Why You Must Visit Namtso Lake - "Tibet's Largest Holy Lake" When You Go to Tibet

All tourists who like to travel to Tibet almost never miss a trip to Lake Namtso. After all, this is the largest holy lake in Tibet, ranking No.1 among the three holy lakes in Tibet. Another two biggest lakes are Lake Yamdrok and Lake Mansaovar. What is unique about Namtso Lake? Why should you visit Namtso when going to Tibet?

This article will tell you about the places worth seeing at Lake Namtso.

Sunset at Namtso Lake

A Day of Lake Namtso

In the Namtso Lake’s morning, it is quiet and pleasant. Whenever the sun slowly emerges from Tanggula Mountain, Namtso instantly catch a cold. Standing by the lake, the air in the respiratory tract is so fresh and pleasant. At Namtso Lake, waking up in the early morning, when the smoke rises from the shepherd's house by the lake, do you want to go there to grab a cup of tea or chat with them?

At noon, Namtso Lake is full with noise from tourists. Only in the evening and at sunrise, Namtso’s tranquility can be expressed.

All travellers who have been to Namtso knew that the sunset at Namtso is very beautiful. The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the water, on the hillside, and on the grass, and the soft halo illuminated the whole earth. Watching the light of the western skyline slowly weaken, I sighed at the last splendor of the sunset, and was shocked by the afterglow of the sky that looked like a black-and-white picture scroll, so profound and charming!

Namtso Lake in Summer

A Year of Lake Namtso

Namtso is blue. In different seasons and in different locations, she presents a different blue flame. You only need to stand by the lake for a few minutes, and she can be affected by the surging of clouds and the waves of the wind and perform a blue psychedelic variation for you.

For the Sky Namtso, everyone will be amazed by its appearance. In March and April, it is the most charming at Lake Namtso. It has snow-covered Nyainqentanglha Mountain to the south, and plateau hills and vast lake shores on the north and west sides. Whenever it comes to April, the weather is getting warmer and the snow on Nianqin Tangula melts, and Namtso will slowly wake up. Half of the lake and half of the ice-covered scenery presens front of everyone.

The altitude of more than 4,700 meters makes Namtso’s summer particularly cold. Summer is the best time to see Namtso, because the crystal clear lake after thawing during this time is shocking. Summer is also the most lively at Namtso Lake. Wild animals such as wild yaks, shale sheep, and hares are grazing on the vast grassy beach; the shepherds are whiplashing horses, cattle and sheep are surging like clouds in the sky, high-pitched and melodious songs echoed is in the valley. There are also countless migratory birds and schools of fish that jump out of the lake from time to time.

At Namtso in autumn, the meadow has turned yellow. Namtso in golden autumn clothes ushers in a beautiful moment. The blue sky and the green lake are really a visual feast! Against the backdrop of the blue sky and white clouds, the rippling blue lake and the snow-capped mountains seem to merge into one, as pure as a fairy tale world.

The wide Namtso Lake becomes a bit manic in the quite winter. The north wind is blowing snow from the frozen lake. It was dry and cold, but calmed down, just like a person practicing in the practice cave by the Namtso Lake. The silence will reach your heart immediately. Namtso in winter is not "closed in winter" as it is said. In winter, Namtso is open to tourists all year round. In fact, Namtso in winter is more pure than summer. There are no crowed tourists. You can quietly watch the scenery, think about "life", and feel the love of nature.

Namtso Lake in Winter

The Appearance of Lake Namtso

Lake Namtso is so blue that she can moisten her lungs and clear her heart. That wave of light can wash everyone's soul. Today's tourists and photography enthusiasts have given Namtso a beautiful and sad name, calling her "Blue Tears of Lover" or "Tears of God".

The local herdsmen affectionately call Namtso Lake "the Namtso of Mother Lake". From a very early time, people have drawn to their hearts the look of Namtso from the sky. They described her as a lying statue of Vajrayana from east to west.

Her head is on Lajang Kamba Mountain, and her feet are Guorehabodong. Some people say that her two feet are not close together, and the other foot is Tashi Island, which is now full of tourists. The two tributaries of Angqu and Zhiqu are like swords raised in the sky by Vajrayana. The three small lakes at the source of the lake are like the three eyes of Vajrayana’s. Machasim Island is like Vajrayana’s right hand holding a bloody head. "Habdon" is like a cushion for Vajrayana.

