Editing Lake Manasarovar

{{Short description|Freshwater lake in the Tibet Region}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Lake Mansarovar
| native_name        = {{native name|bo|Mapam Yumtso}}
| image              = Yaks-Kailash-Manasarovar.jpg
| caption            = Lake Manasarovar with [[Mount Kailash]] in the background
| location           = [[Burang County]], [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], China
| coords             = {{coord|30.65|81.45|type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}<!--Precision of 0.05 deg (3')-->
| area               = {{cvt|320|km2}}
| depth              = 
| max-depth          = {{cvt|100|m}}
| volume             = 
| residence_time     = 
| shore              = 
| elevation          = {{cvt|4600|m}}
| islands            = 
| cities             = 
| frozen             = Winter
<!--      Map      -->| pushpin_map        = Tibet#China Tibet Ngari#China
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt    = Location of the lake in Tibet##Location within Ngari Prefecture
| pushpin_map_caption = <!--   Below       -->
| website            = 
| reference          = 
}}
'''Lake Manasarovar''' ({{lang-sa|मानसरोवर|Mānasarōvar}}), also called '''Mapam Yumtso''' ({{bo|t=མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།|w=ma pham g.yu mtsho|s=ma pam yu tso}}; {{zh|c=瑪旁雍錯|p=Mǎ páng yōng cuò}}) locally,{{efn|Alternative names include '''Mapang Tso''', '''Tso Mapam''', '''Tsang Tso''' ({{bo|t=ཚངས་མཚོ|w=tshangs mtsho|s=tsang tso}}), and '''Tso Madröpa''' ({{bo|w=mtsho ma dros pa}}).<ref>{{cite web|title=Geographical names of Tibet AR (China): Ngari prefecture|work=KNAB Place Name Database|publisher=Institute of the Estonian Language|date=3 June 2018|url=https://www.eki.ee/knab/valik/cn54ng.htm|access-date=28 August 2022|archive-date=10 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110214226/https://www.eki.ee/knab/valik/cn54ng.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=McKay|first1=Alex|title=Pilgrimage in Tibet|isbn=978-1-13680-709-1|date=2013|publisher=[[Routledge]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pUVdAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22ma+dros+pa%22&pg=PA26|page=26|access-date=28 August 2022|archive-date=28 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828191051/https://books.google.com/books?id=pUVdAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22ma+dros+pa%22&pg=PA26|url-status=live}}</ref>}} is a high altitude freshwater lake near [[Mount Kailash]] in [[Burang County]], [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], [[China]]. It is located at an elevation of {{cvt|4600|m}}, near the western [[Tripoint|trijunction]] between China, India and Nepal. It overflows into the adjacent salt-water lake of [[Lake Rakshastal|Rakshastal]] via the [[Ganga Chhu]]. The sources of four rivers: [[Indus River|Indus]], [[Sutlej]], [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]], and [[Karnali River|Karnali]] lie in the vicinity of the region.

The lake is sacred in [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Bon|Bon religion]]. People from India, China, Nepal and other countries in the region undertake a [[pilgrimage]] to the region. The pilgrimage generally involves trekking towards Lake Mansarovar and a circumambulation of the nearby Mount Kailash.

== Etymology ==
The [[Sanskrit]] word "Mansarovar" (मानसरोवर) is a combination of two Sanskrit words, ''Mānas'' (मानस्) meaning "mind" (generally denotes the mental powers associated including intellect, perception, conscience)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/m.html |title= Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary |work=[[Monier-Williams]] |quote= mánas n. mind (in its widest sense as applied to all the mental powers), intellect, intelligence, understanding, perception, sense, conscience|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121203191432/http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/m.html|archive-date=3 December 2012|access-date=10 October 2017}}</ref> and ''sarovar'' (सरोवर) meaning "lake or a large pond".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/s.html |title= Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary |work=[[Monier-Williams]]|quote= sarovara ○vara n. (accord. to some also m.) a lake or large pond, any piece of water deep enough for the lotus|url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150520235218/http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/s.html |archive-date=20 May 2015|access-date=10 October 2017}}</ref> The lake is called as ''Mapam Yumtso'' ({{bo|t=མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།|w=ma pham g.yu mtsho|s=ma pam yu tso}}; {{zh|c=瑪旁雍錯|p=Mǎ páng yōng cuò}}) and ''Tso Madröpa'' locally. In his [[Tibetan languages|Tibetan]]-[[English language|English]] dictionary, [[Sarat Chandra Das]] states that ''Mapam Yumtso'' is derived from ''Mapam'' meaning unconquerable or invincible and ''Tso Madröpa'' is derived from ''Madropa'' meaning "ground heated by the Sun" both used in combination with ''Tso'', the Tibetan word for lake.<ref name="Das">{{cite book|author-link=Sarat Chandra Das|first=Sarat Chandra|last=Das|year=1902|title=Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms|publisher=Bengal Secretariat Book Depot|url=https://archive.org/details/tibetanenglishdi00dassuoft/page/948/mode/2up|pages=658, 959}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Mt_Kailash_sat.jpg|thumb|left|Topography of the region showing Manasarovar (right) and [[Lake Rakshastal|Rakshastal]] lakes with [[Mount Kailash]].]]

