Gauri Kund of Mount Kailash: A Pond of Lord Shiva’s wife

This is in continuation to my last blog where I have shared about Rakshas tal, a lake which is believed to be originated through demon king Ravana and hence considered an inauspicious lake on the Mount Kailash Yatra route

In this blog, I shall be sharing another interesting mythological tale of Gauri Kund, which is a pond of Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. It is believed that it is at Gauri Kund that Parvati created Lord Ganesha, using the dirt of her body

Crossing Dolma Pass on the second day of Parikrama around Mount Kailash, will give you a glimpse of an emerald colored pond, which is where the son of lord shiva is believed to be born.

Me standing at Dolma Pass on the second day at Kailash Parikrama

The story goes that Gauri Kund is where the wife of Shiva, Parvati, used to take bath. On one such day, she decided to create Ganesha, using the dirt of her body and instructed him to guard the door, so that no one unknown enters there.

Gauri Kund: where Lord Ganesha is believed to be born

It is also said that when Shiva tried to enter the kund to meet Parvati, it is when Ganesha as per the instructions, stopped him. Oblivious to the fact that Ganesha was his son, Shiva took as an insult and in anger Shiva cut off his neck. Since then, the bathing ritual in Gauri Kund has been carried forward as it is considered auspicious. There are few pilgrims who have claimed to cure diseases by taking a bath here.

Don’t know how true is this mythological story but standing at Gauri Kund is certainly blissful

It is even said that if you have not taken a part in Gauri Kund, the parikrama remains incomplete. But having said this, I would like to mention that the temperature here is cold, since it’s the highest point of Kailash Yatra and a dip in cold water might be harmful at such an altitude. It will be wise to let the place untouched since it is said that Parvati still visits this place and a personal space should be left as it is.