The Parikarma, or circumambulation, of the natural shrines forms
an important part of the journey to Kailash and Manasarovar. The Shiva
Purana says: 'There is no sin in the world which cannot be destroyed
by circumambulation. Hence one should dispel all sins by circumambulation
alone. The parikrama or circumambulation of Kailash is a three - day
trip, 53 kms long, and the most sacred for all yatris. It is performed
in a clockwise direction. Followers of Bon, The Pres - Buddhist religion
of Tibet, perform it anticlockwise. For the Buddhists, the parikrama
around Kailash is equivalent to going through a cycle of life and
rebirth into a new life. Performed around a central point, the parikrama
is also a recognition of the unifying force of the Divine that holds
the cosmsos together. It is symbolic of seeing a thing from every
side, in its totality.
One parikrama of Kailash is said to erase the accumulated sins of
a lifetime, while 108 of these will ensure nirvana or liberation from
the circle of life and death.
The very undertaking of pilgrimage is propitious, for the word yatra
means 'that which protects the onward.
