Mount Kailash, the Mountain No One Climbs
A strangely shaped peak in western Tibet is sacred to four religions. No one has ever stood on its summit.
What was reported
Mount Kailash rises to about 6,600 metres in western Tibet, a dark pyramid with snow lines that look like steps. For Hindus it's the home of Shiva, for Buddhists the home of the deity Demchok, for Jains the place where the first of their great teachers found liberation, and for followers of Bön the centre of the world.
Pilgrims walk around its base, a circuit of about 52 kilometres, but climbing it is considered sacrilege. Stories say climbers who tried were turned back by storms, and some claim that time passes faster near it, making hair and nails grow quickly.
Explanations offered
Kailash has never been climbed because religious leaders asked that it not be, and China has not allowed it. Mountaineers say it would be possible; Reinhold Messner turned down permission out of respect. The claims about time have no scientific basis.
- When
- Sacred for thousands of years
- Where
- Ngari, Tibet, China
- Witnesses
- Pilgrims of four religions
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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