The Sources of the Four Great Rivers in the Mt Kailas region: Sacral and Physical Geography

5th International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash
“Compilation of Traditional and New Aspects of Mt. Kailash and Surrounding Pilgrimage Sites”, University of Hamburg, March 25-27, 2022

Mount Kailash, situated in the west part of the Tibetan Plateau, is, perhaps,
the most sacred pilgrimage site on our planet. The four sacred rivers of Asia
have their origins in the area of 125 km around Mt. Kailash: the
Brahmaputra River, the Karnali River (a tributary of the Ganges), the Indus
River, and the Sutlej River (a tributary of the Indus). The sacral geography
of the region is based on mythological ideas about Mount Meru and the
sources of the rivers that take their origins near it, along with the Tibetan
texts describing the sacred places. For more than a hundred years, the
study of the sources of these rivers has aroused great interest among
foreign researchers. However, for many hundreds of years, Tibet was
closed to foreigners due to its geographical features and political
restrictions. This report provides information on the geographical and
traditional sources of the Indus River obtained from the satellite remote
sensing data and results of expeditions to this region in 2011-2019. We
determined the exact geographical coordinates of the developed riverbeds
and constant watercourses of four rivers. We also found a variety of
interesting patterns as to geometry of traditional and geographical sources
of the rivers that form the huge natural Mandala. In addition, the report
includes the routes to the sources of the rivers used by pilgrims in ancient
times, and some actual itineraries.

Видео The Sources of the Four Great Rivers in the Mt Kailas region: Sacral and Physical Geography канала Sergey Balalaev