Mount Kailash: The World’s Most Mysterious Mountain | Mysteries of Asia

Mount Kailash is the most mysterious mountain in the world. Reports of strange lights shooting from the mountain ridge and sounds coming from the inside of the mountain have led many to think that it is actually hollow. Anyone who attempted to climb it died within two years. And most astonishingly, why does time seem to speed up at Mount Kailash, causing aging at twice the normal rate? When Russian scientist Ernst Maldavesh made an expedition to Mount Kailash, something extraordinary happened. But what did he see? Tonight, we'll be uncovering the truth behind all of these questions as we go down the rabbit hole into the most mysterious mountain in the world, Mount Kailash. I'm really excited for this and just some preface. Some of the things I'm about to say may sound really out of this world but by the end of the video, we're gonna try to debunk some of these theories. So what is Mount Kailash? Mount Kailash is a mountain in the Nari Prefecture in Tibet and it is a part of China. It has an elevation of 6,638m, not the tallest mountain in the Himalayas but still a formidable height. Historically, Mount Kailash has never been climbed, ever. And it's way shorter than Mount Everest. Mount Everest has like thousands of people summiting, Mount Kailash, no one has climbed it ever. Why? Well, local legends insist that only those with a completely pure soul could reach its summit. And the handful of people who have attempted to climb it all failed, citing weird illnesses that forced them to turn back. Today, climbing Mount Kailash is explicitly prohibited by the Chinese government out of respect for its sacred status. It's one of, if not the most sacred mountain in the world, with thousands of pilgrims undertaking a journey to the base of Mount Kailash. Which brings us to the mountain's profound cultural significance. Mount Kailash isn't just a mountain, it's a divine epicenter for four religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon. And it is often portrayed as the gateway to heaven. In Hinduism, Kailash is revered as the abode of Lord Shiva, who sits eternally in meditation atop its summit. No other mountain on earth has this kind of multi-faith sanctity. Kailash is essentially a shared holy land, the only mountain in the world to be one. It is said that circling Mount Kailash even once is believed to erase a lifetime of sins. Guess it's time for me to circle Mount Kailash. But for all its sanctity and beauty, Mount Kailash also has a darker, weirder side. Over the years, an array of mysteries and conspiracy theories have latched onto this mountain. From claims that Kailash is an ancient man-made pyramid, to wild stories of time travel and ageing anomalies. And one Russian scientist claims to have uncovered its secrets. And what he documented was mind-blowing. In 1999, Dr. Ernst Moldavesh, a Russian surgeon, led a team of scientists, doctors and explorers into Tibet. Their mission? To map the sacred sites around Mount Kailash and learn what Tibetan spiritual teachers had to say about the mountain's mysteries. They spent months there, and what they discovered changed everything. While they were there, people kept telling them a story of a group of climbers in the 20th century who aged dramatically and died of old age shortly after venturing into Kailash. Feeling sceptical, Moldavesh dug deeper, and he realised that there was some truth to this story. He said, and I quote, Scholars from St. Petersburg informed us that five Russian mountain climbers who scaled Mount Kailash died one after the other from an unknown illness, one and a half years after the climb. Further cementing Mount Kailash's mystical time distortion theory. As his team interviewed other local informants, many of them also gave a chilling hypothesis that Kailash sits at the nexus of an energy field lethal to intruders. A fellow researcher from Moldavesh's hometown told him that a column of energy runs through the area of the mountain and unites the earth and the universe. It is believed that if people die there, their spirits will make their way easily up this column of energy to the other world. This notion of Kailash as a cosmic conduit and exosmandy has deep roots in Hindu and giant cosmology. But it also suggested an explanation for the deaths. Perhaps some unknown form of radiation or psychic energy emanated from this mountain, wrecking havoc on all those who came unprepared, including the multiple rumoured expeditions to Mount Kailash that all ended in tragedy. Even Moldavesh's expedition members reported bouts of dizziness and anxiety near certain spots of the mountain, and their instruments occasionally gave strange readings. There were even sceptical scientists in his group, and they all conceded that there was indeed some unusual energy in the vicinity of Kailash Mountain. But what if that energy was intentional, a kind of ancient alarm system or barrier? As the team delved deeper into esoteric lore, this idea kinda took shape. The Tibetan lamas or spiritual teachers told them that somewhere in the remote Himalayas a spiritual realm shielded from the physical world. One lama that Moldavesh interviewed pointed northwest of Kailash, suggesting Shambhala's entrance might be near this very mountain. So this strange energy or aura could be keeping those unworthy from finding this kingdom of Shambhala. But more on Shambhala later, because Ernst actually stated that he found this hidden kingdom. Then there was the hollow mountain theory. Ernst Moldavesh documented that while staying near the base of Mount Kailash, his team would occasionally hear humming and the sounds of falling objects coming from inside the mountain, which he posits is a hollow man-made pyramid with beings living inside this pyramid, or Mount Kailash. In one interview, the team spoke with Vanpo Lama, a priest of Tibet's ancient-born tradition, about the construction of the Great Pyramids. Moldavesh asked him, who do you think built the pyramids, to which the lama answered without hesitation that people of a previous civilization, specifically the Atlanteans, had built the Egyptian pyramids by harnessing extraordinary mental powers. I know all this sounds really woo woo, but I mean, it's what's stated in his book. Moldavesh actually went to Tibet and he did interview dozens of people, including this lama. The lama also stated, the Egyptian pyramids were built with brain power. The brain possesses enormous power which we don't know how to use. In fringe circles, many people believe that Atlanteans were a real, intelligent civilization that actually inhabited the earth, like way back then. So did these same Atlanteans who raised pyramids in Egypt, also leave their mark in Tibet? Well, Moldavesh knew that Mount Kailash stands oddly alone, sort of like a lone, towering pyramid of black rock and ice, with its faces oriented to the cardinal directions of North, South, East and West. Very peculiar. And when he sketched out a schematic map of the Kailash area and its surrounding mountains, his team found the pattern bearing an uncanny resemblance to the double helix spiral of a DNA molecule. Now why would they build Kailash and this compound in the pattern of a DNA molecule? I don't know and I'm not so sure, maybe they were just showing off, or perhaps they were encoding the blueprint for life. Then Moldavesh discovered the special people. The team kept hearing the same warning, yes, there are secret caves in these mountains, and yes, beings are inside, in eternal meditation, but you will never find them, only the special people know the way. This term, special people, came up again and again. When Moldavesh questioned who these people were, monks and lamas gave only cryptic answers, stating that they could be anyone, laypersons, wanderers, but they shared one duty, protecting the entrances to the sacred caves where entities sat in samadhi, which is a state of deep suspended meditation. These special people lived in nearby villages or monasteries and would periodically visit these hidden caves, carrying supplies or simply keeping watch. They alone were entrusted with the locations and access and they bound themselves with fearsome oaths of silence. But Moldavesh would eventually break through and even visit one of these hidden caves. After weeks of questioning and interviewing dozens of people and religious teachers, the expedition managed to identify one village reported to host two special people who guarded a samadhi cave. Excited, Moldavesh and his team arrived in an isolated Tibetan settlement. There they met with an unusual pair, known as the special people. One was about 60 years old and the other was well into his 90s. It took two days of cautious dialogue before trust began to form. Only then did the eldest guardian address the elephant in the room. He asked, you're curious about our samadhi cave, aren't you? But immediately he reminded Moldavesh of his oath. No amount of questioning could induce him to reveal the location or give a direct account of what he had seen inside the cave. The old man simply repeated his mantra, I will tell no one, not even God. Moldavesh understood the gravity of that promise and instead of demanding secrets outright, he took a subtler approach, using science as a common language. He showed the special people the portrait of the hypothetical Atlantean face, one that he sketched based on observing temple drawings and depictions by locals. And immediately, the elder guardian was startled. His eyes widened and after a long pause, he spoke softly. If people in the cave have a face like in the drawing, their body is large and fat. If they have a normal face, their bodies are thinner. In that very obscure statement, the old guardian had indirectly admitted that beings resembling their Atlantean portrait were indeed in the cave. And this was