Sadhguru has begun another journey to Mount Kailash, returning to a place he has described as one of the most powerful spaces he has encountered. This time, the journey began on August 15, 2026, with Sadhguru travelling towards Kailash on two wheels. Isha Foundation is sharing the journey virtually from August 15 to 30, giving spiritual seekers a chance to follow his route and listen to his reflections along the way.
For you, the journey may look like a difficult ride through the Himalayas. For Sadhguru, however, Kailash represents something deeper. His repeated visits raise a simple question: What keeps drawing him back to the sacred mountain?
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How Sadhguru's Kailash journey is more than a trek
Sadhguru has repeatedly drawn a line between travelling to Kailash as a tourist and approaching it as a pilgrim. In his writings, he says a pilgrimage should take you inward rather than simply take you somewhere physically.
“If you are a pilgrim, you are using this outward journey to make an inward journey,” Sadhguru wrote after his 2017 Kailash pilgrimage.
That idea can change how you look at the journey. You do not have to see a pilgrimage only as reaching a distant destination. Instead, you can treat the physical journey as an opportunity to examine your own habits, expectations and sense of self.
{{/usCountry}}That idea can change how you look at the journey. You do not have to see a pilgrimage only as reaching a distant destination. Instead, you can treat the physical journey as an opportunity to examine your own habits, expectations and sense of self.
{{/usCountry}}Sadhguru has also described pilgrimage as a process of becoming less attached to the identity you carry every day. In his view, the hardship of the journey can become part of that inner process.
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Why does Sadhguru keep returning to Kailash?
Sadhguru has made repeated journeys to Kailash over the years. In a 2017 account, he wrote that he was visiting for the 13th time. He recalled thinking each time that he was finished with the mountains, only to find himself planning another journey within months.
“I’m yet to come across another place that reverberates as Kailash does,” he wrote.
That experience, he said, is what keeps bringing him back.
His relationship with Kailash, therefore, appears less about sightseeing and more about what he believes the mountain offers to a spiritual seeker. Isha describes Kailash as sacred across several Asian traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Bon tradition.
What does Kailash mean to a spiritual seeker?
Sadhguru's interpretation of Kailash goes beyond its physical form. He calls it the “greatest mystical library” and says generations of mystics deposited their knowledge there. This is a spiritual belief, rather than a scientifically established claim, and should be understood in that context.
For a seeker, that idea changes the purpose of the journey. You are not simply travelling to see a mountain. You are entering a place that carries centuries of spiritual stories, practices and traditions.
Sadhguru has also explained that the traditional idea of Kailash as the abode of Shiva does not mean Shiva is physically sitting on the summit. He interprets the expression through the idea that spiritual knowledge was preserved on the mountain.
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The inward journey behind the Himalayan pilgrimage
The current Kailash journey gives you a chance to look beyond the dramatic landscapes and difficult terrain. If you approach Sadhguru's teachings as a spiritual seeker, his message is less about conquering a mountain and more about changing the way you experience yourself.
“The idea of pilgrimage is to subdue yourself,” Sadhguru says.
That is perhaps why Kailash continues to hold such significance in his spiritual journey. The destination may remain the same, but the seeker who arrives there does not have to be.
For Sadhguru, returning to Kailash is therefore not simply about going back to a familiar place. It is about returning to a spiritual space that he believes can turn an outward journey into an inward one.