Heavenly lake Namtso and Nyenchen Tanglha Mt Range, Tibet 2017
Namtso is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and significant for Tibetan Buddhists. Kora is a Tibetan word that means "circumambulation" or "revolution". Kora is both a type of pilgrimage and a type of meditative practice in the Tibetan Buddhism. Thus, Namtso Kora means pilgrimage walk around the Lake Namtso.
Namtso literally means heavenly lake in Tibetan language. Located around 240km northwest of Lhasa, capital of Tibet, it takes four hours’ driving from Lhasa. Extending 70 km from east to west and 30 km from south to north, the lake covers an area of 1,920 sq km and has an altitude of 4748 m above sea level. It is biggest lake in Tibet and the second biggest salt lake in China as well as one of the highest lakes in the world. The water in the lake is crystally clear and blue. The blue sky joins the surface of the lake in the distance, creating an integrated, scenic vista.
In every Tibetan year of sheep, thousands of Tibetan Buddhism believers will come here to worship this sacred lake. As a rule, they will walk clockwise along the Namtso Lake in order to receive the blessing of the gods.
There are several fine Tibet treks around the lake. The shortest one is roughly 4 kilometers and takes less than one hour. It starts from the accommodation area to a hermit’s cave hidden behind a large spinter of rock. The kora continues to a rocky promontory of cairns and prayer flags. At the promontory, pilgrims undertake a ritural washing in the lake. And then the trail continues past several caves and a prostration point where there are two rock towers looking like two hands. Pilgrims squeeze into the deep slices of the nearby cliff face as a means of sin detection or drink water dripping from cave roofs, even swallow holy dirt.
Heavenly lake Namtso and Nyenchen Tanglha Mt Range, Tibet 2017
Namtso is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and significant for Tibetan Buddhists. Kora is a Tibetan word that means "circumambulation" or "revolution". Kora is both a type of pilgrimage and a type of meditative practice in the Tibetan Buddhism. Thus, Namtso Kora means pilgrimage walk around the Lake Namtso.
Namtso literally means heavenly lake in Tibetan language. Located around 240km northwest of Lhasa, capital of Tibet, it takes four hours’ driving from Lhasa. Extending 70 km from east to west and 30 km from south to north, the lake covers an area of 1,920 sq km and has an altitude of 4748 m above sea level. It is biggest lake in Tibet and the second biggest salt lake in China as well as one of the highest lakes in the world. The water in the lake is crystally clear and blue. The blue sky joins the surface of the lake in the distance, creating an integrated, scenic vista.
In every Tibetan year of sheep, thousands of Tibetan Buddhism believers will come here to worship this sacred lake. As a rule, they will walk clockwise along the Namtso Lake in order to receive the blessing of the gods.
There are several fine Tibet treks around the lake. The shortest one is roughly 4 kilometers and takes less than one hour. It starts from the accommodation area to a hermit’s cave hidden behind a large spinter of rock. The kora continues to a rocky promontory of cairns and prayer flags. At the promontory, pilgrims undertake a ritural washing in the lake. And then the trail continues past several caves and a prostration point where there are two rock towers looking like two hands. Pilgrims squeeze into the deep slices of the nearby cliff face as a means of sin detection or drink water dripping from cave roofs, even swallow holy dirt.