5th International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash

Mt. Kailash in the far west of Tibet is one of the holiest mountains in the world, revered by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bönpo. During the last two decades, also Westerners set out for this remote region. Improved infrastructure and more liberal issuing of permits let their number and very much that of Indian pilgrims increase on a large scale. This requires new rules and regulations to preserve the landscape of Mt. Kailash and neighbouring sites.

A number of travel guides cover the topic of Mt. Kailash travels. However, many aspects of this exceptional geographical region are outlined just marginally in many of them. These include Lake Manasarovar, Lake Raksas Tal, Tirthapuri and the historical Guge Kingdom, as well as the sources of the four big rivers Brahmaputra, Karnali (headstream of the Ganges), Sutlej and Indus. Also the religious backgrounds, legends and iconographic properties are not dealt with in detail in these guides.

Besides the traditional rules for Tibetan and Indian pil­grims to Mt. Kailash, during recent years new obser­vations and explorations were made and new regula­tions put into force. The aim of this conference is to compile both traditional and new aspects of the pheno­menon of Mt. Kailash and the surroun­­­ding area of pil­grimage sites, their interpre­ta­tion and comparison with old scriptures and tantric vision. Data on Mt. Kailash and the sacred lakes will be introduced and systemized. The knowledge of the sacred regions of Tibet will be shared, the cooperation in further scientific investigation discussed.

Conference Language:    English

Download the Conference Poster(PDF) here.

with 5 minutes for questions after each presentation.

The indicated times refer to CET (MEZ), which is UTC+1, check www.timeanddate.com 

Attention! During the night of March 26 to 27 we switch to CEST (MESZ) = UTC+2.

A conference program PDF file is available here for download.

Friday, March 25, 2022

Session 1: MT. KAILASH IN SCRIPTURES AND LEGENDS

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Session 2: HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF THE MT. KAILASH REGION

   Session 3: THE MEANING OF PILGRIMAGE

Session 4: TOURIST AND MEDICAL CONSIDERATIONS

                      Session 5: THE PARIKRAMA (TIB: KORA) OF MT. KAILASH AND THE GREAT LAKES

EVENING PROGRAM

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Attention! Switch to daylight saving time CEST (MESZ) = UTC+2.

Session 6: THE STATIONS OF THE BARKOR

Session 7: INNER KORA PATHS

Session 8: INNER PILGRIMAGE AND TANTRIC RELEVANCE

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

Registration of participation: Participation is free of charge. If you want to take part in this conference online and receive the Zoom-link, the Conference Booklet with the abstracts of the presentations and personal information about the speakers, your registration is needed. Please register as early as possible to support the organization on https://www.conferences.uni-hamburg.de/event/83/ or on the application form (pdf) including the signed Declaration of Consent, according to the EU Directive for Protection of Data Privacy, and send it as e-mail attachment to kailash-conference.aai"AT"uni-hamburg.de .       

If you need to download the Zoom-software, download it from https://zoom.us/download. If you are not experienced using Zoom, you’ll find detailed instructions on https://www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/services/weitere/medienkompetenz/videokonferenzen/zoom/zoom-handreichung-studierende-rrz-20200714.pdf, however this is only available in German. If needed, there is an English introduction for using Zoom on https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Zoom-video-call

Financial Support: If you are willing to support the 5^th International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash, your donation is greatly appreciated. Please transfer your donation and indicate the reason for payment with Invoice No. 100047602, your name and “Donation for the International Kailash Conference” to the University of Hamburg, at Deutsche Bundesbank, BIC-Swift Code MARKDEF1200, IBAN DE84 2000 0000 0020 1015 34. For donations up to 200 Euro, the transfer voucher is sufficient for your tax declaration. For higher donations you will receive a contribution receipt, when your donation is booked on the conference bank account.

Previous Conferences

 1st International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash “The Phenomenon of Kailas and its Role in Human Evolution”, Moscow, Russia, April 12-13, 2014, see http://en.icr.su/work/conferencies/kailas-2014/index.php

2nd International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash “The Phenomenon of Kailas and its Role in the Evolution of Human Development”, Moscow, Russia, March 21-22, 2015, http://en.icr.su/work/conferencies/kailas-2015/index.php

3rd International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash “Assembly of Kailas – The Way of the Spiral of Unity”, Varna, Bulgaria, March 18-20, 2016, see http://www.mt-kailash.ru/english-version/press-release-from-01-april-2016-on-the-third-international-conference-dedicated-to-mount-kailash-assembly-on-kailash-path-along-the-spiral-of-unity.html

4th International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash “Ancient Knowledge of Kailas”, Darchen, Tibet, May 9, 2017, see http://www.mt-kailash.ru/events/conference/2017-forum-ancient-knowledge-of-kailash-2.html     

