Mount Kailash is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the Kailash Range of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. The peak of Mount Kailash is located at an elevation of 6,638 m (21,778 ft), near the western trijunction between China, India and Nepal.
Lake Manasarovar, also called Mapam Yumtso locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located at an elevation of 4,600 m (15,100 ft), near the western trijunction between China, India and Nepal. It overflows into the adjacent salt-water lake of Rakshastal via the Ganga Chhu. The sources of four rivers: Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Karnali lie in the vicinity of the region.
The Kinnaur Kailasha is a mountain in the Kinnaur district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. As per Hindu scriptures, Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati reside in Kinner Kailash. It is the fourth most important peak among the group of five separate peaks in Himalayas in separate locations collectively known as the Panch Kailash or "Five Kailashas", other being Mount Kailash in first place, Adi Kailash in second, Shikhar Kailash in third, and Manimahesh Kailash in fifth place in terms of importance. As a result, it is deeply revered by Hindus. Kinnaur Kailash peak has a height of 6050 meters and is considered sacred by both Hindu and Buddhist Kinnauris. This mountain is sometimes confused with the Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Om Parvat is a mountain located in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, India. Om Parvat's peak elevation is 5,590 m (18,340 ft) above sea level.
Sangthang is the Himalayan peak in Kumaon Himalayas in Darchula District of Sudurpashchim state of Nepal. But this is in dispute by India.
Sin La is a high Himalayan mountain pass located in the eastern Kumaon in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand state in India.
Darma valley is a Himalayan valley situated in the Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand state of India. This valley is located in the eastern part of Uttarakhand at Kumaon division.
Kuti Valley is a Himalayan valley, an area administered by India and also claimed by Nepal, is situated in the Pithoragarh district of Uttrakhand state of India. It is the last valley before the border with Tibet. It runs along the Limpiyadhura Pass & Adi Kailash in northwest to Gunji in southeast axis, formed by the river Kuti Yankti, which is one of the headwaters of the Kali River. It is reached by the Pithoragagh-Lipulekh Pass Highway (PLPH).
Gyanema or Gya'nyima (Tibetan: རྒྱ་ཉི་མ, Wylie: rgya nyi ma, THL: gya nyi ma) is a large plain at the border between the Zanda County and Burang County in western Tibet, which was once used for an annual market of Indo-Tibetan trade. The border has been sealed and the market shut down since the Sino-Indian War of 1962. At the present time, there is only a small settlement at the western edge of the plain called Xilanta, where China operates a military outpost.
The Lipulekh Pass is a Himalayan pass on the border between Uttarakhand, India and the Tibet region of China, near their trijunction with Nepal. Nepal has had ongoing claims to the southern side of the pass, called Kalapani territory, which has been under Indian administration since around 1960, but this issue is often downplayed by the Indian government. The pass is near the trading town of Taklakot (Purang) in Tibet and has been used since ancient times by traders, mendicants and pilgrims transiting between India and Tibet. It is also used by pilgrims to Kailas and Manasarovar.
Gori Ganga is a river in the Munsiari tehsil of the Pithoragarh District, part of the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. Its principal source is the Milam Glacier, just northeast of Nanda Devi along with the Glaciers of the Ralam River, and the Pyunshani and Uttari & Dakshini Balati Glaciers that lie on the western face of the Panchachuli Peaks.
Johar Valley is a valley located in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India, along the Gori Ganga river. The valley used to be a major trade route with Tibet. The best known villages in the valley are Martoli and Milam.
Bhotiyas are people of presumed Tibetan heritage that live along the Indo-Tibetan border in the upper reaches of the Great Himalayas, at elevations ranging from 6,500 feet (2,000 m) to 13,000 feet (4,000 m). In Uttarakhand, they inhabit seven river valleys, three in the Garhwal division and four in the Kumaon division. They follow Hinduism with Buddhism and traditionally speak West Himalayish languages related to the old Zhangzhung language. Their main traditional occupation used to be Indo-Tibetan trade, with limited amounts of agriculture and pastoralism. The Indo-Tibetan trade came to a halt following the 1962 Sino-Indian war, and was resumed only in the early 1990s under state-regulated mechanisms. Their major livelihood at present is the collection of medicinal and aromatic plants in the Himalayas. Many have also migrated out of their traditional habitats to towns at lower elevations. The traditional transhumance and pastoralism have also drastically reduced.
