 |
| Yamdrok Lake - one of the four holy lakes
of Tibet |
|
Like mountains, lakes are considered sacrosanct by the Tibetan people,
the principle being that they are the dwelling places of protective
deities and therefore invested with special spiritual powers. For
instance, Lhamo La-tso (Oracle) Lake is thought to be divinatory;
everyone from the Dalai Lama to the local villagers makes pilgrimages
there.
Yamdrok Lake is one of four such holy lakes, the others being Lhamo
La-tso (mentioned above), Namtso and Manasarovar. It is revered
as a talisman and is said to be part of the life-spirit of the Tibetan
nation. The largest lake in southern Tibet, it is said that if its
waters dry, Tibet will no longer be habitable. The lake has nine
islands, of which one houses the famous Samding Monastery. This
monastery is interesting, as it is the only Tibetan monastery to
be headed by a female re- incarnation. Since it is not a nunnery,
its female abbot heads a community of about thirty monks.
Today, both pilgrims and tourists can be seen walking along the
lake's perimeter, enjoying the diversified fauna and flora, admiring
the snow-capped mountains in the distance and visiting the villages
scattered along its shores. One of the most newly popular pastimes
for Tibetans is fishing, new because Tibetans are traditionally
not allowed to eat fish.
Since the mid-1980's, when the local government decided to build
a hydroelectric plant here, Yamdrok Lake has been a source of controversy
between traditional Tibetans and the energy department. A six km
tunnel, built 10 meters below the water's surface, is already being
used for power generation to supply the growing city of Lhasa. Traditionalists
fear that the lake will dry out. While Chinese scientists emphasise
that all excess water is pumped back into the lake, there is still
some animosity from Tibetans who consider that the sanctity of the
lake has been compromised. |
|
