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Shri Ashtapad Maha Tirth - II
expeditions, rather than revisit Zhang Zhung sites that were already surveyed. With the aid of local monks, we discovered the vestiges of an extensive Dokhang settlement on the rocky slopes above the Buddhist monastery. In total, we located 16 such structures hidden among hollows and boulder fields. Scores of inhabitants must have occupied this site before 1000 CE, perhaps for many centuries. In the Bon tradition, Drira Phuk is connected to the theogony of the chief Zhang Zhung god, Gekhoe. Conclusion After the systematic exploration of the inner circuit of Mount Kailash, it can be stated that Shri Ashtapad, in the form of a Jain temple complex, does not exist there. The thorough survey of the outer circuit of Mount Kailash on multiple expeditions also leads me to conclude that no Shri Ashtapad temple exists on any flank of Mount Kailash. Absolutely no physical evidence for the existence of Shri Ashtapad as a temple has been detected at Mount Kailash. Having systematically charted the Zhang Zhung ruins at Mount Kailash, I am keenly familiar with their morphological characteristics, and could eliminate them from our search. Yet, no alternative archaeological sites (save for Buddhist ones) could be discerned in the region. Shri Ashtapad, had it existed, might be represented in diverse structures and objects, as obscure as they may be. Its signature or footprint would be in the form of earthen mounds, rocky tumuli, platforms or other regular features, depressions, wall traces, the outwash of architectural debris, human burials, artifacts, etc. However, no such signs were detected during the KM-III Expedition or on earlier archaeological surveys of Mount Kailash. The extremely thin and poorly developed alpine soils of Mount Kailash tend to keep archaeological remains on or near the surface. Zhang Zhung residential and ceremonial ruins, including tombs, are usually readily detectable on the surface. There is not an alluvium or other deep substrate to easily engulf ruins, as in lower climes. Of course, it is possible that landslides or other catastrophic geomorphologic changes obliterated certain archaeological assets, rendering visual detection impossible. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Zhang Zhung were skillful builders. They chose sites that would be protected from floods and avalanches, sites with a stable substrate and an amenable aspect. As a result, traces of them still exist today. Why would the ancient Jains chose lesser sites? They would not build on glacial moraines, flood plains and unstable slopes, locations that would imperil anything constructed upon them. As the archaeological evidence demonstrates, building a temple above 5500 m, on Aeolian slopes and summits, was also not a viable alternative. Environmental conditions at these extreme elevations preclude any such construction. Not even the people of Zhang Zhung built at these heights, and none were better adapted to the high elevation environment than them. The ancient inhabitable zone around Mount Kailash is between 4700 m and 5500 m, the highest homeland anywhere in the world (since circa 1000 CE, permanent settlement has been reduced to below 5100 m). Living and working at these heights requires special physiological adaptations and cultural innovations. The contemporary Tibetans are a case in point: their large lung capacity, relatively short extremities, hyper-oxygenated blood and other physiological adaptations make them superbly suited to living on the high plateau. Their traditional diet
A reconnaissance mission to locate the Ashtapad Temple
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