[[File:Mansarovar map.jpg|thumb|Map of the Manasarovar region]]

Lake Manasarovar is located in [[Ngari Prefecture]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of China.<ref name="Brit">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Mapam|title=Mount Kailas|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Mount Kailash: the White Mirror|first=Nyima|last=Samkar|year=2020|isbn=978-9-38702-385-7|publisher=[[Library of Tibetan Works and Archives]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=83r3DwAAQBAJ|page=3|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820044027/https://books.google.com/books?id=83r3DwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> It is located in the southwest region of Tibet north of the western [[tripoint]] of the border between China, India and Nepal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/claude-arpi-china-playing-new-border-games-close-to-mt-kailash-883053|title=China playing new border games close to Mt Kailash|work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]|access-date=1 March 2024|date=23 February 2024|author=Claude Arpi|archive-date=28 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228080736/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/claude-arpi-china-playing-new-border-games-close-to-mt-kailash-883053|url-status=live}}</ref> It is visible from the Lapcha La pass above the [[Limi|Limi valley]] in Nepal on a clear day.<ref>{{cite news|title=Limi-Lapcha could be an alternative route to Kailash Manasarovar|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/limi-lapcha-could-be-an-alternative-route-to-kailash-manasarovar|access-date=9 August 2022|work=[[The Himalayan Times]]|date=13 March 2021|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528050405/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/limi-lapcha-could-be-an-alternative-route-to-kailash-manasarovar|url-status=live}}</ref> The freshwater lake lies at {{cvt|4600|m}} above mean sea level on the mostly saline lake-studded [[Tibetan Plateau]] and is one of the highest freshwater lakes in Asia.<ref name="Brit"/><ref name="Brockman">{{cite book|last=Brockman|first=Norbert|date=2011|title=Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8HSEAAAQBAJ|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]]|isbn=978-1-59884-654-6|page=356|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819081710/https://books.google.com/books?id=M8HSEAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author-link=Gene Likens|last=Likens|first=Gene|year=2009|title=Encyclopedia of Inland Waters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o4p6f22jla8C|publisher=[[Elsevier Science]]|isbn=978-0-12370-626-3|page=505|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820072828/https://books.google.com/books?id=o4p6f22jla8C|url-status=live}}</ref>

Spread over a surface area of {{cvt|320|km2}}, Lake Manasarovar is relatively round in shape with a circumference of {{cvt|88|km}} and a maximum depth of {{cvt|100|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pithoragarh.nic.in/lake-mansarovar/|title=Lake Mansarovar|work=[[Government of Uttarakhand]]|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518235411/https://pithoragarh.nic.in/lake-mansarovar/|url-status=live}}</ref> Manasarovar overflows into the salt-water [[endorheic basin|endorheic lake]] of [[Lake Rakshastal|Rakshastal]] via the natural [[Ganga Chhu]] channel.<ref name="Brockman"/><ref>{{cite book|author-link=Gene Likens|last=Likens|first=Gene|year=2010|title=Lake Ecosystem Ecology: A Global Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzJOqh90RuwC|publisher=[[Elsevier Science]]|isbn=978-0-12382-003-7|page=294|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820042402/https://books.google.com/books?id=OzJOqh90RuwC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Comprehensive Survey of Rock Art in Upper Tibet: Volume III|author=John Vincent Bellezza|publisher=[[Archaeopress]]|year=2024|isbn=978-1-80327-774-5}}</ref> The major rivers rising from the region include [[Yarlung Tsangpo]] (which becomes the [[Brahmaputra]]), the [[Indus]], the [[Sutlej]] and the [[Karnali River|Karnali]], a tributary of [[Ganges]].<ref name="Freeman">{{cite journal|url=https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2003_files/AJ%202003%20103-110%20Freeman-Attwood%20Gangdise.pdf|title=Gangdise Mountains|journal=[[Alpine Journal]]|author=Freeman Attwood|year=2003|volume=4|pages=103–109|access-date=17 March 2024|archive-date=13 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113213210/https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2003_files/AJ%202003%20103-110%20Freeman-Attwood%20Gangdise.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Dhruv Sen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ridFDwAAQBAJ&q=indus+river+system |title=The Indian Rivers: Scientific and Socio-economic Aspects |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]]|isbn=978-9-81102-984-4|page=15}}</ref>

