Mount Kailash is the earthly manifestation of Mount Meru or Sumeru which is the spiritual centre of the universe according to Buddhist, Jains and Hindu cosmology. Thousands of Buddhist, Jain, Hindu and Bonpo pilgrims circumambulate the foot of Mount Kailash that is 52km long. Mt Kailash is believed to be the Axis of the world that provides a connection between the earth and heaven between the physical world and the spiritual worlds, the celestial centre of the world where heaven meets earth. For the followers of four of Asia's great religions, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Bon, Kailash is the centre of the universe, the seat of all spiritual power, the summer residence of Shiva and home to the Buddha of supreme bliss. Kailash is the head mountain and the centre of all the religion.

Thousands of pilgrims travel to Kailash each year to complete a "kora"; walking 52 km around its base. Tibetans believe it takes seven lifetimes to accumulate enough merit for the right to travel there. Some pilgrims drop to the ground and offer body length prostrations each step of the way in a deeply devoted act of prayer and submission. Each kora, it's believed, amasses good karma and blessings. Located in a remote area of west Tibet, near the border of Nepal and India, Kailash is about a 1200km from Lhasa, the administrative capital of Tibet. It's about 800km from the border to Nepal. It takes between two to five days to drive there.