The Invincible Jade Lake—Lake Manasarovar

Mami Lake, located in Gar County of the Ngari Prefecture, is referred to as the "right eye" of Lake Manasarovar! Lake Manasarovar, situated in Burang County of the Ngari Prefecture in Tibet, lies to the south of Mount Kailash. In Tibetan, its name means "The Invincible Jade Lake," with "Manasarovar" signifying undefeated and invincible. Since ancient times, Buddhist devotees have regarded it as a sacred place, the "center of the world." It is the second-largest natural freshwater lake in China by water volume and one of the three "sacred lakes" of Tibet (the other two being Namtso and Yamdrok Lake). It is also the source of four sacred rivers: the Maquan River, the Peacock River, the Elephant River, and the Lion River. These rivers flow northwest, southwest, and southeast into India and Nepal, forming the upper reaches of the Indus River, the Sutlej River, the Brahmaputra River, and the Ghaghara River, a tributary of the Ganges. Ultimately, they merge into the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, making it the origin of four major rivers in Asia. Mount Kailash represents the masculine sun, while the sacred Lake Manasarovar symbolizes the feminine moon. Beyond the legends found online, a driver shared a unique story: Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are said to be a married couple. However, Lake Manasarovar, tempted by Lake Rakshastal (the Ghost Lake), planned to leave her husband to meet her lover. The mountain deity told her that if she could leave the mountains and meet her lover within a day, they would bless their union; otherwise, they would punish them. In the end, Lake Manasarovar failed to leave the mountains, and the mountain deity punished the two by transforming them into two rivers, forever gazing at each other but never able to reunite. Mount Kailash, on the other hand, was turned into a mountain, quietly guarding Lake Manasarovar by her side. It's quite a romantic tale, isn't it?