Mumbai — Actress and filmmaker Manasi Parekh has completed the challenging Kailash Yatra and shared glimpses of her spiritual journey with fans on social media, describing it as one of the most meaningful experiences of her life.
Manasi took to Instagram on Saturday to post a video documenting her journey, from preparing for the high-altitude trek to walking through difficult weather conditions and finally covering the last stretch on horseback.
Recalling the physically demanding experience, she said she walked nearly 20 km at high altitude before deciding to ride a horse for the final kilometre. She also spoke about waking up around 5 a.m. without an alarm because of her excitement about beginning the day’s journey.
In her video, Manasi shared some of the practical challenges of travelling at high altitude. She advised fellow travellers to take proper precautions, including protecting themselves from nosebleeds and using adequate sun protection in the mountains.
She also showed her morning routine and preparations before setting out, joking about trying to maintain her city-girl skincare habits in the mountains, where sunscreen became more important than anything else.
The journey began from Yamdwar, a significant starting point for pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Yatra. Manasi described the place as symbolising a departure from one’s old self, including past complaints and problems, and the beginning of a journey towards spiritual growth.
The trek, however, proved to be much harder than she initially expected. Rain made the conditions more difficult, while the increasing altitude forced her to slow down her pace. She said that after initially walking quickly, she realised that moving at the same speed at high altitude was not easy and eventually began taking the journey more slowly.
Manasi also noted that thousands of people were undertaking the pilgrimage alongside her. Despite the physical strain and changing weather, she said the spectacular mountain scenery continued to make the experience memorable.
One of the highlights came when she finally caught sight of the eastern face of Mount Kailash.
“After seeing the east end, I felt at peace. Everything felt worth it,” she said, adding that she then chose to ride a horse for the final kilometre with her Sherpa.
She also spoke about the Tibetan Year of the Horse, saying that according to Tibetan cultural beliefs, undertaking the Kailash Yatra during the Horse Year is considered equivalent to completing the pilgrimage 13 times. She associated the year with themes of surrender, transformation and dissolution, saying those ideas resonated deeply with her own experience.
Throughout the trek, Manasi relied on simple snacks such as dried fruits packed by her mother to keep her energy levels up.
Reflecting on the overall experience, she said Mount Kailash was more than just a physical destination for her.
“Mount Kailash is an experience. It’s an emotion. One of the best days of my life,” she said.
Sharing the video, Manasi wrote that the journey during the Year of the Horse was particularly special and one that would remain etched in her heart forever.
With inputs from IANS