Mountain of the Mahabharata
Mount Kailasa
कैलास
Abode of Shiva and Kubera seen by the Pandavas
Mount Kailasa (Mount Kailash, Tibet): Abode of Shiva and Kubera seen by the Pandavas, located at coordinates 31.07°N, 81.31°E.
Key Facts
| Type | Mountain |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit name | कैलास |
| Coordinates | 31.07°N, 81.31°E |
| Modern location | Mount Kailash, Tibet |
| Significance | Abode of Shiva and Kubera seen by the Pandavas |
About Mount Kailasa
The crystal mountain of Shiva and Kubera beyond the great Himalaya. The Pandavas beheld it on their trek to Badari and Gandhamadana during the exile (Vana Parva), and passed its realm again on the final journey.
Why it matters: Abode of Shiva and Kubera seen by the Pandavas
Details
- Kubera
- The treasure-lord's gardens lay on its flanks
On the Map
Mount Kailasa sits at 31.07°N, 81.31°E, in Mount Kailash, Tibet.
View on the full mapEvents at Mount Kailasa
- The Burning of the Three CitiesYear -5Three asura brothers win three flying fortresses - gold in heaven, silver in the sky, iron on earth - that can be destroyed only by a single arrow at the one instant in a thousand years when all three align. When their pride oppresses the worlds, the gods build Shiva a chariot of the whole universe, and at the moment of alignment he looses one cosmic arrow that burns all three cities to ash.
- The Demon Who Burned HimselfYear 12Shiva grants a demon the power to burn anyone to ashes by touching their head - and the ungrateful demon at once turns to test it on Shiva himself. As the god flees his own deadly gift, Vishnu takes the form of the enchantress Mohini, who lures the smitten demon into a dance and leads him, mirroring her every move, to lay his own deadly hand upon his own head.
- How Ganesha Got His HeadYear 19Parvati creates a boy from her own body to guard her door, and he loyally bars the way even to Shiva, not knowing him. In anger Shiva strikes off the boy's head - and the grieving goddess threatens to destroy creation. To restore her son, Shiva fixes upon him the head of an elephant and breathes him back to life, making him Ganesha, leader of his hosts, worshipped first before all undertakings.
- The Sacrifice of SatiYear 20Proud Daksha despises his son-in-law Shiva and pointedly excludes him from a great sacrifice. When his daughter Sati attends uninvited and hears her husband publicly reviled, she gives up her life in shame. Shiva's grief turns to terrible wrath: he creates Virabhadra, who destroys the sacrifice and beheads Daksha - who is restored, chastened, with a goat's head, while Sati is reborn as Parvati.
- The Thousand-Armed KingYear 31The proud thousand-armed demon-king Banasura, devotee of Shiva, longs for a worthy battle. His daughter Usha falls in love in a dream with Krishna's grandson Aniruddha, who is magically brought to her and then captured. Krishna marches to the rescue - and Shiva himself fights to protect his devotee, until Krishna shears off Banasura's thousand arms, Shiva pleads for his life, and the lovers are wed.
Stories Set at Mount Kailasa
The Divine Arsenal
Arjuna's Ascent to Indraloka
The Burning of the Three Cities
Shiva, the Ender of Tripura
The Demon Who Burned Himself
Bhasmasura and the Dance of Mohini
The Sage Who Defeated Death
Markandeya, Shiva, and the Conquest of Death
How Ganesha Got His Head
The Birth of the Lord of Beginnings
The Sacrifice of Sati
Daksha's Pride and the Wrath of Shiva
The Thousand-Armed King
Usha, Aniruddha, and the War of Banasura
Bhima at Kubera's Lake
Violence as an instrument of release
The Journey to the Mountain
Krishna and Arjuna go north in the night before the vow
The King Who Made Fire Sick
Twelve years of butter and the appetite it ruined
The Bow Out of the Water
What Varuna kept until two men needed it
The One Who Walked Ahead of the Chariot
Arjuna finally asks who has been winning his battles
The Lake Called Bindu
Where Maya found Bhima's club and Arjuna's conch
The Vow of the Soft Tongue
Vyasa's warning, and the promise Yudhishthira made instead
The Sage Inside the God
How Usanas robbed Kuvera and came out as Shukra
Garuda's Map of the World
The four directions described from a bird's back
The Sage at the Limit
A skeleton ascetic marks the line mortals may not cross
The Three Sages Who Saved the Gods
Agastya burns the Danavas, Vashishtha brings down the Sarayu, and Atri becomes the moon and the sun
Sanjaya Describes the Earth
The blind king asks what the earth is worth, and his charioteer answers with the whole of it
The Child Who Stopped Indra's Arm
A boy on Uma's lap holds the thunderbolt in the air