But the significance of Mount Kailash isn't confined to Buddhists alone.Other faiths venture to this remote place,many from far beyond the Himalayas.Threatening to upstage the Buddhists,the Hindus arrive,adding their own mix of colour and music.

 

When suitable respect has been paid,it's time for the newly dressed prayer pole to be raised.The pole must end up straight or it will be a bad omen for Tibet.

 

At last the pole stands true and the new prayers can be blown to the heavens.Around this point,the power of the Tibetan landscape and the beliefs of many cultures converge.

 

More prayers, written on pieces of paper called windhorses,are thrown into the air and flutter upwards towards the peak of Kailash,where the gods of the different faiths are believed to reside. Here at the axis of the world,is a rare vision of harmony.

 

For a few,there is one final but essential task to perform. Buddhists believe in the concept of rebirth,and at Kailash the journey from one life to the next is marked with an ancient but outlandish ritual.Tibetans believe there's no need to keep or bury the bodies of their dead,since a departed life will already have kindled a new one elsewhere.