(TibetanReview.net, Mar27’26) –Undertaking a pilgrimage to Mt Kailash has become more restricted to Tibetan devotees than even non-Tibetan tourists, with the former being subjected to onerous ID checks and patriotism tests, reported bitterwinter.org Mar 27, citing local Tibetan sources.
Tibetans now have to register with local security offices before they can step onto the pilgrimage route. This process includes new travel permits, background checks, and a review of “relevant documents,” a phrase that in China can cover anything from an ID card to a political loyalty test, the report cited the sources as saying.
Tibetan pilgrims are stated to complain that even after getting the required papers, they are often stopped at checkpoints and questioned again.
Those who do not have the correct permit risk being detained immediately. Several Tibetans have already been turned back or temporarily held, highlighting that today in Tibet, simply walking around a holy mountain can be seen as a public security threat, the report said.
For centuries, Tibetan devotees have travelled to this remote destination in eastern Tibet’s Purang area of Ngari region, to circumambulate the sacred mountain along its 40-52-km circuit, with many doing it by prostrating all along, as an act of religious devotion.
Tibetan Buddhists consider Mt Kailash to be the home of the deity Demchok (Chakrasamvara), a wrathful manifestation representing supreme bliss and harmony. He embodies the transformation of desire into awakened wisdom, often depicted in union with Vajravarahi, symbolizing the union of compassion and wisdom.
Bon practitioners connect it to the pre-Buddhist Tibetan religion’s legendary founder Shenrab Miwo. To Hindus, it is the abode of the God Shiva. It is also sacred to the followers of the Jain religions, who associate it with the path to spiritual liberation. In short, it is one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in Asia.