rd th ITINITARY KAILASH DISCOVERY, TIBET, MAY 3 to MAY 28 For enquiries and bookings, Contact Dawne FRENCH in Australia Tel: 0061 (0)7 54735071 Email: [email protected] May 3rd: Drive Kathmandu to Nyalam. Overnight guesthouse (4,350m), (6‐7 Hrs) (L/D) May 4th: Additional day in Nyalam for acclimatization. Visit Milarepa cave. Overnight guesthouse (B/L/D) May 5th: Drive to Saga. Overnight guesthouse or camp (B/L/D) May 6th: Drive to Paryang. Overnight camp (B/L/D) May 7th: Drive to Lake Manasarovar. Overnight camp (B/L/D) May 8th: Darchen. (Overnight guesthouse or camping) (B/L/D) Darchen is the base camp, located right in front of Kailash, at an altitude of 4,560 meters (14,957feet). The views from the base camp are much admired by visitors. To the north, is Kailash, like a glorious crystal mandala, radiating a wonderfully attractive sight at different times of the day and night; in addition, there is a permanent twinkling light from the Darchen river which flows from the very heart of the holy mountain. To the south, there is the vast Bharka plain, full of natural beauty and containing nothing man- made. To the east, there are the Kailash mountain ranges. In the west, there are two lakes, called Manasarovar and Rashal Tal, and the giant Namo Nanyi Mountain, 50 kilometers away. May 9th: Driraphuk Gompa (Overnight camping) (4,890m). B/L/D May 10th to 13th: Stay in Driraphuk Gompa for meditation on Medicine Buddha (meditation inside the monastery) B/L/D Driraphuk Gompa is located behind Kailash and was rebuilt in 1986. Usually there are two monks who explain the holy objects and the history of the monastery to pilgrims and visitors. The original monastery was founded by the first person who walked around Mount Kailash, Gyalpa Gotsangpa. According to the history of Kailash, Gotsangpa saw a female yak ahead of him and knew that she was an emanation of the Dakini Sengdongma. Then she disappeared, leaving behind a miraculous hoof-print on a rock. Gotsangpa decided to meditate there and slowly a stone hut grew around him. The hut was named "Drira Pug" or "Cave of the Female Yak's Hoof". (Dri means female yak, Ra means hoof.) The altitude of the area is about 5,208 meters and pilgrims who are unable to walk long distances camp near Drira Pug or stay in the guest house at the monastery on the north face of Mount Kailash. The three lower hills in front of Mount Kailash are known as Manjushri, Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani, and represent wisdom, kindness and power. Starting from Drira Pug, you need to cross the wooden bridge over the Lha Chu river, which some believe is the true source of the Indus. May 14th: Zuthulphuk Gompa. Overnight camp (4,790m) B/L/D. Zutul-puk Gonpa, "Cave of Miracles" The great Tibetan Yogi, Milarepa, and Bonpo master, Naro Bon Chung, used their magical powers to make a shelter as it was raining very heavily. There are foot and hand prints to see on the ceiling of the building and footprints on the roof. The current monastery was rebuilt in 1985. The main contents of the monastery are statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Guru Rinpoche and Jigten Sumgon. A small group of monks is responsible for the monastery. May 15th: Finish the trek and drive to Darchen. Guesthouse B/L/D May 16th: Darchen & drive to Tirthapuri (4,300m.)& enjoy Vajra Yogini hot water springs‐camp. Tirthapuri Hot Springs. Guru Rinpoche spent some time here cleansing away his sins in the thermal waters. While in the neighborhood he also vanquished several foes of the dharma. There is a small kora around the springs and the associated monastery. A high ridge is marked with prayer flags and symbolizes the Drolma-la pass of Kailash fame. Tirthapuri is best known for being a sacred place of Padmasambhava and his consort Yeshe Tsogyel. The monastery which was formerly connected with Hemis monastery in Ladakh was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in 1980s. Behind the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh is a cave where Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyel both meditated and a granite rock with their embedded footprints. The hot springs are surrounded by pink and white limestone terraces, which make a favorite picnic spot for Tibetans. Small pure opaque calcium balls are found among the terraces; search carefully for these small beads are considered to be powerful medicine. Ravens and rainbows abound in this magical spot. May 17th: Drive Tirthapuri - Nyogze (4,350m.) (6-7 HRS) May 18th: Drive to Paryang. Camp B/L/D May 19th: Drive to Saga. Camp or guesthouse B/L/D May 20th: Drive Saga to Lhatse. Overnight guesthouse (B) May 21st: Shigatse. 