Mount Kailash is traditionally regarded as one of Hinduism and Buddhism’s holiest peaks, rising to 6,638 metres in Tibet.
The mountain is located in the Kailash Range of the Transhimalaya, near the sources of several major Asian rivers. Hindus associate it with Shiva, while Buddhists identify it with sacred cosmological traditions. It is also important in Jainism and in the Bon religion of Tibet.
Pilgrims traditionally perform a clockwise circumambulation, called a kora or parikrama, around the mountain rather than climbing it. The summit has never been officially climbed, and religious respect is a central reason that mountaineering attempts have not proceeded.
Mount Kailash is sometimes confused with a mountain ranking question because its elevation is impressive, but it is not among the world’s fourteen 8,000-metre peaks. Its importance comes primarily from spiritual and cultural significance, distinctive pyramidal form, and association with the headwaters of rivers including the Indus and Brahmaputra.