Attitudes toward Mountains - Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions - page 469

their sacred mountains as the abodes of ancestral spirits on whom they depend for wa-
ter to grow their crops (Bernbaum 1997).
The people of Cambodia, Thailand, Bali, Java, and the Philippines also practice moun-
tain worship (Quaritch-Wales 1953). Mount Popa in Burma has been considered sacred
for over 2,000 years (Aung 1962). Rulers of many Southeast Asian kingdoms identified
their capitals with Mount Meru—the mythical mountain at the center of the universe
with the palace of the king of the gods on its summit—or with Mount Kailas, the abode
of the Hindu deity Shiva, regarded by over a billion Asians as the most sacred mountain
in the world (Bernbaum 1997).
Mountains have a particular significance in India (Saxena et al. 1998). The Himalay-
as, extending for 2,500 km (1,500 mi) along its northern border, have many religious
and mythological associations. They are the source of major sacred rivers, such as the
Indus, Brahmaputra, and Ganges, on whose waters hundreds of millions of people in
the plains depend for their existence. The source of the Ganges is considered especially
holy and is visited by many as a sacred pilgrimage. The Himalayas are the home of many
Hindu deities, the most important of whom is Shiva, the archetypal yogi and one of the
three forms of the supreme deity, who resides on Mount Kailas. Shiva's wife, Parvati,
is the daughter of Himalaya (Bernbaum 1997). The range is also considered a favored
place for meditation and the idyllic retreat of sages intent on attaining the ultimate goal
of moksha or spiritual liberation.
In Tibet, as well as in the smaller Himalayan states of Kashmir, Nepal, Sikkim, and
Bhutan, mountains have been natural shrines since very ancient times, even before
the advent of Buddhism and Hinduism (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1956). Cultural influences
from both China and India are now evident, but the inhabitants have retained many of
their indigenous beliefs. Thus, it is common for persons to make such pious gestures
as tying strips of cloth on bushes, or placing stones or pieces of wood in sacred heaps
at a pass they have reached after a steep climb along a mountain trail (Shaw 1872).
Circumambulation of mountains is also widely practiced by Buddhists, particularly in
Tibet. Among the most famous Tibetan mountains are Am-nye-rMachen and Kang Tise
or Mount Kailas. Regarded as the most sacred mountain in the world by Hindus and
Tibetan Buddhists, as well as by followers of two other religions, Jainism and the indi-
genous Tibetan tradition of Bon, Kailas is a dome-shaped peak of singular beauty and
a favorite for circumambulation (Mathieu 2011; Fig. 9.3). The trip over the rocky trail
around the mountain is nearly 50 km (30 mi) long and takes up to three days; many
Tibetan pilgrims do the entire circuit, crossing a pass nearly 5,700 meters (18,240 ft)
high, in one long day (Bernbaum 1997).
Many of the higher peaks are considered sacred by the people of the Himalaya. With
the onslaught of modem mountain climbers, governments have had to restrict activities
in certain areas. In Nepal, for example, the summits of Machapuchare (6,991 m, 22,371
ft) and Kangchenjunga (8,586 m, 28,169 ft) are both off-limits for religious reasons (Sii-
ger 1955; Bernbaum 1997). Airplane flights are also prohibited over these peaks. This
prohibition has been eased somewhat with familiarity and with the advent of high-alti-
tude jets, but when aviation first began, a planned flight over Mount Everest in 1934 by
two English airplanes raised quite a stir in India and Tibet (Fickeler 1962). Transcend-
ing the pure worship of ancient times is the zest for life in the mountains. This is exem-
plified by the Sherpa dance ceremony “Mani Rimdu,” a three-day festival held during