== Climate ==
The weather is fairly dry during April to June with day time temperatures of more than {{cvt|5|°C}} and night time temperatures close to {{cvt|0|°C}}. The temperature starts to decrease in October with January being the coldest. Winters have day time temperatures below freezing with colder nights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tibettour.org/tibet-weather/best-time-to-visit-kailash.html|title=Tibet Weather|access-date=1 June 2024|work=Tibet tour}}</ref> [[Monsoons]] bring rain from late June to August with cold winds.<ref name="GOI">{{cite report|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Uploads/PublicationDocs/19148_Kailash_Mansarovar_Yatra_A_Guidebook_12-05-2006.pdf|date=12 May 2006|access-date=1 June 2024|title=Kailash Yatra|publisher=[[Government of India]]|page=60}}</ref>

[[Climate change|Global warming]] is described as happening more rapidly on the Tibetan Plateau than anywhere else in the world.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Qiu|first=Jane|date=1 July 2008|title=China: The third pole|journal=Nature|volume=454|issue=7203|pages=393–396|doi=10.1038/454393a|pmid=18650887|issn=1476-4687|doi-access=free|bibcode=2008Natur.454..393Q }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/15/tibetan-plateau-glacier-melt-ipcc-report-third-pole|title=The world has a third pole – and it's melting quickly|date=15 September 2019|access-date=1 June 2024|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820122915/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/15/tibetan-plateau-glacier-melt-ipcc-report-third-pole|url-status=live}}</ref> According to locals, the land around the region has been growing warmer in recent years with winters not as cold as it used to be.<ref>{{cite news|date=9 January 2019|title=Ignoring climate change in the Himalayas|url=https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/ignoring-climate-change-in-the-himalayas/|access-date=6 August 2022|publisher=The Third Pole|archive-date=6 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806214227/https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/climate/ignoring-climate-change-in-the-himalayas/|url-status=live}}</ref> The retreating [[glacier]]s and thawing of the [[permafrost]] in the Tibet region might lead to uncertain effects on water resources of the region. These effects along with population explosion and tourism has put severe stress on the fragile ecosystem.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1088/1748-9326/abf7f0|title=Accelerating permafrost collapse on the eastern Tibetan Plateau|date=23 April 2021|author=Tanguang Gao|journal=Environmental Research Letters|volume=16|issue=5 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021ERL....16e4023G }}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report|url=http://www.icimod.org/resources/528|publisher=[[ICIMOD]]|date=22 June 2009|pages=4|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820122913/http://www.icimod.org/resources/528|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|location = Lake Manasarovar
|Jan high C = -3.2
|Feb high C = -2.0
|Mar high C = 0.9
|Apr high C = 6.4
|May high C = 10.2
|Jun high C = 13.7
|Jul high C = 13.7
|Aug high C = 13.1
|Sep high C = 13.1
|Oct high C = 11.1
|Nov high C = 6.5
|Dec high C = 1.0
|Jan mean C = -8.9
|Feb mean C = -7.6
|Mar mean C = -4.2
|Apr mean C = -0.1
|May mean C = 3.1
|Jun mean C = 7.1
|Jul mean C = 8.4
|Aug mean C = 8.0
|Sep mean C = 8.0
|Oct mean C = 5.4
|Nov mean C = -0.2
|Dec mean C = -5.1
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = -14.5
|Feb low C = -13.1
|Mar low C = -9.2
|Apr low C = -6.6
|May low C = -4.0
|Jun low C = 0.6
|Jul low C = 3.1
|Aug low C = 3.0
|Sep low C = -0.2
|Oct low C = -6.8
|Nov low C = -11.1
|Dec low C = -13.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 52
|Feb precipitation mm = 34
|Mar precipitation mm = 52
|Apr precipitation mm = 30
|May precipitation mm = 26
|Jun precipitation mm = 40
|Jul precipitation mm = 125
|Aug precipitation mm = 135
|Sep precipitation mm = 66
|Oct precipitation mm = 29
|Nov precipitation mm = 7
|Dec precipitation mm = 18
|source 1 = [https://en.climate-data.org/location/968516/ Climate-Data.org]
}}

