The high altitude lake is located 190 kilometres (120 mi) away from Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim, and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the Tibetan (Chinese) border, in the district of North Sikkim. The lake can be reached by road from Lachen via Thangu Valley. The road from Thangu to Gurudongmar passes through rugged terrain with moraine, which has high alpine pastures covered with many rhododendron trees.[4][2] While Indian tourists are allowed to visit the lake, foreigners need to get a special permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi.[5]
Features
The lake is fed by the Gurudongmar glacier and is a moraine-dammed lake.[6] It is located to the north of the Kanchendzonga range, in a high plateau area connected with the Tibetan Plateau. It provides one of the source streams which joins the Tso Lahmu and then form the source of the Teesta River. The lake remains completely frozen in the winter months, from November to Mid-May.[4][7]
The lake has an area of 118 hectares (290 acres) and its peripheral length is 5.34 kilometres (3.32 mi).[4] However, the size of the lake appears small at the place where the devotees offer worship because the larger part of the lake is not visible due to hilly topography obstructing the view.[1] The area surrounding the lake, also known as Gurudongmar, is inhabited by yaks, blue sheep and other wildlife of high altitude.[4]
The lake is fresh water and used to be very clear; the bed of the lake could even be seen from the middle of the lake. Pollution has muddied the waters in recent years, and the lake has taken on a white tinge and has obscured visibility.[1]
In folklore
Gurudongmar Lake in late October
In Buddism
Guru Padmasambhava, on his way back from Tibet, visited the holy Dorje Nyima lake, which remained frozen for most of the year. The locals called upon him to help them. After touching a small section of the lake, it never froze again, solving the water problem for the people. The lake became holy and an important place for Buddhist pilgrimage, ensuring the lake's continued existence.[8][9]
In Sikhism
The Sikhs believed Guru Nanak visited and blessed the lake, leading to the construction of a Gurudwara in 1997-1987, which clashed with local Buddhists.[8][9]
Dispute
Gurudongmar Lake
A dispute arose when on the bank of the lake an Indian Army regiment of Sikhs—located at the border with China—considering the lake as the place visited by their saint Guru Nanak, constructed a Gurudwara in 1997–1998. This created anger among the Sikkimese people of the area, who considered the Gurudwara an illegal construction, because their ancient sacred lake had been sanctified by the visit of their Guru Padmasambhava. The government of Sikkim then constituted a high level committee to examine the issue and submit a report. Documents furnished to the committee by the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok, agreed with the claim of the local people that it was without a doubt a Buddhist religious place. This was accepted by the committee. The building constructed by the Sikh regiment was then handed over by the Army to the Lachen Monastery on 6 July 2001, in the presence of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Chungthang, North Sikkim. The monastery placed a lama as a watchman at the lake, entrusted with the task of maintaining it.[1][10]
Images
Panoramic view of Gurudongmar Lake, North Sikkim, India.
Sarv Dharm Sthal near Gurudongmar Lake, November 2010.At Gurudongmar lake, photo taken in late December, when the lake just begins to freeze.Gurudongmar Lake in May 2012, North Sikkim.
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