– The Lake Of Divine
Mansarovar in the Tibetan language is called ‘Mapam Yumtso’. Mapam means ‘Victorious’, and Yumtso refers to ‘lake’. The Mansarovar is one of the holiest and sacred lakes in Tibet, and the mountain was circumambulated by Indian pilgrims at least 1700 years ago.Â
South of Mount Kailash, across the great plain of Barga at the base of the majestic Mount Gurla Mandhata, are the two lakes Mansarovar (Mapam Yumtso) and Rakshas Tal (Lhanag Tso). They are the highest freshwater bodies globally, with Mansarovar at 4,558 metres, about fifteen meters higher than the Rakshas Tal.
The two lakes are connected by a channel called ‘Ganga Chu’. Mansarovar is the largest of the two lakes (330sq km as opposed to 224sq km) and is considered by Buddhists and Hindus to be the most worthy of veneration.
Buddhists believe that Queen Maya, the mother of Buddha, was carried here by the gods and washed before giving birth to the Buddha. Hindus regard it as the mental creation of the god Brahma, specially made so that pilgrims to Kailash would have a place to perform their ablutions.
Eight Buddhist monasteries formerly surrounded Mansarovar, but Rakshas Tal had only one. Mansarovar’s character or aspect is often clear and bright, whereas Rakshas Tal’s is frequently moody, overcast, and dull. Because of its shape and mood, Mansarovar is likened to the sun and the forces of light, whereas Rakshas Tal is compared to the moon and the forces of darkness.
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There are three different circuits in the Kailash region. Still, out of the three sacred sites, holy lake Mansarovar especially draws Hindu pilgrims who come to finish the Kailash Kora take a bath in this icy water. Moreover, they bring some bottles of water from the lake to their families and friends.Â
The circuit around the holy mountain is called the Kailash Kora. The total distance of the whole trek is 52 kilometres starting points from and to Darchen. The local Tibetans usually make one circuit within a day, but most tourists do the Kora in three days.
There are three small monasteries along the Kailash Kora route. If you are a photographer or photo lover, don’t miss the Choku Gompa, a 20-minute climb up from the main trail on the first day of Kora. From there, you will have the most stunning view of Kailash as if the holy Kailash is just in front of you.
The other two monasteries were the stopping point where all the tourists and pilgrims stayed overnight while making the Kora. The Dirapuk Monastery is on the Northside of Kailash and the Zutrulpuk Monastery at East of Kailash.
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The holy lake Mansarovar Kora is about 90kilimetres, and it takes about four to five days. The walking routes are completely flat and lie at 4500 metres above sea level.Â
There are eight small Gompas (Temple) around the lake in the olden days. These eight temples represent the Dharma wheel with its eightfold path. Now, there are only four temples around lake Mansarovar as follows:
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As the saying goes, “Tirthapuri is like the collar of a dress,” which means that Tirthapuri is important for the Tibetan Buddhist Pilgrims. Tibetans believe that doing thirteen Tirthapuri Kora is the same merit as doing a Kora around Mount Kailash.
The one-hour kora route around the monastery is interesting but always go with the locals. There is a clean hot spring just below the monastery, and pilgrims take a bath after finishing the Kailash travel.