a breakthrough. Moldavesh and his team gently pressed for more descriptive details, careful not to cross any lines that would shut the guardian down. And bit by bit, a portrait of the cave's inhabitants emerged. Here's what was described. The elder revealed that some of the people in the cave had a large chest, others have a normal one. This suggested that giant beings might be present alongside normal-sized humans. Indeed, Tibetan lore speaks of past races of enormous size. And here was a hint that such giants linger on in Samadhi. When asked about their heads, the special person replied, their skulls are different, some have a very large skull, others have a large and elongated skull, and still others have a normal-sized skull. They all have long hair. And this was great confirmation. An elongated skull is a hallmark of the Atlanteans in Accord literature, whereas an oversized cranium could indicate the even more ancient Lemurians, often imagined with cone-shaped heads. The elder also said some have big eyes and some have normal eyes like everyone. The big eyes, he added, looked unusual, not like the eyes of normal people. And Maldashev immediately thought of the painted eyes on Tibetan monastery walls. These eyes. The Atlantean face his team reconstructed from those temple eyes was now essentially corroborated by an eyewitness. Interestingly, when asked if the cave people had the tiny spiral nose depicted in the drawing, the elder shook his head and said, I already said that some people in the cave have a small nose and others have a large one, like normal people. It's not like the nose in the drawing. But then Maldashev inquired carefully. He asked, in other rooms of the cave to which you don't have access to, are there people with a nose like that? The old man's response was a polite brick wall. He simply said, that is a secret. So cryptic. Did he know something? This special person. Very cryptic. Very naughty. But the implication was clear. Perhaps in deeper chambers, where even this guardian could not go to, there existed beings with truly inhuman features. Throughout this delicate Q&A, the special person remained remarkably consistent. Maldashev even repeated certain questions in different forms as a controlled study to see if the answers would slip or change. They did not. The special people had given what they could. And now, it was Maldashev to go and find out for himself. And a few days later, with permission subtly granted by certain lamas, Maldashev set off to one of the secret Samadhi caves, possibly the very cave guarded by the special people they had earlier befriended. As expedition leader, Maldashev was nominated to embark on this journey with two other colleagues and two special people as guides. But the special people warned, entering into the first room of the Samadhi cave is fatally dangerous. You won't be able to go further than that as you have not passed the meditation trial. No one can overcome that. And what I'm about to say is Maldashev's chilling experience finding and entering the Samadhi caves. The group left their settlement before dawn broke and trekked 3km along a mountain road. After a few hours of trekking at high altitude, the special people stopped. Up ahead, camouflaged against the mountain, Maldashev saw a small, dark opening. In the dim night, he could make out that the area was riddled with many caves and it struck him that the lamas had spoken truth. These sacred caves were ingeniously hidden in plain sight. In fact, an ordinary traveller would think they were just natural holes in the cliffs. Maldashev was now at the entrance to a Samadhi cave and he was about to enter it alone. His colleagues were not permitted to enter with him. As he stepped forward, Maldashev was swallowed by darkness as he proceeded inward. The tunnel was narrow, about 2-3m in width, forcing him to stoop down a few meters in and daylight from the entrance faded. Now it was just him and the beam of his flashlight probing the passage ahead. The air was chilly and utterly still. After about 20m, Maldashev encountered an unexpected barrier, an iron door, painted in strange colours, set into the rock. He was quoted saying, I encountered in a very narrow space, a metal door sealed with a lock. I stopped perplexed. The door was made of thick iron, about 5-6mm, and painted in red-brown and yellow hues. The pattern of paint created three shapes that vaguely resembled eyes. The entire doorframe was solidly cemented into the cave walls. This was no natural obstacle, it was a deliberate portal, confirming that someone had secured this cave. I mean, you don't find a metal door naturally occurring in a cave. As he was examining the door, he suddenly heard footsteps from behind him, which startled him. He turned around and saw the younger special person coming up behind him. The guardian stepped forward, produced the key and unlocked the heavy door. Then he just left. Maldashev was now