Padhran religion The Padhran religion was a faith practiced in the Hordelands and by almost all of those living in the hidden realm of Ra - Khati . History . As written in the religious books of the Padhran faith , around −1700 DR , an Ulgarian prince named Surtava gave up his crown , his power , and his wealth and voluntarily became a beggar to seek enlightenment and wisdom . After many years of wandering and meditation , Surtava achieved a state he called " Eaum " , or enlightenment . He spent his remaining years preaching what he had learned . Surtava founded the Padhran religion , with the aid of other founders , such as Monkey . When Surtava died , he ascended to the heavens to become the Padhra . In time , his soul was joined by the souls of thousands of other beings who also attained Eaum . They became incarnations of the Padhra , called padhrasattva s . Dogma . The Padhran religion could be broken down into two main philosophies called the " Four Baskets of Wisdom " and the " Sixfold Path " , as outlined by the Padhra ' s two lectures . The Four Baskets of Wisdom summarized the Padhra ' s basic views on life and reincarnation . They held that : Meanwhile , the Sixfold Path was the set of principles by which a follower of the Padhra should live in order to advance to high forms of life and thereby achieve Eaum : Eaum was a state of spiritual enlightenment . In this state , a soul became one with the Great Soul of Universe and enjoyed an eternity of bliss , which they knew as " " . Padhrasattvas . Those souls that attained Eaum joined the Padhra ' s soul and in turn became incarnations of the Padhra , called padhrasattvas . Thousands of souls had achieved this status by the mid – 14th century DR . There were several especially important padhrasattvas who represented key concepts : Each Padhran monastery in Ra - Khati was dedicated to a certain padhrasattva , but all were worshiped by the monks . Texts . There were a number of religious works that told of the life of Prince Surtava and of the Padhran religion . Some in Ra - Khati were written in Susrit . Some specific works included the " Padhra ' s Seven Baskets of Wisdom " , the " Thousand Lives of the Padhra " , and " One - Hundred of the Dalai Lama ' s Best Proverbs " . Magic . The spell " karma curse " was only used by priests of the Padhran faith . Legends . In the Potala in the city of Saikhoi in Ra - Khati around 1359 DR , there was a group of one hundred priests who continually recited the names of the Padhra in front of ten thousand little idols . It was said that if ever they stopped , the world would come to an end . Meanwhile , a single priest had sat meditating and levitating without moving for thirty - four years ; some wondered if he had found a shortcut to Nirvana . Locations . The Padhran religion was widely followed in Ra - Khati . Indeed , the leader of the theocratic nation was the Dalai Lama , also known as the High One , a very powerful monk and cleric who followed the Padhra . Padhran monasteries from Ra - Khati were found in Fatula Chupa , the City of Monasteries , on the Karakoro Plateau . Although all the sects in Fatula Chupa were independent and competing , the Padhrans there typically allied with the Red Mountain Sect and bore an intense hatred for the Tabot an gompas , both of which followed forms of the Path of Enlightenment . Rituals . Pilgrimage . Followers of the Padhra could choose to undertake a pilgrimage to the Thousand Sacred Sources of the Gaya , that is , to the rivers of the Hordelands that fed the Gaya , called the Sacred River or the River of Life , and to the various sacred sites along them . They could choose which of the hundreds of rivers and sites they visited however . Pilgrims could begin in the south , at the mouth of the Gaya . Also known as the River Xon , it flowed between Durpar and Ulgarth ( the land Prince Surtava had once hailed from ) and emptied into Xontuil Bay and the Golden Water , and ultimately the Great Sea . The next sacred river was the Jumpa River , thanks to its impressive geographic features , status as one of the greatest rivers in the world , and its link to the Gaya ( joining it through the Great Pass of the Yehimal in the Dustwall Mountains ) . All the other sacred rivers were mere tributaries of the Jumpa , so from its banks pilgrims could visit any one of the other sacred rivers . After it , some pilgrims went to the Gogrus River in Ra - Khati . The first stop for these pilgrims was the Sacred Lake of Cherrapunni , where they had to drink the water and cleanse themselves of evil . Going further up the Gogrus , they came to where it joined the Dharbang River , at a place called the Bed of Two Lovers . Legend told that the Great Teacher meditated here for five weeks without eating or sleeping and obtained " the fifth key to enlightenment " , coming closer to achieving ultimate harmony . When he finished , he broke his fast by eating a peach , and tossed the pit in the water . Thereafter , the water had a golden glow and was blessed with healing powers . Pilgrims were obliged to bath in the icy - cold water , but were in turn healed of all injuries , diseases , disabilities and impairments . After this junction , following the Gogrus , pilgrims came to Rainbow Falls , where the Gogrus met the Akundi River . Pilgrims had to climb a perilous and winding cliff - side path to reach the top of the falls , but the Order of Rainbow Monks operated six hospices here , catering to travelers and pilgrims . Following the Akundi , pilgrims came to the Sacred Whispering Fall , which spilled from the lake Manasowar , which was also sacred . Pilgrims had to bathe in the waterfall under the moonlight . Following the Dharbang upstream was impossible , as it flowed through a steep - walled and jagged canyon . Therefore , pilgrims continued up the Gogrus and then the Akundi River , before cutting over land back to the Dharbang and the next sacred site , Norasil , or the Lake of Dreams . Pilgrims camped on the shore until they had a vision that would guide them further . The final stop on the Dharbang was its source at a glacier in the Katakoro Shan . Reaching it was a difficult journey through freezing temperatures . At the snowfield , pilgrims scrubbed themselves with snow , figuratively remove their outer selves . After this , the majority of pilgrims traveled back down the Dharbang and returned home or went onto other sacred rivers . However , a few followed some guiding vision and went on up the glacier . Although they were never seen again , the faithful held that they had been blessed and did not die . The pilgrimage could be quite dangerous , as some pilgrims fell victim to marauders on the trails or to the hazards of mountain travel . The journey was made much worse when the realm of Ra - Khati , which held much of the Gogrus , Dharbang , and Akundi rivers , entered a deeply isolationist and xenophobic phase in the mid – 14th century DR . Pilgrims were permitted to enter in respect for their shared faith , but were then forbidden to leave , and some were killed trying to escape . The alternative was to have their tongues cut out , so they could never speak of what they saw in Ra - Khati . Some pilgrims chose this mutilation in order to continue , while some tried to sneak past Ra - Khatian authorities with their tongues . When caught , rather than be executed , they were forced to cut out their own tongues . In a particularly hazardous period in 1359 DR , a band of pilgrims numbering over a hundred was decimated to only twelve , who then lost their tongues in Ra - Khati . Relations . The Padhran religion of Ra - Khati was often treated as merely a sect of the Path of Enlightenment , a faith that was widespread across Kara - Tur . The Padhrans were seen as adding the padhrasattvas to the Path as guardian gods or protective gods . The padhrasattvas were assumed to be the same as the sages or boddas of the Path and the Celestial Empire .