Lake Rakshas Tal

Experience the beauty of Rakshas Tal while being indulged in the spiritual tales from the bygone instances from the demon King of Lanka- Ravan…

The highly religious destination that contains an array of abundant followers who are ardently following it that too beyond limits, the Mount Kailash is an inculcation of varied myths as well as beliefs. On one hand, this majestic place has the purest lake known as the Lake Manasarovar whereas on the other hand, it also has a lake considered to be a poisonous one i.e. Rakshas Tal Lake. The Rakshas Tal Lake is also recognized as the ‘Lake of Demon’ or the ‘Lake of Devil’ and is known as a beautiful but an enigmatic water body. It is located very near to the western part of Mount Kailash and the Lake Manasarovar. Also, the lake’s north-western tip is being witnessed as a commencement point for River Sutlej while extending over a total area of 70 sq. km at an elevation of 4,752 meters. Due to the lake being notified as the one associated with the ten-headed demon king Ravan, it is also named as the ‘lake of the rakshasa’.

The Rakshas Tal has been confirmed as the dwelling place for the demon king of Lanka i.e. Ravan and thus, carries a high historical as well as the spiritual relevance. The immensely pristine Lake Manasarovar and the Rakshas Tal Lake are neighbors and not so dissimilar from each other, but still on comparing these two it has been concluded that the lake Rakshas Tal is not admired to the extent Lake Manasarovar is revered and also, majority of the visitors present in the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra avoid taking a dip in the saline water from the ‘Lake of Demon’. This is because, it is considered to be a poisonous lake by them.

The two lakes are always held opposite to each other and as assumed by the people belonging to Buddhism, Lake Manasarovar that is round shaped symbolizes brightness and on the other hand, the Rakshas Tal that is crescent shaped is a symbol of darkness. This water body contains highly saline water and is thus bears no inculcation of the fish and other varied aquatic animals unlike the fresh water of Lake Manasarovar. The residence of Ravan carrying high amount of notoriety, the Rakshas Tal still leaves no chance for stunning the visitors by its beauty and serenity amongst other abundant clean lakes in Tibet.

OPresently, the lake is serving as a contrast to the most seriously worshipped and followed Lake Manasarovar. It is worldly recognized as the sole saltwater lake in Tibet and also comprises of the poisonous gases. But the most prominent thing witnessed as a noteworthy one is the ‘formation’ of these twin lakes. Earlier Lake Manasarovar and the Rakshas Tal lake were clipped together but due to some of the geological movements and the occurrences, they got separated and are now clipped separately with a thin isthmus of the mountains in between them looking as if they are demonstrating the difference between the Good and Bad. However, there is a prevalence of a short river called as ‘Ganga Chhu’ that is responsible for connecting the twin rivers and as notified is made by the rishis with an intention of adding the pristine water from the Holy Lake Manasarovar. The Rakshas Tal is confirmed as an agglomeration of four islands namely Dola, Topserma, Lachato and the Dosharba which are most commonly used by the locale people present there with the sole intention of facilitating the winter pastures for their yaks.

One shall come across abundant tales from the bygone era connected with the spiritual as well as the historical relevance of Lake Rakshas Tal. It is assumed by many that the demon king Ravan took a dip in this water body as a result of which his mind and heart were filled with a highly negative impact. Ravan was notified as an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and he visited the Mount Kailash while intending to have some blessings from him and on thus, on the way he wanted to have a bath as a result of which he took dips in the water of Raksha Tal. After having some dips, when he stepped out of the lake and headed towards the Mount Kailash, he witnessed Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva was highly satisfied by the devotional worship of Ravan towards him and asked his wish to which he replied, ‘I want your wife.’ Thus, it was notified that it was because of Ravan’s dip in the Rakshas Tal that made him ask for such a wish from Lord Shiva. But, still the answer to this remains unsolved as no one sure of whether Ravan’s negative reply was due to the dip or everything was pre-planned from his side. But, the non-allowance for taking a dip in the saline water of the Rakshas Tal is also associated with a scientific reason. As notified, there are many poisonous gases mixed in the “Lake of Devil” which shall prove to be highly fatal for the participants. These may not lead to their deaths but can leave their body with many health-related issues.