Yamdrok Lake (also known as Yamdrok Yumtso or Yamzho Yumco; ; ) is a freshwater lake in

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. It is one of the three largest

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s in Tibet. It is over long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake has an outlet stream, a tributary of

Yarlung Tsangpo The Yarlung Tsangpo, also called Yarlung Zangbo () and Yalu Zangbu River () is a river that flows through the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Arunachal Pradesh of India. It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The u ...

, at its far western end and means turquoise in English due to its color. Around to the west of the lake lies the Tibetan town of

Gyantse Gyantse, officially Gyangzê Town (also spelled Gyangtse; ; ), is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in Tibet (after Lha ...

and

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

is to the northeast. According to local

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess. The

Yamdrok Hydropower Station The Yamdrok Hydropower Station (), also known as the Yamdrok Yumtso or Yamzhog Yumcog hydropower station, is a hydroelectric power station just north of Yamdrok Lake, about southwest of Qüxü. The power station is in the Lhoka (Shannan) Prefec ...

was completed and dedicated in 1996 near the small village of Baidi at the lake's western end. This power station is the largest in Tibet.

Physical data

The lake ( in area, average depth and at its deepest) is fan-shaped, spreading to the south but narrowing up to the north. The mountainous lakeshore is highly crenellated, with numerous bays and inlets. Lake Yamdrok freezes in winter.

Climate

Yamdrok Lake has a cold

steppe climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

(''BSk'') with long, cold, very dry winters and short, cool, wet summers. It is also bordering on an alpine

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(''ET'') and on a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(''Dwc''). The differences between day and night are great.

Cultural significance

Like mountains, lakes are considered sacred by Tibetan people, the principle being that they are the dwelling places of protective deities and therefore invested with special spiritual powers. Yamdrok Lake is one of four particularly holy lakes, thought to be divinatory; everyone from the Dalai Lama to local villagers makes pilgrimages there. It is considered sacred as one of the four "Great Wrathful Lakes" guarded by the goddess Dorje Gegkyi Tso. The others such lakes are

Lhamo La-tso Lhamo Latso or Lha-mo La-tso () is a small oval oracle lake where senior Tibetan monks of the Gelug sect go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered t ...

Namtso Namtso or Lake Nam (officially: Namco; ; ; ; “Heavenly Lake” in European literature: Tengri Nor, ) is a mountain lake on the border between Damxung County of Lhasa prefecture-level city and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet ...

and

Manasarovar Lake Manasarovar also called Mapam Yumtso (; ) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located at an elevation of , near the western trijunction be ...

. The lake, its islands, and the surrounding area are closely associated with

Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajracharya, Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is consi ...

, the Second Buddha, who brought Buddhism to Tibet in eighth century AD. The lake is home to the famous

Samding Monastery Samding Monastery () "The Temple of Soaring Meditation" is a 13th century gompa built on a hill along a narrow peninsula that juts into Yamdrok Lake, southwest of Lhasa and about east of Nangkatse, in Tibet. It is associated with the Bodong, ...

which is on a peninsula jutting into the lake. This monastery is the only Tibetan monastery to be headed by a female re-incarnation. Since it is not a nunnery, its abbess heads a community of about thirty monks and nuns. Samding Monastery is where

Samding Dorje Phagmo The Samding Dorje Phagmo () is the highest female tulku, incarnation in Tibet''The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide'', (1988) p. 268. Keith Dowman. . and the third highest-ranking person in the hierarchy after the Dalai Lama and ...

, the most important female incarnate

Lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

in Tibet, stayed and presided, and stands to the south of Lake Yamdrok Yumtso. Today, both pilgrims and tourists can be seen walking along the lake's perimeter. One of the lake's islands contains an old fort or castle called Pede Dzong.

Economic significance

There are shoals of fish living in Yamdrok Lake, which are commercially exploited by the local population. From April to October, fish caught from this lake are sold at markets in

. Additionally, the lake's islands serve as rich pasture land to local herdsmen.

References

{{Shannan Prefecture-level city Lakes of Tibet Sacred lakes Shannan, Tibet