Lake Manasarovar
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| Mapam Yumco མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ། Manasa Sarovar मानस सरोवर |
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| (July 2006) | |
| Location | Tibet, China |
| Coordinates | 30°40′25.68″N 81°28′07.90″E / 30.6738°N 81.468861°ECoordinates: 30°40′25.68″N 81°28′07.90″E / 30.6738°N 81.468861°E |
| Surface area | 320 km2 (120 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 90 m (300 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 4,556 m (14,950 ft) |
| Frozen | winter |
Mapam Yumco/Mapam Yum Co/Mapham Yu Tso (Tibetan: མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།, Mapam Yumco; simplified Chinese: 玛旁雍错; traditional Chinese: 瑪旁雍錯), or Manasa Sarovar/Lake Manas (Sanskrit: मानस सरोवर, Hindi: मानसरोवर झील; Telugu: మానస సరోవరము, Bengali: মানস সরোবর), is a fresh-water lake in Tibet Autonomous Region of China 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) from Lhasa. To the west of Lake Manasa Sarovar is Lake Rakshastal and towards the north is Mount Kailash, known in Tibetan as Khang Rinpoche. It is the highest body of freshwater in the world.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Manasa Sarovar Lake lies at 4,556 m (14947.5 ft) above mean sea level. It is one of the highest fresh-water lakes in the world [1]. Lake Manasa Sarovar is relatively round in shape with a circumference of 88 kilometres (55 mi). Its depth is 90 m (300 ft) and its surface area is 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi). The lake freezes in winter and melts only in the spring. It is connected to nearby Lake Rakshastal by the natural Ganga Chhu channel. Manasa Sarovar is the source of the Sutlej River which is the easternmost large tributary of the Indus. Nearby are the sources of the Brahmaputra River, the mainstem Indus River, and the Karnali River (Ghaghara) which is an important tributary of the Ganges River, so this region is the hydrographic nexus of the Himalaya.
[edit] Cultural significance
As per Hindu theology, Lake Manasa Sarovar is the abode of purity and one who touches the earth of Manasa Sarovar will go to paradise. One who drinks the water from the lake will go to the heaven of Lord Shiva. He will be cleansed of his sins committed over a hundred lifetimes[1].
Like Mount Kailash, Lake Manasa Sarovar is a place of pilgrimage, attracting religious people from India, Tibet and the neighboring countries. Bathing in the Manasa Sarovar and drinking its water is believed to cleanse all sins. Pilgrimage tours are organized regularly, especially from India, the most famous of which is the Kailash Manasa Sarovar Yatra which takes place every year. Pilgrims come to take ceremonial baths in the cleansing waters of the lake.
Manasa Sarovar lake has long been viewed by the pilgrims as the source of four of the greatest rivers of Asia namely Brahmaputra, Karnali, Indus and Sutlej. So it is an axial point which has been thronged by pilgrims for thousands of years. The region was initially closed to pilgrims from outside and no foreigners were allowed between 1949 and 1980. But after the 80s it has again become a part of the Indian pilgrim trail[1].
According to Hindu religion, the lake was first created in the mind of the Lord Brahma.[2] Hence, in Sanskrit it is called "Manas sarovara", which is a combination of the words manas (mind) and sarovara (lake). The lake, in Hindu mythology, is also supposed to be the summer abode of swans. Considered as sacred birds, the swans (Sanskrit: Hansa) are an important element in the symbology of the Subcontinent, representing wisdom and beauty.[3] It is also believed the Devas descend to bathe in the lake between 3 and 5 am the time of the day known as Brahma Muhurta.
Buddhists also associate the lake to the legendary lake known as Anavatapta in Sanskrit and Anotatta in Pali, where Queen Maya is believed to have conceived Buddha. The lake has a few monasteries on its shores. The most notable of which is the ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
The Jains and the Bonpas of Tibet equally revere this spot with great enthusiasm.[citation needed]
[edit] Further reading
- Allen, Charles. (1999). The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. ISBN 0-349-111421.
- "A Tibetan Guide for Pilgrimage to Ti-se (Mount Kailas) and mTsho Ma-pham (Lake Manasarovar)." Toni Huber and Tsepak Rigzin. In: Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber, pp. 125-153. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-86470-22-0.
- Lake Mansarovar is mentioned in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib (Sacred book of the Sikhs)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c In Search of Myths & Heroes By Michael Wood
- ^ Charles Allen. (1999). The Search for Shangri-la: A Journey into Tibetan History, p. 10. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. ISBN 0-349-111421.
- ^ Eckard Schleberger, Die Indische Götterwelt. Eugen Diederich Verlag. 1997
- This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.
[edit] External links
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