Known as the "Lake of Heaven" the Namtso Lake lies in the north Tibetan plateau north of the main peak of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains. The lake. 4, 720 meters above sea level and 55 meters deep, covers an area of 1, 96 1.5 square kilometers, making it the highest of Tibet's three largest lakes and the second largest salt lake in China.
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| This frigid highland valley lake, nestling at the foot of the Youyi(Friendship) Peak of the Altay Mountains, is actually the widest section of the Kanas River, a tributary of the Erix River. | Some two million years ago, drastic movement of the earth's crust caused the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to rise by a huge degree. As a result of the intense pressures exerted in this process, some strata were folded into high mountains whilst others fell, creating valleys or basins. The Namtso Lake was a result, first, of the movement of the earth's crust. Exacerbated by glacier movement. In the lake's early days, it had a much wider surface area and a lower elevation than it has today. The climate then was much warmer and more humid t00, and the rippling lake was just like a sea. As the earth's crust continued to rise. so too did the lake. Some 10,000 years a90. The plateau turned cold and dry and the lake's water sources decreased.resulting in the lake shrinking in size. There are three shorelines around the lake. the highest of which is 80 meters higher than today's lake shore.
Summer is the most active time at the Namtso Lake, when wild animals, among them yaks, gazelles and hares, graze happily on the broad grasslands and many migrating birds arrive from the south, to lay their eggs, hatch and raise their broods on islets and lakeshore. Fish often leap out of the water, revealing their silvery scales. Leisurely herders tend their horses, sheep and cattle, filling the valleys with their lovely echoing songs.
Because of the extreme cold here, the lake freezes in October and the ice does not melt until May the following year. When it does melt, the ice emits thunderous cracking noises that can be heard miles away, and is one of the sights of Namts0.
The Namtso Lake teems with fish that have fine scales or no scales at all. The
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| The wooded valley, stretching for over 2,000 square kilometers from the lake, is China's only area of ancient frigid forest. | majority of the lake dwellers are from the carp and eel families; they are however unlike their cousins in waters on the plains, having evolved from their original forms, over the course of two million years, adapting to plateau conditions. Many still have the primitive shape of large head and small tail.
Peninsulars jutting out into the lake are home to many sites associated with prominent monks from different sects, with many sacred rocks and trees of spiritual significance. The mountains around the shore have ancient mystical drawings. Visitors to these spots will be rewarded not Just with the beauty of nature, but with a sense of mystic serenity that accompanies it. Standing on the bank, eight meters apart, are two stone pillars, about 30 meters high, one of them with a fissure big enough to accommodate a man. They are said by some to be symbols of yin and yang while others claim they are the guardians of the lake.
To followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is a matter of great significance to circumambulate the lake and pray to the mountain god of Nyainqentanglha during the Year of the Sheep because the Good Luck Peninsular on the lake's east bank
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| The wooded valley, stretching for over 2,000 square kilometers from the lake, is China's only area of ancient frigid forest. | represents the sacred body of Sakyamuni, and is where 3, 000 Buddhist deities congregate. The goddess of the lake is also the queen of the mountain god and each of the couple was born in the Year of the Sheep.
A circumambulation performed in this particular year means one will receive great fortune and protection. It takes about a week, not including time for sightseeing. One test of the circumambulants'sincerity is for them to come to the peninsular, Sakyamuni's "body"to pray and then throw into the lake a katag white silk scarf, as an expression of sincerity. If the katag sinks into the water quickly, it is an indication of the spotless sincerity of the well-wisher and that the holy Buddha has accepted the disciple's prayers. If it remains floating, or only half sinks, it means the disciple is not sufficiently sincere and pious or that unpleasant things await. Some tourists often take the test here t00. but only if they are sure there is no one around that they know. and then it's a nervous wait to see if the katag sinks.
Then, there is also the ceremony of sacrifices to the water gods. For Tibetans. the water gods are invisible but ubiquitous. Even in a water pot as small as a horseshoe, there may well be dozens of water gods. The god of all water gods lives in this sacred lake. These deities are highly magic. with power over poverty and fortune; but they are very tight-fisted and quick to anger. At the slightest provocation, they will not only prevent you from gaining wealth but also send diseases and disasters your way too. When making offerings, apart from five types of grains, other treasures must be offered to the water gods. And expensive medicines too. so, pilgrims to the lake always bring along a "sacrifice kit"a bottle containing all the necessary offerings and sutras, which they cast into the lake. |
