5th International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash
“Compilation of Traditional and New Aspects of Mt. Kailash and Surrounding Pilgrimage Sites”
University of Hamburg, March 25-27, 2022
Dr. Sergei Balalaev, Phenomenon of Kailash Research Group, Russia
Mount Kailash, situated in the west part of the Tibetan Plateau, is, perhaps, the most sacred pilgrimage site on our planet. The four sacred rivers of Asia have their origins in the area of 125 km around Mt. Kailash: the Brahmaputra River, the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges), the Indus River, and the Sutlej River (a tributary of the Indus). The sacral geography of the region is based on mythological ideas about Mount Meru and the sources of the rivers that take their origins near it, along with the Tibetan texts describing the sacred places. For more than a hundred years, the study of the sources of these rivers has aroused great interest among foreign researchers. However, for many hundreds of years, Tibet was closed to foreigners due to its geographical features and political restrictions. This report provides information on the geographical and traditional sources of the Indus River obtained from the satellite remote sensing data and results of expeditions to this region in 2011-2019. We determined the exact geographical coordinates of the developed riverbeds and constant watercourses of four rivers. We also found a variety of interesting patterns as to geometry of traditional and geographical sources of the rivers that form the huge natural Mandala. In addition, the report includes the routes to the sources of the rivers used by pilgrims in ancient times, and some actual itineraries.