Lake Manasarovar

Lake Manasarovar, known in Tibetan as Mapam Yum Tso, lies south of Mount Kailash on the high plateau of western Tibet. Its fresh waters form a sacred landscape shared by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of Bön. To the west lies the salt lake Rakshastal, separated from Manasarovar by a narrow strip of land. Mountains surround the two lakes, and great rivers rise in the wider Kailash country.

In Hindu tradition Manasarovar was created in the mind of Brahma, and bathing in or drinking its waters is believed to bring purification. Buddhists associate the lake with the birth story of the Buddha, while Tibetan sacred geography connects the region with the four great rivers of Asia. Pilgrims travelling from Tibet and across the Himalayas have long visited the lake and neighbouring mountain, following routes that join devotion to the arduous crossing of high passes.