Saturday, May 22, 2010
MANASA SAROVAR
Lake Manasarovar is a fresh-water lake in Tibet Autonomous Region of China 2,000 kilometres from Lhasa. To the west of Lake Manasa Sarovar is Lake Rakshastal and towards the north is Kangrinboqê Peak. It is the highest body of freshwater in the world. Manasarovar lies at 4,556 m (14947.5 ft) above sea level, making it the highest fresh-water lake in the world. It is relatively round in shape with a circumference of 88 kilometres. Its depth is 90 m (300 ft) and its surface area is 320 square kilometres. The lake freezes in winter and melts only in the spring. It is connected to nearby Lake Rakshastal by the natural Ganga Chhu channel. Manasarovar is the source of the Sutlej River which is the easternmost large tributary of the Indus. Nearby are the sources of the Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, and the Karnali River (Ghaghara) which is an important tributary of the Ganges River, so this region is the hydrographic nexus of the Himalaya.
Situated in the south-western part of Tibet bordering the Kumaon hills and Nepal, is Mount Kailash. It is supremely sacred mountain, cosmology connected with Mount Meru, the great mythological mountain that forms the axis of this world system. Being a central watershed of Asia, it has always been the most sacred mountains for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bons.
" There dwell calm, great noble ones who move about effecting like the spring season, what is beneficial to people. Having themselves crossed the dreadful ocean of transmigratory existence, they without any motive, cause other persons to do the same"
The scriptures abound in the description of a Jivanmukta's state and it is repeatedly emphasized that the attainment of Jivanmukti is the greatest of all achievements.
Mt. Kailash has other names....Meru, Sumeru, Sushumna, Hemadri, Deva Parvatha, Gana Parvatha, Rajatadri, and Ratnasanu. It is the piller of universe and provides an environment to forget the outer world and experience the full truth - the divine self, a blissful state. Mt. kailash's East face is filled with Crystal, West face is filled with Ruby, South face is Sapphire and North face is Gold. That is the reason it gets the name "Ratnasanu". Nobody has even attempted to climb this holy mountain.
Manasarovar
Holy Manasarovar in the form of dark blue waters is the most beautiful, fresh water wonder lake at around 15,000 ft altitude – at the sight of it the mind dances with wonder and ecstasy said Sri Swami Tapovanam. Manasarovar is to the south of Kailash mountain. A bath in it is stated to take one to Brahma loka and to Shiva loka – as per Ramayana. It’s water is very sweet and said to posses medicinal properties. It is about four million years old. In skanda purana, it is stated that the lake was created out of Brahma’s mind. Hence it is called Manasa Sarovar. Sanaka, Sanandanna and other maharishis performed tapas here. It appears Buddha’s mother dreamt before Buddha’s birth, a white elephant from
Manasa Sarovar lake has long been viewed by the pilgrims as the source of four of the greatest rivers of Asia namely Brahmaputra, Karnali, Indus and Sutlej. So it is an axial point which has been thronged by pilgrims for thousands of years. The region was initially closed to pilgrims from outside and no foreigners were allowed between 1949 and 1980. But after the 80s it has again become a part of the Indian pilgrim trail.
According to Hindu religion, the lake was first created in the mind of the Lord Brahma. Hence, in Sanskrit it is called "Manas sarovara", which is a combination of the words manas (mind) and sarovara (lake). The lake, in Hindu religious belief, is also supposed to be the summer abode of swans. Considered as sacred birds, the swans (Sanskrit: Hansa) are an important element in the symbology of the Subcontinent, representing wisdom and beauty also believed the Devas descend to bathe in the lake between 3 and 5 am the time of the day known as Brahma Muhurta.
Buddhists also associate the lake to the legendary lake known as Anavatapta in Sanskrit and Anotatta in Pali, where Queen Maya is believed to have conceived Buddha. The lake has a few monasteries on its shores. The most notable of which is the ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. It looks as if it has been carved right out of the rock.
