Several world religions believein a mythical mountain that's equivalent to the Garden of Eden. Its peak hasfour faces, aligned to the points of the compass, and from its summit fourrivers are said to flow to the four quarters of the world. Thanks to itslife-giving waters, this mountain is known as the axis of the world.

In one of the remotest areas ofTibet there's a place where this legend takes physical form. That place isMount Kailash. By an uncanny coincidence, Mount Kailash perfectly matches thelegend of the mythical axis of the world. Its four faces are roughly aligned tothe compass, and four major rivers flow from its foothills.

These are some of the mostsignificant rivers in Asia, the Yarlung, which becomes India's Brahmaputra, theIndus and Sutlej which flow to Pakistan, and the Karnali, a major feeder forthe Ganges.

Thanks to its connection withthe mythical mountain, Kailash is so sacred that it's never been climbed.

It's Tibet's most importantpilgrimage site.

For Tibetans, pilgrimage is ajourney from ignorance to enlightenment. A pilgrimage around the sacredmountain is believed to wipe out the sins of a lifetime, increasing the chanceof a better re-birth. Most pilgrims time their visit for the most importantfestival in the Tibetan calendar.

For over 1000 years they havegathered at the foot of Kailash for the Saga Dawa Festival to celebrateBuddha's enlightenment.

The festival climaxes with theraising of the newly dressed altar, a 25-metre flagpole. The full entourage ofTibetan monks make the most of the occasion, with music, prayers and blessings.Hundreds of fresh prayer flags are prepared and added to the pole. The headlama's sacred scarf adds the final touch to the proceedings.

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

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

At last the pole stands trueand the new prayers can be blown to the heavens.

Around this point, the power ofthe Tibetan landscape and the beliefs of many cultures converge.

More prayers, written on piecesof paper called wind horses, are thrown into the air and flutter upwards towardsthe peak of Kailash, where the gods of the different faiths are believed toreside.