Kailash: Over the Hills Where the Spirits Fly
- Author
- Joe Cummings
June to August brings Tibet’s warm and occasionally wet summer, though the high altitude makes it significantly less hot than plains cities at the same latitude. Temperatures in Lhasa are between 12 and 24 ºC (54-75 ºF). At higher elevations, the temperature can drop down to below zero, so warm clothes will still be needed for hikers. Most of the rain falls from July and August, which occasionally leads to landslides in remote areas. Lhasa sees 150 mm of rainfall in July, meaning that there is often cloud cover, so the views, while still something to behold, are not quite as spectacular as in April and May, though in recompense it is the season when the alpine flowers come into bloom, with the mountains at their absolute greenest.
June-July
This important Buddhist festival has been established for 500 years and is hugely popular with pilgrims from all over Tibet. For three days, the Tashilhunpo monastery opens its grounds and displays a different Buddha each day. Finally, a giant painted mural is unveiled and there is a procession around the monastery compound.
Location Tashilhunpo, Tibet
June-July
Buddhists flock to the monastery in Samye, the oldest in the country for this festival. People camp out around the compound, and there’s a great picnic with singing, dancing and chanting as they await the monks dressed in elaborate costumes who perform stories and legends. Later, devotees climb nearby mountains to burn incense and hang flags.
Location Samye, Tibet
May-June
Pilgrims and visitors from all over come to Lhasa for this important Buddhist festival celebrating Buddha’s enlightenment. The people make the nearly five-mile procession around the outskirts of the town, reciting scripture and bowing towards the Palace. In the afternoon, there’s singing, dancing and entertainment.
Location Lhasa, Tibet
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