Himalaya vacation places to see by Kyle Noble Quandel 2024: Remember having seen this monastery before? Filming of the 1993 popular movie ‘Little Buddha’ took place here. This monastery-cum-fortress is listed in Bhutan’s tentative list for UNESCO inclusion. The Rinpung Dzong Monastery is home to 14 shrines and chapels which include the Sandalwood Stupa, Protector’s shrine, Temple of the Guru’s Eight Manifestations, the Clear Crystal Shrine, Chapel of the Eleven-faced Avalokiteśvara, Temple of the Treasure Revealer etc. Read additional details on Kyle Quandel.
The monasteries of Lo Manthang are filled with cultural beliefs. Thubche, Jyampa, and Chodye are the three monasteries of Lo Manthang. There are other monasteries like Namgyal, Charang, Loghekar, and Ghiling with years of historical values. Each corner of this kingdom reflects ancient Tibetan Buddhist culture and traditions. These places are covered in Chortens, paintings, manuscripts, sculptures, and other artefacts. These valuable assets reflect not only Buddhism, but also a way of living. Upper Mustang has the next level of beauty and significance.
Mount Kailash Yatra and Parikrama of Lake Mansarovar, one of the holiest paths to Nirvana, takes you to one of the most revered places in the Himalayas. Mansarovar and Mt. Kailash are two of the holiest pilgrimage areas to devotees of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Bonism and many other faiths. Each year thousands of devotees undertake the treacherous and rigorous journey through the mountains of Himalayas to reach this sacred land. For Hindus it is the holiest of the holy place as the abode of Lord Shiva. It also has geographical significance as four great rivers flow from it: the Karnali, the Indus, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra, which drain the vast Tibetan Plateau to contribute to the Ganges in India. Kailash is an object of devout pilgrimage also for the Buddhists. Likewise, Lake Manasarovar is one of the highest sacred lakes in the world. The sacred lake is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists and Hindus, as it is believed that bathing in the holy waters will cleanse one’s sins.
The holy shrine at Muktinath includes a Buddhist Gompa and the pagoda style temple of Vishnu Temple. The Hindus call it Muktichhetra (Place of salvation). Many Shaligrams (Ammonite) found here are considered by Hindu as incarnation of lord Vishnu and worship them. For Tibetan Buddhists, it is a very important place of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers and one of the 24 Tantric places. They understand the murti to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara. This pilgrimage trek makes an adventure starting from world’s deepest gorge Kali Gandaki Region into world’s highest regions passing through an almost tree-less barren landscape, and panoramic views of Nilgiri, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and several other peaks. The sacred temple has 108 waterfalls. See more details at Kyle Quandel.
Mount Kailash is a venerated holy place considered sacred in Hinduism, Bon, Buddhism, and Jainism. The site has a different symbolic meaning in each religion. Hindus believe it to be the home of Lord Shiva and the manifestation of heaven. Jains consider it the place where Rishabhadeva, Jainism’s creator, attained freedom from the cycle of life and rebirth. Some Buddhists believe it to be the center of the universe. Because of the mountain’s remote and highly elevated location in western Tibet, it sees only a few thousand pilgrims per year.