2 nights hotel. (B), visit of Tashi Lhumpo monastery Shigatse (official spelling: Xigazê; other spellings: Rìkāzé, Shigatse, Shikatse, Zhigatsey) is a county- level city and the second largest city in Tibet with a population of 80,000 about 250 km southwest of Lhasa. It was previously known as Samdruptse and the once-imposing Shigatse Dzong, or fort, (dismantled during the popular uprising of 1959), was the seat of the kings of Ü-Tsang and the capital of the province of Ü-Tsang or Tsang.[1] In the 19th century the "Tashi" or Panchen Lama had temporal power over Tashilhunpo Monastery and three small districts, though not over the town of Shigatse itself, which was administered by two Dzongpön (Prefects) appointed from Lhasa.[2] There were two Dzongpöns for every Dzong - a lama (Tse- dung) and a layman. They were entrusted with both civil and military powers and are equal in all respects, though subordinate to the generals and the Chinese Amban in military matters. It is the administrative centre of modern Xigazê County in the Xigazê Prefecture, a region of Tibet. It is located at an altitude of 3,840 metres (approx. 12,598 feet) at the confluence of the Yarlong Tsangpo (Wylie: yar lung gtsang po) (or Brahmaputra) and Nianchuhe rivers in west Tibet and was the ancient capital of U-Tsang province. It is also the name of the surrounding county. It contains the huge Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Until the Chinese arrived in the 1950s, the "Tashi" or Panchen Lama had temporal power over three small districts, though not over the town of Shigatse itself, which was administered by a dzongpön (general) appointed from Lhasa. Tashi Lhumpo monastery The monastery was founded in 1447 CE by Gedun Drub, the nephew and disciple of the famous Buddhist philosopher Je Tsongkhapa, who was later named the First Dalai Lama. The construction was financed by donations from local nobles. Later Lobsang Chökyi Gyalsten, the Fourth Panchen Lama and the first Panchen Lama to be recognized as such by the rulers of Mongolia, made major expansions to the monastery. Since then all Panchen Lamas have resided at Tashilhunpo, and have managed to expand it gradually. Choekyi Gyalpo, the 11th Panchen Lama has been enthroned there, while Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama recognised by the Dalai Lama, has been held under "protective custody" by the Chinese authorities since 1995. Tashilhunpo in its prime had over 4,000 monks and had four Tantric colleges each with its own Abbot. After the death of a Panchen Lama, these four abbots led the search for his infant incarnation and one of them always acted as a prime minister of Tsang under the control of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa. In 1960, however, the monastery was disbanded by the Chinese army whilst the Panchen Lama was absent, although less damage was inflicted on the monastery than on most others around Tibet. During the 1960s many senior lamas and monastics left Tibet and helped re-establish new monasteries in India, Nepal and Bhutan. The late Panchen Lama did not leave Tibet and consequently many of the senior lamas from Tashilhunpo Monastery remained inside Tibet. Therefore, while other monasteries-in- exile have expanded and developed under the guidance of senior lamas, Tashilhunpo has remained at a disadvantage, although in 1972 a new campus of Tashilhunpo Monastery was built by Tibetan exiles at a settlement in Bylakuppe, Karnātakā in southern India. Since the early 1980s parts of the Tashilhunpo monastery have been open to the public and it is an important tourist attraction in Tibet today. May 22nd: gangchen. (1h drive from Shigatse). Visit of Gangchen monastery. The original Gangchen Monastery was founded in the XVIth century by Panchen Sangpo Tashi - one of Lama Gangchen’s previous incarnations, who was the chosen disciple of the Ist Dalai Lama: Panchen Gedun Drup founder of Tashi Lumpo Monastery in Shigatse which subsequently became the seat of all Panchen Lamas. Panchen Gedun Drup died before the building of Tashi Lumpo was finished and it was Panchen Sangpo Tashi who finally brought the project to completion. Monastic life in Gangchen was prosperous until 1959: some 350 monks lived there and studied - apart from traditional Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism - medicine, astrology, philosophy, logic, dialectics, as well as Vinayana Sutra and Tantra, healing practices, sacred arts, crafts and cham dances. The Monastery was home to a vast collection of precious sacred texts which unfortunately were lost forever. Today there are a mere few ruins left of the original monastery destroyed in 1959. May 23rd: Gyantse. Over Gyantse (rGyal rtse) also spelled Gyangtse, Gyangdzê; is a town located in Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture. It is 3,977 metres (13,050 feet) above sea level, and is located in the fertile plain of the Nyang Chu valley and on the Friendship Highway, which connects Kathmandu, Nepal to Lhasa, Tibet.