Lamuyangcuo Lake in Shangri-la
Attraction Overview
Opposite to Songzanlin Monastery is Lamuyangcuo Lake, one of the Top Three Holy Lakes of the Tibetans. It means the Soul of Heaven Fairy Lake in Tibetan language.
Attraction Type: Lake
Chinese Name: 拉姆央措湖(Pinyin: Lamuyangcuohu)
Best Time to Visit: All-year-round
Recommended Visiting Time: 1-3 Hours
Open Hours: All-day-long
Admission Fee: Free
Altitude: 3282 m
Location: Opposite to Songzanlin Monastery, about 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles north of Shangri-La City
Brief Introduction
The Lamuyangcuo Lake, meaning the Soul of Heaven Fairy Lake, is a holy lake dwelled by the soul of Goddess Bandanlamu, a guardian goddess of universe. It is one of the Top Three Holy Lakes of the Tibetans. The ring road of Lamuyangcuo Lake has the total length of 2110 meters, which takes about 1 hour by walking. On the way, you’ll pass two best spots to have a panoramic view of Songzanlin Monastery. One is near Conggulong Village and the other is at the central location of the lake. In every important Buddhist ritual, the monks and believers led by the Rinpoche chant sutras and pray around the lake.
Scenery
Lamuyangcuo lake is not large, but it is very famous in the Tibetan area. The scenery is beautiful and unusual. There are all kinds of waterfowl in the lake in four seasons including Black-necked crane and yellow duck. Stand on the top of the Zacang hall of Songzanlin Monastery and watch the lake, it is a natural projection of Buddha.
During the sunny days, the water is clear as a mirror. Every now and then there are dark clouds in the sky, no waves, but strange noises coming from the lake, and strange sights appearing. It is said that different believers can see different views of the lake at the same time. Some of them can also see their past lives from the images at the bottom of the lake.
Culture
The stone pile in the lake has its special significance, called “Yubeng” in Tibetan language. It is complementary to the opposite mountain. The celestial burial platform on the opposite mountain is for the monks who passes away in the Songzanlin Monastery. In the celestial burial, the monks go to the side of stone pile of the island to chant sutras and have prey ceremony. So anyone is not allowed to the island in general.
The strange hill on its southwest is called “Dong Qusheng”. “Dong” means conch. It is said that there once appeared a pair of natural white snails at the foot of this mountain, which is one of the treasures of Songzanglin Monastery. It is also a buddhist ritual device. “Qusheng” means huge turtle. According to the legend, this mountain is a sacred mountain of one Turtle Guardian. There is a stream in the mountain that does not dry all the year round. The water flowing out clear and clean. So on every first day and fifteenth day of lunar months, or when there are major Buddhist activities, the monks and the people will come here to get water for simmering.
Note:
Tourists who buy the ticket for the Songzanglin Monastery can enter the scenic area and take the transfer bus to visit the Lamuyangcuo lake.
