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Higher Consciousness: Writer Ian Baker at the 19,500-foot-high Cave of the Thirteen Golden Chortens.
"Once every 12 years—in the Tibetan Year of the Horse—Kailas's inner sanctum is opened to intrepid pilgrims who climb to nearly 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) to the Cave of the 13 Golden Chortens on the mountain's overhanging southern face. Perched at the edge of a precipitous drop, the tiered chortens contain the relics of revered Buddhist masters while their ascending tiers—crowned by a united sun and moon—represent stages on the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Above the cave, the overhanging wall rises toward Kailas's unscaled 22,028-foot (6,714-meter) summit which is off-limits to climbers because of its holy status.
"Standing at what is perhaps the world's highest shrine, I felt the power of ancient covenant with this majestic mountain that—irrespective of faith—offers a glimpse of the perennial dream of uniting heaven and Earth."
—Writer Ian Baker
Photo by Ian Baker
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