Kailash Mansarovar And The Five Elements: How the Yatra Connects You to Pancha Mahabhuta

Kailash Mansarovar is a pilgrimage destination for many devotees who worship Lord Shiva; similarly, it’s considered revered for many other religions like Jainism, Buddhism, Bon, and Tibetan Buddhists. Having a profound significance within the region and as per ancient spiritual texts, Mount Kailash, along with Lake Mansarovar, is the centre of the universe, often termed as the roof of the world.

Also, a journey to Kailash Mansarovar takes a pilgrim/traveller farther than just a trekking trail, but takes on the path of Self-realization, aligns them with the panch mahabhuta or the five elements, which are the essential factors of creation around the world. These five elements of nature are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space, and our footprint on Kailash, carrying our panch mahabhuta symbolizes one’s purification of the body and mind. As we circumambulate Mount Kailash in a clockwise direction, we believe each step cleanses our souls and brings them closer to the divine or the supreme.

The Spiritual Significance of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

In Hinduism, Mount Kailash is known as Kailash Parvat, and the home of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, while being the spiritual centre of the universe, and the place where Shiva meditates. It’s also the highest mountain in the Himalayan ranges, visiting which brings immense bliss, rectifies karma, and liberates one from the birth and death cycle.

Mount Kailash in Buddhism is the centre of the universe, called Mount Meru, which is associated with several deities and saints. According to Buddhist texts, the great poet, saint, and meditator, Milarepa, is the only person to climb the insurmountable peak of Mount Kailash. Additionally, Tibetan Buddhists tend to perform Kailash Kora during the Tibetan Year of Horse or during the Saga Dawa Festival, constituting one parikrama during this time equals 13 parikramas on usual days. 

Mount Kailash in Jainism is considered to be the place of liberation, also called the Ashtapad, where the first Tirthankar, Lord Rishabhdev, attained moksha or got enlightened about life and death. The divine journey to Mount Kailash is what leads to the faith, connecting spirituality and the truth of the visitor.

Mount Kailash in the Bon Religion upholds the vital power of Kailash Mansarovar, linking the spiritual incentives of heaven and the earth. Kailash, known as Tise to Bon adherents, was considered the soul of the ancient kingdom of Shangshung; while according to the Bon sacred teachings, the Tonpa (teacher) Shenrab Miwoche, who’s the main bearer of Bon’s sacred knowledge, was born in the land of Tazig (‘world axis’), which, as per the beliefs, is located near Mount Kailash. In Bon tradition, the parikrama around Mount Kailash is done anti-clockwise, unlike Hindus and Buddhists who move clockwise.

Understanding the Pancha Mahabhuta (Five Elements)

Pancha Mahabhuta, or the five great elements, according to Hindu philosophy, provide life to a creature: Prithvi (Earth), Apas (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air), and Akasha (Space). Considered as the fundamental block for building the universe and everything around it, the panch mahabhuta is also present in the human body, complementing life, divinity, and a specific sense of livelihood. All 5 elements are present in this multi-universe, giving us a sense of touch, smell, vision, transformation, and so on. Balancing all five elements in yogic practices is mandatorily crucial to channelize harmony and spirituality within oneself.

How the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Connects You to the Five Elements

Kailash Yatra connects pilgrims not only with the divine supreme, but it awakens your root existence by stimulating the five elements of nature, incorporation of which is your body. Here are the five elements that get awakened with the Kailash pilgrimage, and are said to liberate you from the cycle of birth and death:

Prithvi (Earth): The Sacred Mountains of Kailash

• Performing the parikrama of Kailash Parbat in the Tibet region is beneficial for one’s grounding and offering them stability while connecting them with the higher selves. 
• Awakening the Earth element during the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra symbolizes great strength, while establishing the endurance in your body and mind for yatra completion.