== Religious significance ==

=== Hinduism ===
{{main|Panch Sarovar}}

In Hindu literature, Mansarovar is mentioned by name in the [[Hindu epic]]s ''[[Ramayana]]'' and ''[[Mahabharata]]''.{{sfn|Allen|2013|p=3}} Though modern texts state the lake to be among the most sacred sites of Hinduism, there is no explicit mention of the lake in early [[Vedic literature]]. The ''[[Rigveda]]'' mentions that the Indus River flows north because of [[Indra]], a geographical reality only in the Tibet region. According to [[Frits Staal]], this makes it likely that some of the ancient Vedic people traced the route of the Indus river and had seen the valley near Mount Kailash.<ref name="Mckay">{{cite book|first=Alex|last=McKay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3HsCgAAQBAJ|title=Kailas Histories: Renunciate Traditions and the Construction of Himalayan Sacred Geography|year=2015|isbn=978-9-00430-618-9|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|pages=165–168, 375–379|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820042406/https://books.google.com/books?id=l3HsCgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The early Hindu texts mention a mythical [[Mount Meru]] and lake Manasa. The mythical Manasa lake is described as one created through the mind of [[Brahma]] as the preferred abode of his vahana [[Hamsa (bird)|hamsa]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Eckard Schleberger|title=Die Indische Götterwelt|publisher=Eugen Diederich Verlag|year=1997|language=de}}</ref> In the ''Ramayana'', [[Vishvamitra]] tells [[Rama]] that Bramha created a lake out of his consciousness (Manas), hence the name Manas Sarovar (lake of consciousness) and a river was born out of that lake called [[Ghaghara|Sarayu]], which flowed through the kingdom of [[Ayodhya (Ramayana)|Ayodhya]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ramayana|author=[[Valmiki]]|chapter=Balakanda}}</ref>

Mount Kailash on the banks of Lake Manasarovar is believed to be the abode of [[Shiva]]. This is where the holy river [[Ganges]] was tamed by Shiva and sent to nourish the fertile valleys below the [[Himalayas]].<ref name="Brockman"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Indian paintings from the Punjab Hills : a survey and history of Pahari miniature painting|first=W. G.|last=Archer|author-link=W. G. Archer|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1973|isbn=978-0-85667-002-2|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.3437/page/232/mode/2up|page=365}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Flood|first=Gavin|author-link=Gavin Flood|title=An Introduction to Hinduism|url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo_n5j0|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn= 978-0-52143-878-0|page=161}}</ref>

=== Buddhism and Bon ===
[[File:Manasarovar lake.jpg|right|thumb|View of the lake from Chiu Gompa Monastery]]

Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash are central to Buddhist cosmology, and a major pilgrimage site for some Buddhist traditions.<ref>{{cite book|first=Robert|last=Buswell|author-link=Robert Buswell Jr.|title=Encyclopedia of Buddhism: A-L|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L34YAAAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]]|isbn=978-0-02865-719-6|pages=407–408|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043521/https://books.google.com/books?id=L34YAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Kailash is known as the mythological [[Mount Meru (Buddhism)|Mount Meru]].<ref name="Govinda">{{cite book|last1=Govinda|first1=Lama Anagarika|author-link=Anagarika Govinda|year=1966|title=The Way of the White Clouds: A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet|publisher=[[Shambhala Publications]]|isbn=978-0-87773-007-1|url=https://archive.org/details/wayofthewhitecloudsabuddhistpilgrimintibetlamaanagarikagovindashambala_202003_545_R/page/n7/mode/2up|page=198}}</ref> In Buddhism, Kailash represents the father of the world and Lake Mansarovar symbolizes the mother.<ref name="Brockman"/> According to mythology, [[Maya (mother of the Buddha)|Maya]] bathed at Manasarovar to purify herself before [[The Buddha|Buddha]] could enter her womb.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mayhew|first1=Bradley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uFzBgAAQBAJ&dq=lake+manasarovar&pg=PT386|title=Lonely Planet Tibet|last2=Kelly|first2=Robert|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|year=2015|isbn=978-1-74360-498-4|access-date=28 May 2023|archive-date=30 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630085011/https://books.google.com/books?id=0uFzBgAAQBAJ&dq=lake+manasarovar&pg=PT386|url-status=live}}</ref> Numerous sites in the region are associated with [[Padmasambhava]], who is credited with establishing Tantric Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century CE.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Padmasambhava|title=Padmasambhava|publisher=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820072743/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Padmasambhava|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Gu9M-IrLigC |first1=Amy |last1=Heller |first2=Giacomella|last2=Orofino|first3=Charles|last3=Ramble|title=Discoveries in Western Tibet and the Western Himalayas|year=2003|isbn=978-9-00415-520-6|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |page=187}}</ref> [[Vajrayana]] Buddhists believe that saint [[Milarepa]] ({{circa|1052|1135}}) had a challenge with Naro Böncham, a follower of [[Bön]] religion on the banks of Manasarovar.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qKx7EAAAQBAJ|title=The Fourteenth Dalai Lama's Stages of the Path, Volume 1|author-link=Tenzing Gyatso|last=Gyatso|first=Tenzing|year=2022|isbn=978-1-61429-793-2|publisher=[[Wisdom Publications]]|page=395|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820044042/https://books.google.com/books?id=qKx7EAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u9gdAAAAMAAJ|title=The Tibet Guide|first=Stephen|last=Batchelor|year=1987|isbn=978-0-86171-046-1|publisher=[[Wisdom Publications]]|page=367|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043524/https://books.google.com/books?id=u9gdAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

For the Bon people, the region was the centre of the ancient Bon empire of [[Zhang Zhung]] and is associated with the holy place of [[Zhang Zhung Meri]] deity.<ref name="Albinia">{{cite book|first=Alice|last=Albinia|author-link=Alice Albinia|title=Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River|year=2008|publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]]|isbn=978-0-71956-003-3|url=https://archive.org/details/san_0976/page/n5/mode/2up|page=288}}</ref><ref name="Allen">{{cite book|author-link=Charles Allen (writer)|last=Allen|first=Charles|year=2013 |orig-date=1982 |title=A Mountain in Tibet: The Search for Mount Kailas and the Sources of the Great Rivers of Asia|publisher=[[Little, Brown Book Group|Abacus]]|isbn=978-1-40552-497-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCZrEg5F_XEC|pages=3–8|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043523/https://books.google.com/books?id=nCZrEg5F_XEC|url-status=live}}</ref> As per Tibetan beliefs, the region was the source of the mythical Lion, Horse, Peacock, and Elephant Rivers.<ref name="Govinda"/> When [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche|Tonpa Shenrab]], the founder of the Bon religion, visited Tibet for the first time and bathed in the lake.<ref name="Mckay"/>

Tibetan Buddhists believe that completing 108 circuits around Mount Kailash guarantees enlightenment in one lifetime, but even one circumambulation is considered spiritually beneficial. The number 108 holds special significance in many Eastern religions, representing the completion of a spiritual journey
=== Jainism ===
In [[Jainism]], Lake Manasarovar is associated with its founder and the first [[Tirthankara]], [[Rishabhanatha]].<ref name="Brockman"/><ref name="Albinia"/> As per Jain scriptures, he attained [[nirvana]] on the Ashtapad Mountain.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rishabhanatha|title=Rishabhanatha|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=19 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519135604/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rishabhanatha|url-status=live}}</ref>  It is believed by Jains that after Rishabhanatha attained nirvana, his son emperor [[Bharata Chakravartin|Bharata]] had constructed three stupas and twenty four shrines of the 24 tirthankaras in the region.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGsrAAAAIAAJ|title=Riṣabha Deva, the Founder of Jainism|author-link=Champat Rai Jain|first=Champat|last=Rai|year=1929|publisher=Indian Press|page=178|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820042416/https://books.google.com/books?id=OGsrAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4aVRLGhf-8C&pg=RA1-PA273|title=Faith & Philosophy of Jainism|isbn=978-8-17835-723-2|last1=Jain|first1=Arun Kumar|year=2009|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|page=273|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820042400/https://books.google.com/books?id=y4aVRLGhf-8C&pg=RA1-PA273|url-status=live}}</ref> There are other stories related to the region relating to [[Mahavira]], Kumar and Sagar, Tapas Kher Parna, [[Ravana]] and [[Mandodari]], among many others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-lost-tirth-of-jains-traced-to-himalayas-1631581|title='Lost' tirth of Jains traced to Himalayas - Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=30 December 2011|work=DNA India|access-date=29 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815022808/http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-lost-tirth-of-jains-traced-to-himalayas-1631581|archive-date=15 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm|title=Jainism Literature Center - Rituals|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-date=16 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816172741/https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ritual/shantikalash.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEvZaVmBQtgC|title=India: Art and Culture, 1300-1900|isbn=978-0-03006-114-1|author-link=Stuart Cary Welch|last1=Welch|first1=Stuart Cary|year=1985|publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|page=71|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043008/https://books.google.com/books?id=MEvZaVmBQtgC|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{sfn|Rai|1929|p=178}}

