Pungri Holy Mountain

Pungri Holy Mountain is to the southeast of Nyingchi County seat on the northern bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River. It is one of the mountains respected by the Bon believers. During a competition with the Bon, Buddhism gained the upper hand and put the Bon in the edge of termination. A legend says the Bon believer Aqiong Jibu destroyed the magic arts of the Buddhist master Padmasambhava in the power contests and thus saved the Bon.

It takes three days to walk around the holy mountain at least. Plus visits to the monasteries around it, it takes seven days. In Nyingchi tourists can hire horses and yaks for carrying your luggage. But the horse and yak could not pass through the mountain pass and have to make a detour from the east slope. Fortunately, the monasteries on the mountain provide food and lodging.

Holy Mountain: Kangrinboqe

Best time to go: on April 15 of the Tibetan calendar

Ngari is famous for its holy mountain and lake. Kangrinboqe, meaning "the holy mountain" in Tibetan, is the main peak of the Gangdese Mountains. About 6,714 meters above sea level, the mountain is powerful and imposing, holding a sacred position in many religions.

For hundreds of years, Kangrinboqe has attracted numerous religious followers and travelers with its many mystical stories and legends. Thousands of Chinese Tibetans, overseas religious devotees from India, Nepal and Bhutan, and tourists make pilgrimages or take in the sights in the area every year. These devout followers usually take a year or longer to reach the sacred mountain, kowtowing all the way from afar.

The Kangrinboqe Peak is one of the centers of Tibet Buddhism, Hinduism and the Bon. It is the summit of the Gangdese Mountains, and enjoys worldwide fame is far behind Qomolangma (Mount Everest). However, geographical altitude matters little in the realm of spirituality. The Tibetans call the peak "Kangri," which means "treasure of the snowy mountains." In Buddhism and Hinduism, this peak occupies a position as important as the Mandala, or the center of the universe. It is also the "Heaven of Siva" in Hinduism.

The peak resembles "an olive towering into the sky, with a seven-colored round crown and surrounded by an eight-petal lotus." The whole mountain seems to be made of crystal, looking like a jade-inlaid ice sculpture of extremely skillful craftsmanship.

Legend has it that when the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, was alive, guardians of all directions, Bodhisattvas, heavenly gods, human beings, Lhamayin and musicians from heaven gathered around the Kangrinboqe Peak in the year of horse, so the year of horse has become the animal-symbolized year when the mountain turned holy. It is said that the master of Tibetan Buddhism Milareba was there, practicing Buddhism, doing missionary work and displaying his power. All these make the Holy Mountain even more mystical.

It is said that pilgrims can wash away their lifetime sins after traveling once around the mountain; they can be exempt from the sufferings of Hell during the 500 samsara if they travel 10 times around the mountain; and, finally, pilgrims can become Buddhas during their lifetime and go to Heaven after death if they circle the mountain a hundred times.

Surrounding the holy mountain are five small monasteries. Small as they are, each monastery has many stories and legends. Paying respect to these monasteries is a part of going around the mountain.

Not far from the holy mountain is the Mampang Yumco Lake, known as the "holy lake", which has four headwaters: Maquanhe River in the east, Shiquanhe River in the north, Xiangquanhe River in the west, and Kongquehe River in the south. The four rivers are named after the four supernatural animals in paradise -- the horse, lion, elephant and peacock -- and are also the origins of four well-known rivers in South Asia: the Ganges, Indus River, Sutlei River and Yarlung Zangbo River.

For hundreds of years, pilgrims have come in a continuous stream to the mountain, which has taken deep root in Tibetan religion, history, and culture. Mystical and fascinating, it is a mountain of spirit, culture, and belief, a combination of man and divinity, and man and nature. Many Tibetan religious followers enshrine and worship the picture of Kangrinboqe together with the figure of Buddha in their homes. Kangrinboqe is a symbol, not only of natural beauty, but also of a belief.