Sacred Mountains

Exodus 19:18-20

“Now Mount Sinai was all smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; the smoke ascended like the smoke of a kiln, the whole mountain quaked greatly. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”

Sinai as the place of covenant and Torah revelation

Bhagavad Gita 10:23

“Among the mountains, I am Mount Meru, the central mountain of the cosmos. Among the fixed stars, I am the Pole Star. Among all the priests, I am the chief priest, Brihaspati.”

Meru as cosmic center and axis mundi

Skanda Purana

“Mount Kailash stands in the north as the abode of Shiva, the Supreme Lord. Its peaks touch the heavens, and from its slopes flow four great rivers blessing the world. Pilgrims who circumambulate this sacred mountain attain liberation.”

Kailash as home of Shiva

Quran 2:198

“There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord during Hajj. But when you have departed from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray.”

Mount Arafat as site of Hajj standing

Homer's Iliad I

“Then among the Immortals there was strife, for Zeus... resolved to make it known to Thetis on the sea. And he sat down upon the snow-clad peaks of Olympus, where the gods dwell forever in their golden halls and where no wind ever brings snow or rain, but always the brightness of sunlight wraps it in radiance.”

Olympus as divine dwelling

Quran 50:1

“Qaf. By the Quran of mighty esteem. But they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves. So the disbelievers say, 'This is an amazing thing. When we are dead and have become dust, shall we indeed be brought back into creation again?'”

Qaf as the cosmic mountain encircling the world