== Pilgrimage ==
[[File:Lake Manasarovar, Tibet map in French and Persian detail from 1784 Tiefenthaler Map of the Ganges and Ghaghara Rivers, India (cropped).jpg|thumb|An 18th-century map of lake Manasarovar by [[Joseph Tiefenthaler]].]]

The lake has been mentioned in various Hindu and Buddhist religious literature.<ref name="Allen"/> It was part of one of the oldest pilgrimage routes, which has been in existence for many years.<ref name="Brockman"/><ref name="Thubron">{{cite book|author-link=Colin Thubron|last1=Thubron|first1=Colin|year=2011|title=To a Mountain in Tibet|publisher=[[Chatto & Windus]]|isbn=978-0-70118-380-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLDvdbZJIV8C|page=6|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820072842/https://books.google.com/books?id=tLDvdbZJIV8C|url-status=live}}</ref> Though modern texts state the lake to be among the most sacred sites of various religions, there is no explicit mention of the lake being a pilgrimage site in early literature. Typically, historic pilgrimage sites that were frequented by Buddhists, Hindus and Jains attracted discussion in their respective texts and the construction of infrastructure by wealthy patrons or kings. The Hindu ''[[Puranas]]'' indicate various infrastructure, such as [[temple]]s, [[dharmasala]]s, [[ashram]]s, and pilgrimage facilities at such sites. But at least until the 1930s, there was no evidence of such structures in the Kailash-Manasarovar region.<ref name="Mckay"/> According to [[Luciano Petech]], Tibetan records indicate that the region was considered to be their sacred geography by the late 12th-century, with reports of Buddhist monks meditating in the Go-zul cave of Kailash and circumambulating the mountain.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V1GkmBOQLkAC|title=China and Tibet in the Early XVIIIth Century: History of the Establishment of Chinese Protectorate in Tibet|isbn=978-9-00403-442-6|author-link=
Luciano Petech|author=Luciano Petech|year=1972|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]}}</ref> According to Alex McKay, the possible synthesis of esoteric Buddhism and [[Shaivism]] may have expanded and brought Kailash and Manasarovar into the shared sacred geography for both Buddhists and Hindus. The 13th-century text ''Mahanirvana Tantra'' dedicates it first chapter to Kailash and Manasarovar lake as a pilgrimage site.<ref name="Mckay"/>

[[File:Gurla Mandhata & Manasarovar.jpg|thumb|left|Lake Manasarovar with [[Gurla Mandhata]]]]