Namtso, like a crystal gem, is inlaid on the tens of thousands of square kilometers of Qiangtang grassland. It is tranquil, vast, and harmonious with water and sky.

Yak at Namtso Lake

The Legend about Lake Namtso

Legend has it that Namtso Lake, the quietest among the three great holy lakes in Tibet, is a tear left by God on the ground. There are two kinds of scenery in life, the sea and Tibet. Here, the heart without thoughts, quietly feel the beauty of the world.

In the local legend, Namtso was the daughter of Dishitian and the goddess of Sky Lake. Her water source is the jade liquid from the Imperial Kitchen of the Heavenly Palace, and when it reaches the earth, it becomes a wonderful mirror of the Goddess of the Heavenly Palace. Namtso is the home of Duojigun Zama, one of the twelve deities of the Yongning Dimu.

In Tibetan, Nyainqentangla’s means "Lingying Grassland God". He is one of the "Nine Gods of World Formation" in Tibetan mythology, one of the "Eighteen Gods of Hail", and the main god among the gods of the northern grassland. He has a vast northern territory and rich treasures. Nyainqentangla and Namtso seem to have come to the world as a couple.

Namtso's image is cyan all over, with two hands and three eyes on one side, holding a dragon head Zen stick in his right hand, holding a treasure mirror in his left hand, tying up in a bun with his hair draped behind him, riding a cyan flying dragon in the clouds. The image of Nyainqentangla is on a lotus cushion, riding on a white horse, wearing white clothes, with a bun wrapped in white silk, wearing armor, and his right hand is holding a horse whip (red spear) decorated with a five-cornered diamond, and holding a white rosary in the left hand.

Nyainqentangla and Namtso love each other and care for the grasslands of northern Tibet, bringing well-being to the people in the north for generations. But the emotions of this couple are also mixed with rich story elements. These contents make the vast grasslands of northern Tibet no longer empty and lonely, but full of human warmth.

Wedding Shot at Namtso Lake

Religious Belief about Lake Namtso

On a plateau full of religious beliefs, Lake Namtso, Yamdrok and Mansaovar are collectively known as the three sacred lakes in Tibet. In some of the caves and rock paintings on the cliffs surrounding Namtso, we can see various patterns such as birds and beasts, flowers and plants, cloud patterns, letters, etc. The contents of Bon and Buddhism are mixed together, and the years are squeezed here. Since ancient times, civilizations of different periods have been superimposed, showing us an extremely rich cultural information.

Long time ago, Namtso had become the holy place of the three mountains and three lakes of the Bon religion. In addition, the Bon religion also believes that Nyainqentangla is one of the quiet places and places of joy for those who have attained righteous results. According to legend, as early as during the reign of the ninth generation of Tibet, Zanpu Budgongjie, he invited the Bon master Dongzong Tuqin, who had practiced secretly on the Namtso Duoren Peninsula, to revitalize the Bon religion.

After the rise of Buddhism, people continued to tell: When Master Guru Rinpoche came to Tibet to teach the Dharma, he was stubbornly resisted by the great northern native god Nyenqentangla, and the mountain gods dropped heavy snow and fog. On the other hand, Padmasambhava visualized the vajra hand Chana Dorje and regained Nyainqentangla with a vow method. Like the famous sacred mountains in Tibet such as Yala Shambo in Shannan, Nyainqentang La has since become the patron saint of Buddhism. Behind this story is actually the friction between Buddhism and Bon religion at Namtso Lake. In the end, Buddhism defeated Bon religion, and Nyainqentang La and Namtso were mistakenly referred to as the true history of Buddhist sacred mountain and holy lake.

In the following years, believers and eminent monks of various Buddhist sects came to the vicinity of Namtso to practice, and among the islands and mountains surrounding Namtso, numerous Buddhist monuments appeared for future generations to worship.

The purity and serenity of Sky Lake Namtso is the symbol of the plateau, and her beauty is what  every traveler who are trevelling to Tibet should not miss.