Lhamo La-tso - Geographical Setting

Geographical Setting

The lake is in Gyaca County, Lhokha to the southeast of Lhasa, Tibet, and a four-hour hike from the Gelugpa Chokorgyel Monastery at an altitude of about 5,300 m. (17,388 ft) and covers an area of only about 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi).

Chokorgyel Monastery itself is about 115 kilometres (71 mi) northeast of Tsetang and about 160 km (99 mi) southeast of Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,500 m (14,764 ft)

The old path from Chokorgyel Monastery used to be paved to make access easier for the senior monks wishing to visit the lake. Halfway along is a diamond-shaped pond fed by glaciers known as Yoni Lake. On a ridge near the top of the pass overlooking the lake a ritual shökde or throne was built for the Dalai Lama, where he once sat to divine the future while gazing into the lake about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in front and 150 metres (490 ft) lower down. Nowadays it is buried under a mound of silk scarves (hadak).

Many pilgrims come each year to Lhamo-tso believing that, with proper devoutness, and after fasting for three days and refraining from talk, they will be rewarded with a revelation of their future in the skull-shaped mirror of the lake.

Previously there was a temple to Maksorma (rGyal mo dMag zor ma) or Machik Pelha Shiwai Nyamchen (Ma gcig dPal lh Zhi ba'i nyams can), an unusually peaceful form of Palden Lhamo, at the eastern end of the lake which is now marked only by prayer flags and offerings left by pilgrims.

There is a kora or pilgrimage walk around the lake.