For ethnic Tibetans, to pay homage to at least one sacred mountain or lake by walking round it is a religious pursuit they must attain in their lifetime, for which they are willing to exhaust all their savings. Even though a person already did so when still a baby - carried by the person’s mother on her back throughout the journey -the person, in nine cases out of ten, will do it on his or her own when he or she grows up. Not a few ethnic Tibetans have made pilgrimages to more than one sacred mountain or lake, believing that holy spirits there will repay their piousness with blessings.
    Sacred mountains and lakes, ethnic Tibetans believe, are where holy spirits reside. Holy spirits are invisible but at times may expose themselves to the naked eye. They haunt those snow-clad mountains, lush-green grasslands and crystal-clear lakes, and they have people’s lives and destiny in control. They keep a close watch of what people do and say, blessing those who are virtuous and punishing those who have done evil things. Moreover, they are able to expiate sins of dead souls.