the uniqueness of such a piece and immediately booked a ticket to visit Tanjavoor- a place in Tamil Nadu, India. Tanjore(Tanjavoor) paintings are quientessential products of classical South India. As discussed earlier this painting is native to the town of Tanjavoor inTamil Nadu, India. This art form dates back to the 9th century, a period dominated by the Chola Dynasty- who encouraged art and literature in India.

This painting gained momentum for its special carvings on 'gold' foil very elegantly done by the artisans. They also use precious and semi-precious stones to decorate jewellary in the art, which is generally used to make antique ornaments also. Elegance lies in drawing the figures and highlighting the facial expressions of the dieties. Though this art is very famous today, and known to many craftsmen in India, a few of them are gifted with all the perfection required to present this art in the right way. It can therefore be said that this art is a natural extension of the skill and dexterity of the artisans. It is basically iconic. Perfection is very important in this art.

Typically, Tanjore paintings follow a theme. This art concentrates on dieties of the Hindu mythology. So paintings include figures of Lord Krishna, Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Parvathi, Goddess Sarawathi and so on. Every painting consists of a figure or two with lively expressions, beautifully decorated with jewellary and colourful clothing. A background is a must for every piece with different drapes or pillar and ceiling art- made with gold foil.

Certain changes were introduced in this art due to normal erosion of original style of painting and due to availability of new art material. This art is more innovative and is not just used for prayers but also as a decorative piece at home.

Today, Tanjore paintings gained commercial importance for its uniqueness and innovative style. Many artisans are employed today for all their skill and for putting in lots of efforts to create an art piece. Tanjavoor is really proud to have so many talented craftsmen making efforts to preserve such authentic art. Let us also take a step forward to preserve such unique and ancient art in its original form. Yes, Tanjore paintings are one amongst such precious form.

For more details.........log on to http://www.nriol.com/ , http://www.thanjavurpaintings.com/

The following are the a few of major Tanjore painting collections-

Indian Tourism - Godess_Meenakshi_Temple_Madurai

The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu Temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India . It is dedicated to Parameshwar or Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvathi (in the form of Meenakshi or Fish-eyed Goddess or Meen means fish which is the symbol of pandya kings who ruled Madurai region) akshi means 'rule or ruling'- It meansmeenakshi is the goddess of Pandya's rule). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai, home of the Tamil language.

According to Hindu legends, Lord Shiva, in the form of Sundareswarar, with his divine group of followers, appeared here in Madurai, to marry Pandya King Malayadwaja Pandya's daughter, Meenakshi, believed to be an incarnation of Hindu Goddess Parvati. This temple is one of the most sacred abodes of Goddess Parvathi

The temple has an excellent Architecture.

For more details about visiting this place go to

http://maduraimeenakshi.org/

or Wikipedia page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi_Temple

Enjoy Some photos of the temple













Silver Lining



At Night








Tower






Tirumalai nayakkar mahal - Madurai










North Gopuram








1000 pillars

















Mariamman Temple Tank-Teppakulam














One of the Towers

Inside the Temple

Hanuman - In Meenakshi Temple

Elephant or Cow





Early morning view





Main entrance to Meenakshi temple





Golden Lotus tank





A hypnotic view of the Temple at Madhurai,Tamil Nadu, India





Meenakshi Temple overview

Marine Life

How beautiful is life under the ocean!! There are so many hidden puzzles under the ocean!!
3/4th of the world is water, but yet not research is done under the sea!! Who knows what lies
under the sea? There may be life like us, there may be a whole mermaid kingdom!!

Note: These Photographs are picked up from the free-photographs websites and other places of the net.