Due to its perceived sacredness to various religions, people undertake a pilgrimage called ''yatra'' to the Kailash-Manasarovar.<ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://pithoragarh.nic.in/kailash-mansarovar-yatra/|title=Kailash Mansarovar Yatra|publisher=[[Government of Uttarakhand]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=8 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208084651/https://pithoragarh.nic.in/kailash-mansarovar-yatra/|url-status=live}}</ref> Pilgrimage to the mountain increased in the 1930s but was affected later due to both China and [[the British Empire]] claiming the region.<ref name="Mckay"/> Religious pilgrimages to Mount Kailas and Manasarovar were permitted by China after [[Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China|its occupation of Tibet]] in 1950-51. While pilgrimage from India was guaranteed by the [[1954 Sino-Indian Agreement]], access was restricted after the subsequent [[1959 Tibetan uprising]], and the borders were closed after the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962.<ref name="Thubron"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kailas-Range|title=Mount Kailas|encyclopedia=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=1 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601185353/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kailas-Range|url-status=live}}</ref> After nearly two decades, pilgrimage from India was allowed in 1981 after an agreement between the governments of [[Government of India|India]] and China.<ref name="UK"/><ref name="Thubron"/> The pilgrimage was suspended for three years since 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kailash-mansarovar-yatra-unlikely-to-resume-this-year-say-officials/article65299618.ece|title=Kailash-Mansarovar yatra unlikely to resume this year, say officials|date=7 April 2022|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043445/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kailash-mansarovar-yatra-unlikely-to-resume-this-year-say-officials/article65299618.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> The route was re-opened in 2023 with new regulations.<ref name="Open">{{cite news|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2023/05/08/pilgrims-to-kailash-discouraged-by-new-chinese-regulations|title=Pilgrims to Kailash discouraged by new Chinese rules|date=8 May 2023|access-date=1 June 2024|work=[[Kathmandu Post]]|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820041748/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2023/05/08/pilgrims-to-kailash-discouraged-by-new-chinese-regulations|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kailash-masarovar-yatra-opening-next-month-8616920/|title=Kailash Masarovar Yatra hits hurdles ahead of opening next month|date=19 May 2023|access-date=1 December 2023|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043451/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kailash-masarovar-yatra-opening-next-month-8616920/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the reopening of the pilgrimage route from India in 1981, the numbers of pilgrims going on the annual yatra has grown considerably.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zomer|first1=Robert|title=Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report|last2=Oli|first2=Krishna Prasad|url=https://lib.icimod.org/record/26968/files/attachment_761.pdf?type=primary|publisher=[[International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development]]|year=2011|page=10|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043844/https://lib.icimod.org/record/26968/files/attachment_761.pdf?type=primary|url-status=live}}</ref> Before the closure in 2020, several thousand pilgrims from India were going to this pilgrimage every year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra likely to see record numbers|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/16/kailash-manasarovar-yatra-likely-to-see-record-numbers|access-date=4 August 2022|work=[[Kathmandu Post]]|archive-date=4 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804220717/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/16/kailash-manasarovar-yatra-likely-to-see-record-numbers|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Manasarovar with small temples.jpg|thumb|Temples and stupa on the lake shore]]

In India, the pilgrimage is organized by the Government of India and is permitted between June and September.<ref name="UK"/> Since 2015, aspiring pilgrims from India were required to apply in advance to the [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] and specific number of passes were issued to pilgrims by computerized random selection with preference given to first timers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-for-mansarovar-yatra/article27142893.ece|title=First-time pilgrims get preference for Mansarovar Yatra|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=16 May 2019|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820041757/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-for-mansarovar-yatra/article27142893.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mansarovar Yatra: First-time pilgrims get preference in computerized draw of lots|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mansarovar-yatra-first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-in-computerised-draw-of-lots/articleshow/69344332.cms?from=mdr|access-date=4 August 2022|archive-date=4 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804220716/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mansarovar-yatra-first-time-pilgrims-get-preference-in-computerised-draw-of-lots/articleshow/69344332.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}}</ref> Pilgrims from India travel through two routes opened for the purpose, with border crossings at [[Lipulekh Pass|Lipu Lekh pass]] in [[Uttarakhand]] and  the [[Nathu La|Nathu La pass]] in [[Sikkim]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kailash Manasarovar Yatra|url=https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en|access-date=4 August 2022|publisher=[[Government of India]]|archive-date=17 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617011329/https://kmy.gov.in/kmy/?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2020, a motorable road is available till the Lipu Lekh pass through the Indian side of the Mahakali valley, before crossing over to China.<ref>{{cite news|date=11 May 2020|title=New road to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh Pass and why Nepal is objecting to it|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/new-road-to-kailash-mansarovar-via-lipulekh-pass-and-why-nepal-is-objecting-to-it/418638/|access-date=6 August 2022|work=[[The Print]]|archive-date=6 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806130517/https://theprint.in/opinion/new-road-to-kailash-mansarovar-via-lipulekh-pass-and-why-nepal-is-objecting-to-it/418638/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Nathu La route was opened in 2015 and involves traveling to [[Gangtok]] before crossing the Nathu La pass into China.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/alternate-route-for-kailash-mansarovar-yatra-will-become-operational-next-month-pm-modi-763281|title=Alternate Route for Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Will Become Operational Next Month: PM Modi|work=[[NDTV]]|date=15 May 2015|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=17 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317113052/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/alternate-route-for-kailash-mansarovar-yatra-will-become-operational-next-month-pm-modi-763281|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:ManasarovarKailashPrayerFlags.jpg|thumb|left|Buddhist [[Prayer flag]]s on the shore]]

