Pilgrimage is practised throughout the world, though as a devotional exercise it has been raised to a level of particular importance in Tibet. This may be because of the nomadic element in Tibetan society it may also be that in a mountainous country with no roads and no wheeled vehicles, walking lone distances became a fact of life, and by visiting sacred places en route this could be combined with accumulating merit. To most Tibetans their natural landscape is imbued with a series of sacred visions and holy 'power places' mountains can be perceived as a mandala image, rocks assume spiritual dimensions, and the earth is imbued with healing powers.

The immediate motivations of pilgrimage are many, but for the ordinary Tibetan it amounts to a means of accumulating merit (sonam) or good luck (tashi). The lay practitioner might go on pilgrimage in the hope of winning a better rebirth, cure an illness, end a spate of bad luck or simply because of a vow to take a pilgrimage if a bodhisattva granted a wish.

In Tibet there are countless sacred destinations, ranging from lakes and mountains to monasteries and caves that once served as meditational retreats for important yogin. Specific pilgrimages are often proscribed for specific ills; certain mountains for example expiate certain sins. A circumambulation of Mt Kailash offers the possibility of liberation within three lifetimes, while a circuit of Lake Manasarovar can result in spontaneous Buddhahood. A circuit of Mt Tsari in south-eastern Tibet can improve a pilgrim's chances of being reborn with special powers such as the ability to fly.

Pilgrimage is even more powerful in certain auspicious months; at certain times a circumambulation of Mt Bonri is reckoned to be 700 million times more auspicious than those of other mountains.

The three foremost pilgrimage destinations of Tibet are all mountains: Mt Kailash, in Western Tibet', Mt Tapka Shelri and the Tsari valley, in south-east Tibet, and Mt Lapchi, east of Nyalam. Lakes such as Manasarovar, Yamdrok-tso, Nam-tso and Lhamo La-tso attract pilgrims partly because their sacred water is thought to hold great healing qualities. The cave hermitages of Drak Yerpa, Chimphug and Sheldrak are particularly venerated by pilgrims for their associations with Guru Rinpoche.

On a Pilgrimage

Pilgrims often organise themselves into large groups, hire a truck and travel around the country visiting all the major sacred places in one go. Pilgrim guidebooks have existed for centuries to help travellers interpret the 24 'power places' of Tibet. Such guides even specify locations where you can urinate or fart without offending local spirits (and probably your fellow pilgrims).