Hiking Mt. Kailash for Shiva, Garudas

The avians, bird people: garuda

Tibet Travel (Tibet Visa) I brought departed souls [photos of the departed] to Shiva and kissed holy Mount Kailash once again [and visited Kyunglung, the home of the Garudas or avian beings]: a very personal documentary

• Tibetan Tantric Buddhists prostrate countless times on spiritual pilgrimages in devotional Vajrayana Buddhism, particularly at stupas (reliquary mounds called chortens in Tibet)
• The inner kora? See Gongkar Chö Monastery, where we find:

Mandala of Vajradhatu (Gongkar Chö)

...There is also gilt [gold] on black painted mural of Mahakala represented as Pranjaranatha (Gonpo Gur), the Sakyapa Protector, in the inner hall of the main shrine and also a few spectacular spirit traps. The inner sanctum of the monastery has frescos of the Sakyapa founders, painted in Kyenri-style of art and an inner kora (nang-khor). The paintings have been influenced by traditional Chinese art. The chapel is located to the right of the Assembly Hall and has statues of the past, present, and future buddhas. One floor above the main hall, paintings of the original monastery layout can be seen. The monastery shrine is flanked by the Khyedor Lhakhang and the Kangyur Lhakhang; the Khyedor Lhakhang has frescos of Hevajra, and Yab-Yum (tantric depiction of the sexual union) [2, 4, 5, 8]. Along the circumambulatory path around the inner sanctum... More

• Garudas (suparnas) are the Avians or "Bird People" (Greco-Roman Harpies) in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain cosmologies
• In Greek and Roman mythology, a Harpy (plural Harpies, Ancient Greek ἅρπυια, Romanized hárpyia [1,2], Latin harpȳia [3]) is a mythical half-human and half-bird creature, often believed to be a personification of storm winds [4]. They feature in Homeric poems [5].

Garuda (mount) of God Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi

Garuda (Sanskrit गरुड, Romanized Garuḍa, Pali गरुळ, Romanized Garuḷa) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (vahana) of the Hindu God Vishnu (the Preserver or Sustainer). This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religions [1, 5, 6].

Garuda is also the half-brother of the Devas (light beings, deities), Gandharvas (divine messengers, angels), Daityas (Asuras), Danavas, Nāgas (snakes, serpents, dragons, reptilians), Vanara and Yakshas (ogres). He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Vinata. He is the younger brother of Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun (Surya).

Garuda is mentioned in several other [Brahminical and Hindu] texts such as the Puranas and the Vedas.

Garuda is described as the king of the birds and a kite-like figure [7, 8]. He is shown either in a zoomorphic form (a giant bird with partially open wings) or an anthropomorphic form (a man with wings and some bird-like features).

Garuda is generally portrayed as a protector with the power to swiftly travel anywhere, ever vigilant and an enemy of every serpent [1, 8, 9]. He is also known as Tarkshya and Vainateya. More

• Tibet Travel (Tibet Visa), Jan. 9, 2026; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit