Why so many Australians missing in Nepal-Tibet disaster are pilgrims
Most of the dozens of Australians missing after the flash flood that struck the Himalayas on the border of Nepal and Tibet were pilgrims to a spiritually important mountain known as Kailash.
The majority of Australians missing in Nepal-Tibet's recent disaster were on pilgrimages to the spiritually significant mountain of Kailash. Of the 41 missing Australians, at least 32 were reportedly part of organized trips to the remote peak. Mount Kailash holds religious importance for multiple faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Tibetan Bon tradition.
The mountain is associated with various deities and considered the center of the world in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. Each year, thousands of people visit the mountain from around the globe, often via the destroyed highway that was struck by the devastating flood. The pilgrimage to Kailash typically involves circumambulating the mountain, believed to cleanse worshippers of their sins, and lasting around three days.
Hindus and Buddhists generally circle the mountain clockwise, while Bon followers travel counterclockwise.
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