Floods in Nepal-Tibet disrupt pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred mountain with centuries of evolving tradition
Hindus know it as the dwelling place of Shiva, Tibetan Buddhists as the abode of Demchog, and Jains as the site where Rishabhanatha, their first spiritual teacher, achieved liberation.
Flash floods on Aug. 26, 2026, along the Trishuli River in Nepal disrupted pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, a revered mountain shared by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. The floods damaged the primary border crossing used to reach the mountain, which sits in China's Tibet region. Mount Kailash is revered as the dwelling place of Shiva by Hindus, Demchok by Tibetan Buddhists, and the site where Rishabhanatha, the first Jain spiritual teacher, attained enlightenment.
Pilgrims walk a 33-mile path around the mountain's base, believing it provides blessings and purification. The legend of Kailash dates back thousands of years, evolving from an ancient Indian concept of a central snowy mountain to the specific peak identified in Tibet. The exact location of Kailash was not fixed in Hindu scriptures, but it is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a forbidding realm of sages and gods.
Tibetan traditions trace Kailash's identification to the 11th-century saint Milarepa, who converted the mountain into a Buddhist site. By the 19th century, colonial surveyors linked Kailash to the sources of major rivers, coinciding with ancient Indian accounts.
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