alone beyond the sealed gate. Having been given silent permission to proceed, he pushed the iron door open and dug through. Beyond the door, he entered a larger chamber. The air was even colder here. Using his flashlight, he walked across the room, about 30m in length. The beam from his light revealed rough stone walls and floor. His plan was to proceed methodically and monitor any psychic or physical disturbances. Because somewhere from his research, he recalled that many Samadhi caves maintain a constant low temperature of around 4 degrees Celsius, which helps preserve bodies. And as he experienced, it certainly was cold enough. After collecting himself, he advanced further. At the opposite side of the chamber, he found another tunnel leading onwards, about 2m wide. This one was even narrower and descended even deeper into darkness. He suspected that this tunnel was where the fabled psychic barrier would begin. And he wasn't wrong. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in. And the effect was almost immediate and utterly uncanny. A few paces into the second tunnel, Maldashev felt a wave of unease wash over him. He said, at the entrance to the tunnel, I suddenly felt inexplicable fear. He took a few more steps forward. Then suddenly, a feeling of worthlessness flooded him. And a few more steps later, he started to get a massive headache. He mentions that this was no ordinary anxiety and that it came in waves. First alarm, then terror, then an overwhelming feeling of worthlessness. As if his own soul was offended by his presence there. And finally, a pounding pain inside his skull. And I have to say that he was a guy that is used to high pressure situations. Because after all, he was a surgeon. A renowned surgeon at that. And being a scientist, Maldashev decided to try again. Determined to push through this barrier. It failed. He then tried a third time. Venturing further than his previous two attempts until his vision blurred and he could no longer tolerate the throbbing pain in his head. He feared that if he went any further, he might lose consciousness or even die of a cerebral hemorrhage. Recognising defeat, Maldashev had to turn around and he staggered back toward the first chamber. But as he recalibrated himself, he realised that by the dim beam of his flashlight, he had seen several dark figures on the floor at the end of that tunnel. Several large figures on the floor. Maldashev saw the outlines of giant seeded forms. An image that was seared into his memory. And Maldashev knew in that moment that the Lemurians, Atlanteans, they were all real and alive. Preserved in this cave for the survival of mankind. Suspended in a state of Samadhi and only allowing those worthy enough to come close. That there were people in there, ancient beyond reckoning, sitting in silence to ensure the future of humanity. It took two full days for Maldashev's strength to return and the headaches persisted on for even longer. Maldashev recalls that he felt disappointed, that he had only been mere metres away from people in Samadhi but was unable to examine them. And I can imagine that feeling of dread, like he was so close to witnessing the supernatural, the paranormal even. But alas, he was forced to go back. After this cave exploration, Maldashev's team put together a cohesive theory from all that they have learned from the months spent in Tibet. And here is a summary of what they put together. The beings in the Samadhi caves appeared to hail from different eras of Earth's distant past. There were the Lemurians, who were semi-ethereal giants. The Atlanteans, who were technologically advanced but eventually fallen. And there were modern Homo Sapiens. All of them together comprised what Maldashev termed the Human Gene Pool, which he describes as a living library of humankind, preserved to restart civilization after global catastrophes. So he's suggesting that in the event of the destruction of humankind by, say, a nuclear war, these entities suspended in Samadhi would be awakened and then teach the surviving human race how to rebuild civilization. And I guess that's good to know that, hey, there are awakened beings hidden in the Himalayas as a backup plan for humanity. From the special people, they deduce that the older beings, perhaps Lemurians or early Atlanteans, were kept deeper in the cave, in sections even the guardians, the special people, couldn't access. This suggests a hierarchy of preservation. In other words, the oldest and most powerful beings were hidden deep within the cave system. The fabled realm of Shambhala is not a physical city, but a spiritual system of caves containing these masters. Rather than a fantasy land, it is a network of Samadhi chambers beneath the Himalayas, essentially the city of gods beneath Kailash. And lastly, only those of pure heart can be added to the Human Gene Pool. Mothershaft theorized that the psychic barrier worked by spinning a person's soul energy in