Lake Manasarovar

Manasarovar is a roughly circular freshwater lake of about 320 square kilometres at 4,590 metres, one of the highest bodies of fresh water of its size in the world, lying south of Kailash with the peak visible across it on clear days. It is sacred in the same traditions as the mountain, and pilgrims walk a circuit of around a hundred kilometres around the shore, bathe in the very cold water and carry it away. Monasteries stand at points around the lake, several with hot springs nearby. The salt lake Rakshastal lies immediately west, separated by a narrow neck of land and a channel.

History

The name comes from the Sanskrit manas, mind, and sarovara, lake; in Tibetan it is Mapam Yumtso, which the scholar Sarat Chandra Das derived from mapam, unconquerable. The lake is sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon, and pilgrims from India, Nepal, China and beyond come to it on the journey around nearby Mount Kailash; its water overflows into the salt lake Rakshastal through the Ganga Chhu (Wikipedia, Lake Manasarovar).

Highlights

• The round lake - deep blue fresh water at 4,590 metres.
• Kailash across the water - the sacred peak north of the lake on clear days.
• The shore monasteries - small temples at points around the circuit.
• Rakshastal - the adjoining salt lake to the west.

When to go

May to October; the lake freezes in winter and roads close. Pilgrim numbers peak around Saga Dawa in late spring. Wind on the shore is constant and the water extremely cold year-round.

Before you go

The site is extremely remote, days of driving from Lhasa, and permits must be arranged in advance. Accommodation is basic guesthouses at Chiu and Hor. Altitude affects nearly everyone.

Nearby

Kailash lies north; the Guge ruins are west.

Key facts