Mampang Yumco Lake

Best time to go: From July to August

Mampang Yumco Lake is located about 20 kilometers southeast of Kangrinboqe, the main peak of the Kangdese Mountains, at an elevation of 4,588 meters. It covers some 400 square kilometers and has a maximum depth of 70 meters. The lake is recognized as a holy site by various religions and also thought to be the highest freshwater lake in the world.

Mampang Yumco in Tibetan means the "eternal and invinciblejadelake," and was named to mark the victory ofBuddhismover the local Bon Religion in the 11th century. It is taken as "the king of holy lakes" with fame as great as the holy mountain of Kangrinboqe.

The lake derives most of its water from melting snow in the Kangdese Mountains.Offset by blue skies and white clouds, it is as beautiful as a fairyland, transparent, tranquil and boundless. Blue waves roll softly across the lake, and distant mountains are seen indistinctly around it.

It cannot be regarded as the best of the lakes on the plateau in terms of its size, depth, altitude or beauty. Only its mystery and name make it a holy lake, residents say, and many religious records and legends record its origins.

According to Tibetan Buddhism, the GuangcaiDragonKing Palace lies at the bottom of the lake. In front of the palace is Tsampo Zhaxi, which is a holy tree sending out light as the source of happiness on the earth.

Indian legend claims the lake to be a place where Siva and his wife Goddess Woma, daughter of the Himalayas, bathed.

In Buddhist scriptures, the lake named the "mother of the rivers in the world" refers to the holy lake, Mampang Yumco, which enjoys a reputation equal to the holy mountain of Kangrinboqe. Xuan Zang (600-664), an eminent monk who lived during theTang Dynasty(618-907). He described the Mampang Yumco Lake in his book Records of Western Travels as "a jade pond in west."

There are eight monasteries surrounding the lake. Gyiwu Monastery and Curgu Monastery are the best known of them. The area surrounding Curgu Monastery is respected as a holy and pure bathing site.

Buddhist followers believe the water can wash away "five malignancies of the human soul (greed, anger, craziness, sloth and jealousy)" and can remove uncleanliness from human skin. As a result, the holy lake is crowded with people who come to take a bath there every year. These people also carry water from the holy lake on their long journeys back home, and share it with their relatives and friends.

Four bathing gates lead to the holy lake: the Gate of Lotus Baths in the east, the Gate of Sweat Baths in the south, the Gate of Filth-Removing Baths in the west, and the Gate of Belief Baths in the north.

The holy lake also has four headwaters: Maquanhe River in the east, Shiquanhe River in the north, Xiangquanhe River in the west, and Kongquehe River in the south. The four rivers are named after the four supernatural animals in paradise -- the horse, lion, elephant and peacock. They are are also the origins of four well-known rivers in South Asia: the Ganges, Indus River, Sutlei River andYarlung Zangbo River. Mapam Yumco Lake's reputation as mother of the rivers in the world was probably established due to this.

The water of the lake is regarded as dew bestowed from heaven. Drinking it or dipping oneself in it helps build up healthy qualities, removes annoyance and prolongs life. Tibetans deem all fish or feathers they take from the lake or lakeside as gifts from the Dragon King. This is why people who come to take a ritual walk around the holy mountain Kangrinboqe also walk around the lake. Many tend to prostrate themselves and then crawl to complete a circuit in a week.