a negative direction, causing all those bad feelings like headaches and pains to repel intruders. Which I guess is a good thing. I mean, if these people are to revive humanity, I don't want some crackhead to be involved in any part of it, and only when humanity as a whole has progressed spiritually, will these secrets unveil themselves. Alright, I love a good story, and boy does this one have it all. Most of these claims are from Ernst Mothershaft's book, Where Do We Come From? And it's a really interesting read, and yes, Mothershaft actually did spend several months in Tibet. But, I also love the truth more than a good story. So, are any of the things he said true? Well, let's start from the beginning. For one, there has not been any documentation that Mount Kailash is a man-made pyramid. In fact, the mountain's fluted pyramid look is most likely a natural outcome of the region's geology and glacial erosion. Over millions of years, uplift, jointing, freeze, thaw and ice carved the mountain, producing the crisp bands that read as pyramid edges to the eye. The DNA arrangement of surrounding mountains could be attributed to pareidolia, which is a phenomenon where the mind finds familiar patterns in things. Mothershaft also mentions the 5 Russian climbers who died from an unknown illness shortly after scaling the mountain. I personally couldn't find any official documentation or expedition logs backing his claim, so I don't know about that. He also mentions hearing objects falling that seem to come from inside Mount Kailash itself, suggesting a hollow mountain. But, avalanches, rockfalls and wind whistling through valleys can sound like voices or stones falling, and no evidence really point to hollow chambers. Except for his personal account of visiting the Samadhi cave, where he physically saw, with his own eyes, the very tunnels themselves. A human gene pool. And, you know, this is where we have to take a look at the author himself, Ernst Mothershaft. Can we trust his word? Because at this point, we are just taking his word for it. Well, he seems like quite a credible person. I mean, he's a surgeon of the highest category, he was the director of a renowned medical institution in Russia, and he has won multiple medical awards. But also, I have to say that this guy is full of fringe theories. And I know that because I actually found his YouTube channel, and he talks about everything from lost civilisations, to hollow earth theory, to everything in between. So yeah, he either knows a lot of secrets to the universe, or he's just a fan of these kind of stories. Something to take note about. However, from reading this book, Where Do We Come From, he does sound like a guy just presenting his experience to the world. Did he have an ulterior motive to gain fame or notoriety? Maybe. But he doesn't force his opinions on the reader. In fact, he actually questions himself at the end of the book, stating that as a man of science, what he experienced turned out too unusual for my consciousness to accept. And when he asked himself, Do I believe what I wrote? He says reason and evidence have led him to believe most of it. But he also leaves room for doubt and further verification. There is no dogmatism here, only a presentation of experiences and testimonies as faithfully as possible. And at the end of the day, we won't ever know if Maldashev is 100% truthful or not. But it's also hard to believe that everyone he interviewed was lying as well. From the lama, to the special people he met, to the dozens of other locals and spiritual teachers he met along the way. Could they all be lying? I don't know. Countless mystics have also expounded on the magical energy surrounding Mount Kailash, including world-renowned yogi Sadhguru, who claims that the area surrounding Mount Kailash, specifically the lake, is a spiritual airport where beings not of this earth come and go. Why for millions of years, one particular spot on the planet has been used by life which doesn't belong here? Why? So, maybe Maldashev really did see shadows of giant figures in a state of Samadhi in a cave in Mount Kailash. The special people's vow of silence, the Atlantean portrait recognition, the psychic assault in the cave, I mean all these are pieces that hint at a larger picture. But unfortunately, the full image, the ultimate truth of what's happening beneath those mountains, remains just out of reach. However, I have to say, it is comforting to know that humanity's elders are not gone, but they are simply waiting for us to grow up in a cave in Mount Kailash. And thank you so much for watching this episode. It was really fun to research this video. If any Hindu friends are watching this, let me know what you think of Mount Kailash. I'd love to read your stories. And consider subscribing to be notified of our future videos. And let me know what other topics you'd like me to cover. And I'll see you guys very soon. Thanks for watching. Bye guys.