Lhamo LhaTso Lake

Lhamo Lhatso means “auspicious heavenly mother lake” or “numinous mother lake” in Tibetan and another name for it is Qukulgyal Monastery Lake. Standing on the mountain top as high as 5,100 meters and looking down, the holy lake is surrounded by mountains. And it takes a head bones skeleton shape like a mirror at the foot of the mountains and the scenery is elegant. Lake Lhamo lhatso is a high mountain freshwater lake with an area of about 1 square kilometers. The lake surface keeps on freezing up about 7 months. When in summer, after it is thawing, the lake sometimes is as still and clear as a mirror; sometimes red clouds are gathering in the sky and there are waves without wind. Strange sounds are heard now and then and various fantastic scenes are appearing.

Though the lake is not large, it stands in a special position in reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhism and it is revered by Buddhists. Every year those who are looking for the successors of Dalai Lama and Panchen Lamas after they pass away must go there, because their reincarnation could be found after seen in the lake. Every April to June of Tibetan calendar, numerous Buddhist devotees make a pilgrimage here and observe the wonderful sights. It is said different people see the same sight may get different views. It is also said that people can see their future life from the reflections of the lake. The 4th year of ZhengDe, Ming Dynasty (1509AD), Qukulgyal Monastery was built nearby by Gedun Gyaltso, the Second Dalai Lama, which added more views to the unique views of the plateau.