As the [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake|April 2015 Nepal Earthquake]] resulted in the closure of the border crossing at [[Tatopani, Sindhupalchok|Tatopani]]-[[Zhangmu|Zangmu]], the pilgrimage from Nepal is generally done from the nearby [[Humla District|Humla district]] in northwestern Nepal.<ref name="Bubriski"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CTYFEQAAQBAJ|title=Kathmandu Chronicle:Reclaiming India–Nepal Relations|first1=K.V.|last1=Rajan|first2=Atul|last2=Thakuir|year=2024|isbn=978-9-35708-708-7|publisher=[[Penguin Random House]]|page=86|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820042412/https://books.google.com/books?id=CTYFEQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Another route exists through the crossing at [[Rasuwa District|Rasuwa]]-[[Kyirong Town|Gyirong]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A Personal Account of Border Crossing Reveals the Deep Ties Between Nepal, China|url=https://thewire.in/world/all-roads-lead-north-nepal-china|access-date=9 August 2022|work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]|archive-date=4 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804190739/https://thewire.in/world/all-roads-lead-north-nepal-china|url-status=live}}</ref> Pilgrims could reach [[Lhasa]] by air before the journey to Lake Manasarovar.<ref name="Open"/>

The pilgrimage involves trekking towards Lake Mansarovar and a circumambulation of Mount Kailash. The path around Mount Kailash is {{cvt|53|km}} long.<ref name="UK"/> The circumambulation known as ''kora'', is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, while Bönpos circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction.<ref name="Govinda"/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot|first=Robert|last=Macfarlane|year=2012|isbn=978-0-241-14553-1|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7AQ0tyT1w3UC|pages=259–288|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819081853/https://books.google.com/books?id=7AQ0tyT1w3UC|url-status=live}}</ref> Pilgrims believe that bathing in the lake and circling the mountain is a spiritually beneficial practice that can bring various positive effects, such as the cleansing of one's sins.<ref name="Thurman">{{cite book|author-link1=Robert Thurman|last1=Thurman|first1=Robert|first2=Tad|last2=Wise|title=Circling the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas|publisher=[[Bantam Books]]|year=1999|isbn=978-0-55337-850-4|url=https://archive.org/details/circlingsacredmo00robe/page/n7/mode/2up|page=32}}</ref><ref name="UK"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=APYDLwkiFBkC|title=Hindus of the Himalayas: Ethnography and Change|author-link=Gerald Berreman|first=Gerald Duane|last=Berreman|year=1972|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-52001-423-7|page=15|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820043516/https://books.google.com/books?id=APYDLwkiFBkC|url-status=live}}</ref> For the Khas people of the nearby region of [[Humla District|Humla]] in northwest Nepal, a ritual bath in the lake is an important step in gaining their shamanic powers.<ref name="Bubriski">{{cite book|author-link1=Kevin Bubriski|last1=Bubriski|first1=Kevin|last2=Pandey|first2=Abhimanyu|title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mount Kailash through Humla|publisher=[[Penguin Random House]]|year=2018|isbn=978-0-67009-111-9|url=https://lib.icimod.org/record/33919/files/icimodKailashYatra.pdf?type=primary|page=33|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=5 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705164547/https://lib.icimod.org/record/33919/files/icimodKailashYatra.pdf?type=primary|url-status=live}}</ref> There are many [[stupa]]s, flag poles, [[Buddhist monasteries]] and praying stations on the banks of the lake, many of which were destroyed during the [[Cultural Revolution]] of China from 1966 to 1976.<ref name="Brockman"/>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Lake Manasarovar}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Mount_Kailash}}

{{Clear}}
{{Hinduism (compact)}}
{{Buddhist temples in China}}
{{Lakes of China}}
{{Authority control|state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manasarovar}}
[[Category:Lakes of Tibet]]
[[Category:Sacred lakes]]
[[Category:Indus basin]]
[[Category:Hindu temples]]
[[Category:Buddhist temples]]
[[Category:Brahmaputra River]]
[[Category:Ganges basin]]