Lake Rakshastal

Lagngar Co
Lagngar Co
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	拉昂錯
Simplified Chinese	拉昂错
Transcriptions
Transcriptions
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	蘭嘎錯
Simplified Chinese	兰嘎错
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lángā cuò
Tibetan name
Tibetan	ལག་ངར་མཚོ
Wylie
Transcriptions
Wylie	lag ngar mtsho

Lake Rakshastal
Lake Rakshastal
	View South from Rakshas Tal Lake (2006)
	Lake Rakshastal
Location	Tibet Autonomous Region,
Coordinates	30°39′N 81°15′E / 30.65°N 81.25°E

Lake Rakshastal (Tibetan: ལག་ངར་མཚོ; Sanskrit: राक्षसताल, romanized: Rākṣasatāla; Chinese: 拉昂错) is a saltwater lake in Tibet Autonomous Region, China, lying just west of Lake Manasarovar and south of Mount Kailash.^[1]^[2] The Sutlej River (also known by the Tibetan name Langqen Zangbo in this area) originates at Rakshastal's northwestern tip.

Etymology

The name of the lake literally means "lake of the rakshasa" in Sanskrit. It is also known as Ravan Tal, as it is considered to be the site of the penance performed by Ravana, the rakshasa king of Lanka.^[3]

In Buddhism, Lake Manasarovar, which is round like the sun, and Rakshastal, shaped as a crescent, are respectively regarded as "brightness" and "darkness". Rakshastal is a saline lake. There is a short river named Ganga Chhu, which connects Lake Manasarovar with Rakshastal, believed to be created by rishis to add pure water from Manasarovar.

There are four islands in Rakshastal, named Topserma (Dose), Dola (the two biggest), Lachato (Nadzhado), and Dosharba.^[4] The islands are used by local people as winter pastures for their yaks.

In the Tibetan language, the lake is known as Lagngar Cho or Lhanag Tso, which means "the dark lake of poison".

Religious significance

According to Hindu scriptures, Rakshastal was created by Ravana for the express purpose of garnering superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to the god, Shiva, who resided on Mount Kailash. It was upon the banks of a special island in this lake that he would make a daily offering with one of his ten heads as a sacrifice to please Shiva. Finally, on the tenth day, Shiva was moved enough by his devotion to grant Ravana his wish to obtain superpowers.

As there are no plants or wildlife around the lake, its lifeless surroundings caused the Tibetans to refer it as "the Ghost Lake". Visitors who approach the lake must be respectful to avoid inauspicious mishaps.^[5]

Geography

Rakshastal covers a total area of 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi), at an altitude of 4,575 metres (15,010 ft). Though absent of nearby grasslands, the white cobbles, the hills and the island colored with dark red, and the deep blue lake water present another distinctive picture absent from many of the places more frequented by visitors. In 2004, Lake Manasarovar and Rakshastal were designated as a single Ramsar Wetland complex, under the name 'Mapangyong Cuo'.^[6]

Access

Lake Rakshartal lies right next to Lake Manasarovar, and is an integral part of the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage.

Climate

Climate data for Lake Rakshastal
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−2.7 (27.1)	−1.5 (29.3)	1.3 (34.3)	6.7 (44.1)	10.5 (50.9)	13.7 (56.7)	13.6 (56.5)	13.1 (55.6)	11.1 (52.0)	6.6 (43.9)	1.5 (34.7)	−0.8 (30.6)	6.1 (43.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−8.2 (17.2)	−6.9 (19.6)	−3.7 (25.3)	0.3 (32.5)	3.5 (38.3)	7.3 (45.1)	8.5 (47.3)	8.2 (46.8)	5.6 (42.1)	0.2 (32.4)	−4.5 (23.9)	−6.6 (20.1)	0.3 (32.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−13.6 (7.5)	−12.3 (9.9)	−8.6 (16.5)	−6.0 (21.2)	−3.4 (25.9)	1.0 (33.8)	3.4 (38.1)	3.3 (37.9)	0.1 (32.2)	−6.2 (20.8)	−10.4 (13.3)	−12.4 (9.7)	−5.4 (22.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	58 (2.3)	39 (1.5)	58 (2.3)	34 (1.3)	29 (1.1)	46 (1.8)	142 (5.6)	152 (6.0)	76 (3.0)	32 (1.3)	8 (0.3)	20 (0.8)	694 (27.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org