History
According to Hindu scriptures, this lake was created by King Ravana for the express purpose of garnering superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to the Lord Shiva who was presiding on Mount Kailash. It was upon the banks of a special island in this lake that he would make daily offering with one of his ten heads as a sacrifice to please the Lord Shiva. Finally, on the tenth day, Lord Shiva was moved enough by his devotion and granted Ravana his wish to obtain superpowers. This lake is set as a contrast to the holy god-created Lake Manasarovar.
However, despite its notoriety, Rakshastal bears no less beauty than other lakes in Tibet. Originally joined with Lake Manasarovar and later separated by geological movements, it is still connected with Lake Manasarovar by a short river, Ganga Chhu. 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.
Read more about this topic: Lake Rakshastal
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