Monday, October 12, 2009
KAILAS MANASA SAROVAR
South of Mount Kailash across the great plain of Barga at the base of Mount Gurla Mandhata, are the two lakes Manasarovar and Rakshas Tal. They are among the highest bodies of fresh water in the world, with Manasarovar at 4,558m (14,954 ft) and Raksha Tal about 15m ( 50ft) lower. The two lakes are connected by a channel called Ganga Chu which, although it flows in various degrees of volume, occasionally becomes totally dry. Traditionally, it is believed that ample water flowing in this channel augurs well for the Tibetan people and the years of drought in the 1980s for the channel were taken as a bad sign for the country. More recently the channel has begun to flow again, but it is unclear whether there has been any corresponding shift in the fortunes of the Tibetan people.
Manasarovar is the large of the two lakes and is considered by both Buddhists and Hindus to be much holier than Raksha Tal. Hindus regard Manasarovar as the mental creation of the god Brahma, especially made so that pilgrims to Kailash would have a place to perform their ablutions. In 1948 some of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were carried here from
Rakshasatal is a big lake which is about fifty miles in circumference and winding and crooked in shape. Ravana who is said to have danced holding the weight of Mount Kailash, had done great austerities on the banks of this lake and hence it is called Rakshastal. Though it is as big as the manasa, the inhabitants of Tibet and the Hindu travellers do not regard it holy or worshipful. Hence no one bathes in it nor gives charity along its banks.
Before we set out to circumambulate Manasarovar it is vitally necessary to have sufficient supplies. We must make sure to have food for 4 to 5days, since it is generally not possible to buy any along the way. In the summer make sure to bring a surgical mask as well as insect repellent to protect yourself against the swarms of flies and mosquitoes that can plague the trekker at various points. The walk itself is longer than that around Kailash, but it is completely flat.
The starting point for the circumambulation of Manasarovar is the
At Huore we can stay the night at a small guest house before starting off for the lake itself the following morning. From Huore we can also hire horses to ride or carry our baggage around the lake. The body of water we see to the south of Huore is not Manasarovar but a small independent lake. Make sure to keep it to our right as we cross the deserted landscape, heading southwest to Manasarovar. When we first reach the northeast shore of the lake, there is short stretch where peculiar egg-shaped balls of weed and Karmapa stone (small pieces of highly polished jet) can be found. Both objects are venerated by Tibetans as precious relics.
From here we head south for about three hours until we reach Seralung Monastery. The original Seralung Monastery which housed up to one hundred monks, was located a couple of kilometers up the valley was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In 1980 a modest temple was rebuilt at its present site on the lakeside. It has a single shrine room. If we feel like sleeping here, it may be possible to stay either in the kitchen or in tents nearby. At the lakeside by the monastery one can find layers of five-colored sand-black, red, gold, green and silver, which is also venerated by the Tibetans.
From Seralung it is a 7 hours walk to Trugo Monastery on the southern shore of the lake. Trugo has also been rebuilt on the lakeside instead of its original site. All along the southern shore of the
The next stretch of the circumambulation entails a full day’s walk from Trugo to
The only building at Tsethi is a rest house, where it is possible to spend the night, although there are no cooking facilities. From here, it is possible to meet the pilgrim’s bus or we can try our luck hitchhiking on the road nearby either back to Purang or on to Darchen and Shiquanhe.
If we decide to continue on the pilgrimage, we can walk another 2 hours or so to Chiu Monastery at the
Pilgrims must now make their way back to either Darchen via Barga or Purang. From Chiu Monastery we can walk to Barga in about four hours, or hitch a ride with a truck on the nearby road. From Barga it should be possible though not necessarily easy, to arrange transport back to Shiquanhe. We would probably have more success at Darchen. It is 104km from Chiu to Purang, which has to be hitched unless we have prearranged transport. Hitchin in
From Srimad Bhagavata - One day, it seems, Apsara ladies were bathing naked in Lake manasa. At the time, Suka, followed by Vyasa, happened to pass along the shore of the lake. Suka, who preceded, was all nude; but the ladies did not feel embarassed on seeing him who looked like a picture. On the contrary, when their eyes fell on Vyasa, who was properly clothed, they hurriedly put on their dress. Struck by their strange conduct, Vyasa sought an explanation from them. They then told him, "O, Vyasa, your mind still remains in the idea of sex distinction. Your son, on the contrary, has not a trace of such distinction, because his mind is fixed solely on Brahman."
The Lord of Gouri with his consort and Devendra with Indrani and the celestial women are said to sport in this enchanting plain between Manasa Sarovar and Kailash.