Saga Dawa is the holiest month of the Tibetan Buddhist year, and its full moon, Saga Dawa Düchen, is when merit from good actions is believed to multiply many times over. Across Tibet, people give alms, free animals, recite mantras and walk koras. At Mount Kailash the day is focused on Tarboche, the tall flagpole at the start of the parikrama near Yam Dwar, a few kilometres west of Darchen.
On the morning of the festival, monks and local men lower the pole, strip off last year's flags and wrap it in new ones, while crowds of Tibetan pilgrims, nomads in their best clothes and visitors from India and Nepal watch from the plain. When the pole is raised, using ropes and sometimes vehicles, people throw lungta paper prayers into the air and cheer. Tibetans believe a perfectly upright pole means a good year; a lean is read as a warning.
Many pilgrims begin their parikrama straight after the ceremony, so the trail on Saga Dawa is busier than on any other day, and accommodation at Darchen, Dirapuk and Zuthulpuk fills fast. Permits for Kailash around the festival are in high demand and sometimes restricted. The date follows the lunar calendar and moves each year; check current status before you travel.
Tips
- Book at least four months ahead; Darchen and parikrama guesthouses sell out around Saga Dawa.
- Arrive at Tarboche early in the morning with warm clothes, water and snacks; the ceremony can run for hours.
- Expect a crowded trail on Dolma La on the festival day and the day after; walk steadily and keep your group together.
Questions travellers ask
When is Saga Dawa at Kailash?
Saga Dawa falls on the full moon of the fourth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, usually in late May or June. The exact date changes every year. Our Saga Dawa yatra is timed so the group reaches Darchen the day before. Check current status before you travel, as permits around the festival can be restricted.
What happens at Tarboche on Saga Dawa?
The great prayer-flag pole at Tarboche is lowered, its old flags removed and new ones tied on, then it is raised again before crowds of pilgrims. Tibetans watch whether it stands straight as an omen for the year. Lungta prayers are thrown and many pilgrims start the parikrama right after.
Is Kailash parikrama harder during Saga Dawa?
The route is the same, but crowds make the trail slower, especially on the climb to Dolma La, and guesthouses are full. Ponies and porters are in high demand. Start early each day and book everything through your agency well in advance.
Is Saga Dawa a Hindu or Buddhist festival?
Saga Dawa is a Tibetan Buddhist festival commemorating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinirvana. Hindu pilgrims at Kailash join the occasion as an especially auspicious time for parikrama and darshan, and the shared reverence for the mountain makes it a gathering of many faiths.