M. K. Ramachandran is a writer from Kechery, Thrissur, Kerala. In 2005 he won the Kerala Sahithya Academy award for his first book, Uttarakhandiloode - Kailas Mansarovar Yatra. His other books are Thapobhoomi Uttarakhand, Adi Kailasa Yathra and Devabhoomiyiloode.
The Manimahesh Kailash Peak, 5,653 metres (18,547 ft), also known as Chamba Kailash, which stands towering high over the Manimahesh Lake, is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva, the Hindu deity. It is located in the Bharmour subdivision of the Chamba district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the fifth most important peak among the group of five separate peaks in Himalayas in separate locations collectively known as the Panch Kailash or "Five Kailashas", other being Mount Kailash in first place, Adi Kailash in second, Shikhar Kailash in third, and Kinnaur Kailash in fourth place in terms of importance. The peak is 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Bharmour in the Budhil valley. It is one of the major pilgrimage sites as well as a popular trekking destination in Himachal Pradesh. The Manimahesh Lake is at the base of the Kailash peak at 3,950 metres (12,960 ft) and is also held in deep veneration by people of Himachal Pradesh, particularly the Gaddi tribe of the region. In the month of Bhadon, on the eighth day of the new moon period a fair is held in the precincts of the lake that attracts thousands of pilgrims.
The Kalapani territory is an area under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Kumaon Division of the Uttarakhand state, but it is also claimed by Nepal since 1997. According to Nepal's claim, it lies in Darchula district, Sudurpashchim Province. The territory represents part of the basin of the Kalapani river, one of the headwaters of the Kali River in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3600–5200 meters. The valley of Kalapani, with the Lipulekh Pass at the top, forms the Indian route to Kailash–Manasarovar, an ancient pilgrimage site. It is also the traditional trading route to Tibet for the Bhotiyas of Kumaon and the Tinkar valley of Nepal.
Gunji is a small village in Uttarakhand, India. It is near the borders of Tibet and Nepal and the confluence of the Kuthi Yankti and Kalapani River, at the east end of the Kuthi Valley. The village is on the traditional Indian/Nepalese route to Kailas–Manasarovar.
Char Dham National Highway, is an under construction two-lane 889 km long National Highway with a minimum width of 10 metres in the Indian state of Uttarakhand under Char Dham Pariyojana. The under construction highway will complement the under-construction Char Dham Railway by connecting the four holy places in Uttarakhand states namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The project includes 889 km national highways which will connect the whole of Uttarakhand state. It will connect Delhi–Dehradun Expressway on its southern end to India-China Border Roads on its northern ends.
Shrikhand Mahadev Kailash, also called Shikhar Kailash, is a Hindu pilgrimage site in Nirmand sub-division of Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India, considered to be an abode of Lord Shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati. It is considered to be one of the toughest treks in India. It is the third most important peak among the group of five separate peaks in Himalayas in separate locations collectively known as the Panch Kailash or "Five Kailashas", other being Mount Kailash in first place, Adi Kailash in second, Kinnaur Kailash in fourth and Manimahesh Kailash in fifth place in terms of importance. The 75 feet Shivalingam at the top of the Shrikhand Mahadev mountain is at a height of 18,570 feet.
Ishan Parbat is a mountain of the Kumaon Himalaya in Uttarakhand India also called Adi Kailash II. The elevation of Ishan Parbat is 6,120 metres (20,079 ft) and its prominence is 456 metres (1,496 ft). It is joint 154th highest located entirely within the Uttrakhand. Nanda Devi, is the highest mountain in this category. It lies 1.1km SW of Adi Kailash 5,945 metres (19,505 ft) and 4.9km NNW of Brammah Parvat 6,321 metres (20,738 ft) its nearest higher neighbor. It lies 12.7km NW of Rajay Jue 6,242 metres (20,479 ft). It is located 16.3km WSW of Sangthang 6,433 metres (21,106 ft) and 22km west lies Panchchuli II 6,907 metres (22,661 ft).
