Since time immemorial, pilgrims from India have crossed the Himalayan ranges and paid homage to this most venerated site. They travel singly or in small groups without worrying about visas, permissions or selections. In 1962, the holy route from India to Tibet was closed due to political problems between India and China. For several years, neither yatris nor traders could cross over. Due to the sanctity attached to Kailash and Mansarovar, a pact was made between two countries in 1981, to allow Indians to undertake the journey on a regular basis. Pilgrims are granted special permission under a specific visa. The Yatra is expensive, but those who are committed find the money somehow. Even so, the arduous journey is not without its impact on the mind, Once performed, the yatra becomes a part of one’s being; it surfaces again and again on the mental landscape under different circumstances. Is a physical journey the necessary path to spiritual evolution? Kailash Manasarovar: A Sacred Journey dwells on this question and perceives the possibility for three stages of inner transformation during the journey, using the Devi Mahatmayam as a metaphor. The journey shows that it takes just a shift in perspective to behold the divine in the mundane. By eroding the conditioning of our essence, the journey helps us connect with a pure center, marking the beginning of interactions which are actions, rather than mere reactions to situations. From this point on, it is in maintaining a heightened awareness of one’s emotions, memories, surroundings, companions in the journey that the journey itself could become meaningful.
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