 Selected Literature

• Sergei Balalaev: „The Call of Kailash – Photo Album“, Moscow Publishing House Kodeks, 2010
• Sergei Balalaev: “Studies in the Mt. Kailash Region, Tibet. The Geographical and Traditional Sources of the Indus River”. The Himalayan Journal, Mumbai. India, Vol. 74, 2019
• Dina Bangdel, John C. Huntington: “Iconography and Meditation on Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi” in “The Circle of Bliss – Buddhist Meditational Art”. The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, 2003
• Bruno Baumann: “Kailash, Tibets heiliger Berg” (“Kailash – Tibet’s Holy Mountain”). Piper Verlag, Muenchen, 2002, (in German)
• Bruno Baumann: „Der Silberpalast des Garuda“ („The Silver Palace of the Garuda“), Piper Verlag, Muenchen, 2006, (in German)
• Bruno Baumann: „Der Kristallspiegel – Pilgerreise zum heiligen Berg Kailash“ (“The Crystal Mirror – Pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain Kailash”), Nymphenburger Verlag,  Muenchen, 2006, (in German)
• Michael Beck: „Tibet – Guge“, Vajra Books, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2018
• John Vincent Bellezza: “Zhang Zhung: Foundations of Civilization in Tibet. A Historical and Ethnoarchaeological Study of the Monuments, Rock Art, Texts and Oral Tradition of the Ancient Tibetan Upland. Philosophisch-Historische Klasse Denkschriften, Vol. 368. Wien: Verlag der Oesterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008
• John Vincent Bellezza: „KM-III Exploration Report, a Reconnaissance Mission to Locate the Sri Ashtapad Temple”. University of Virginia, 2009
• Katrin Burri: „Umweltschutz in der Kailashregion“, 2005. (“Environmental protection in the region of Mt. Kailash”) www.kailashprojekte.ch/downloads/UmweltschutzKailashregion.pdf
• Cave Murals in Dungkar: www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setid=1673&page=1
• Cave Murals in Piyang: www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setid=1674&page=1
• Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang: „The Ecstatic Dance of Chakrasamvara“, translated by David Gonzales, Dechen Ling Press, Seattle, 2013
• Keith Dowman: „The Sacred Life of Tibet”. Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. 1997
• Lama Anagarika Govinda: “The Way of the White Clouds”. Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., London, 1966
• Lama Anagarika Govinda: „ Die Umrisspausen der Tempelfresken von Tsaparang“, Lama und Li Gotami Govinda Stiftung, München, 1997
• Li Gotami Govinda: „Tibet in Pictures“, Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, 1979
• Jörg Heimbel: "The Ngor Branch Monastery of Go mig (sTeng rgyud) in Spiti: Its Foundation and Place Within the Religious History of Western Tibet". in: MONUMENTA TIBETICA HISTORICA Abteilung III, Band 18 (2). International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies/Andiast, HTBS GmbH 2019
• Toni Huber: “The Holy Land Reborn”. The University of Chicago Press, 2008
• Alex McKay: „Kailas Histories – Renunciate Traditions and the Construction of Himalayan Sacred Geography”. Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library, Leiden, 2015
• Swami Pranavananda: “Kailash – Manasarovar”, 2nd edition, Surya Print Process, New Delhi, 1983
• Mural Writing Team, Tashi Tsering et al: „Complete Works of Tibetan Murals Ali“, Tibet People's Publishing House, Lhasa, 2011
• Giuseppe Tucci, „Indo-Tibetica III, I templi del Tibet Occidentale e il loro symbolismo artistico, parte II, Tsaparang“, Reale Accademia d'Italia, Roma, 1936
• Wolfgang Woellmer: “The Inner and Outer Paths of Mt. Kailash”, Vajra Books, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2014
• Wolfgang Woellmer & Alexey Perchukov: “The Spiral Kora of Mt. Kailash”, The Himalayan Journal, Mumbai, India, Vol. 72, 2017
• Wolfgang Woellmer & Sergei Balalaev: “Ancient Knowledge and Modern Explorations of the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash”, The Himalayan Journal, Mumbai. India, Vol. 74, 2019  
• Wolfgang Woellmer & Sergei Balalaev: “Das Phaenomen des heiligen Bergs Kailash in alter Wissenstradition und neuer Erkundung”. Tibet und Buddhismus Nr. 121, Tibetisches Zentrum, Hamburg, Germany, 2019 (in German)
• “Tibet 1:1 500 000, world mapping project Tibet”, Reise-Know-How-Verlag Peter Rump, Bielefeld, Germany
• “Kailash-Trekking-Map 1:50 000” and “Kailash Panorama Map“, Gecko Maps Arne Rohweder, Zurich-Egg, Switzerland

The organization of the 5th International Conference on the Phenomenon of the Holy Mt. Kailash was generously sponsored by the

• Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, Germany
• Garchen Stiftung, Munich, Germany
• Tibetisches Zentrum e.V., Hamburg, Germany
• Gustav Prietsch-Stiftung, Hamburg, Germany
• Deutsche Tibethilfe e.V., German Aid to Tibetans, Hamburg, Germany

Their generosity was an important precondition for the realization of the conference and is greatly appreciated.