Apas (Water): The Purity of Lake Mansarovar

• Taking a sacred dip in the Lake Mansarovar cleanses the past-life sins of a pilgrim. Whereas the unholy powers of Rakshas Tal awaken negativity and bring bad omen, avoid going near it.
• Water element symbolizes the flowing energy which, when combined with the divine, becomes divine itself.

Agni (Fire): Inner Transformation During Kailash Yatra

• Keeping fast, performing puja rituals, and jap-tap-dhyan, etc, near Lake Mansarovar or at Mount Kailash, heals your aura, giving you the spiritual heat to perform holy deeds.
• Those who light lamps/incense near Mansarovar symbolize agni or the fire element that excites moral and psychic force within the traveller.

Vayu (Air): Breathing in the High Himalayas

• The thin air, offering a fresh aura around your three bodies: visible, invisible, and divine, is a test of physical endurance during the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
• Breathing deeply in the Himalayan ranges of Kailash Mansarovar helps you purify the prana or the life force, giving immense joy to the soul.

Akasha (Space): The Vastness of Kailash and Mansarovar

• The open skies symbolize a cosmic silence of Mother Nature, which, when meditated under the skies, awakens a very peaceful, meditative, and resilient connection with the universe.
• The space or the sky element gives the ultimate peace and satisfaction within, if one meditates under its limitless stretch, opening up all the chakras from the lowest to the highest.

Why Pilgrims Believe Kailash Mansarovar is the Axis of the World

Mount Kailash is known as the centre of the universe, which reinforces a divine connection between heaven and Earth, serving as a cosmic axis to balance the energies of the universe, which is why it was also called ‘stairway to heaven’. In fact, globally, it is said to be the spiritual centre of the universe, a holy site where several sages & mystics found enlightenment. Moreover, in Buddhist cosmology, it is known as ‘Mount Meru’, meaning the navel of the universe. As per commonly followed beliefs, the secret knowledge of human creation, technology, and powerful energy systems is viable within the Kailash Himalayan ranges.

Science states that the planetary spheres rotate on the axis, whereas in Tibetan Buddhism, there is a mandala around the Kailash Mansarovar, believed to be a high-energy reserve. The mandala is formed out of two great lakes, four rivers of Kailash, valleys, and hills, symbolising enlightenment. In the Tibetan language, mandala is called ‘Khyilkhor’, which represents the wheel of life and death. As per the diagram of the mandala of the Kailash Mansarovar region, the outer circle represents the cosmos, and the inner square (Earth and human-made world).

Preparing for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: Body, Mind & Spirit

Before you plan your pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, make sure to be prepared thoroughly. Here’s what you need to know:

• Even before booking your Kailash yatra package, prepare yourself for the physical strength, lean on your practically possible physical endurance gains. For that, get involved in a fitness program, walking practice, and all power-backed exercises to prepare for altitude readiness, and attaining healthy food, lifestyle, and serving habits will save you from sickness. Also, be quick to apply for your permit for the Kailash visit, without which, nobody’s allowed to undertake this pilgrimage.
• You don’t just need to be prepared with your physical strength, but also in the spiritual realm, to stay calm, composed, focused, and motivated throughout the parikrama/yatra. Get started with meditation, mantra chanting, and participate in the journey with commitment or sankalp.

Do check out Trip To Temples some of the amazing Mansarovar Yatra Packages. 

Conclusion

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra prominently transcends a typical pilgrimage experience, and offers a chance to explore your inner selves through the panch mahabhuta or the five elements responsible for the creation of every being in nature.

The trek route’s rugged terrain symbolizes Prithvi (Earth), while Mansarovar Lake represents Apas (Water), challenging ascent becomes a factory for transformative purification factor, that is Agni (Fire), the high-altitude air embodies Vayu (Air), symbolizing the life force or prana, and lastly, the limitless, expansion of the Himalayas reflect Akasha (Space). With the Kailash Mansarovar yatra, devotees seek not just a sight of Lord Shiva but also propose to align with the core philosophy and the truth of nature.