Tsomgo Lake'','' also known as Tsongmo Lake or Changgu Lake, is a glacial lake in the
East Sikkim district
Gangtok District, formerly the East Sikkim district, is an administrative district of the Indian state of Sikkim. It was renamed in 2021 as a result of administrative reorganisation of the state, which also saw three subdivisions of the East Si ...
of the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
, some from the capital
Gangtok
Gangtok is a city, municipality, the capital and the largest populated place of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the headquarters of the East Sikkim district, Gangtok District. Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an e ...
. Located at an elevation of , the lake remains frozen during the winter season. The lake surface reflects different colours with change of seasons and is held in great reverence by the local Sikkimese people.
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
monks prognosticated after studying the changing colours of the lake.
Etymology
In
Bhutia language
The Sikkimese language, also called Sikkimese, Bhutia, or Drenjongké (, "Rice Valley language"),"Lost Syllables and Tone Contour in Dzongkha (Bhutan)" ''in'' David Bradley, Eguénie J.A. Henderson and Martine Mazaudon, eds, Prosodic analysis a ...
the name Tsomgo is made of two words 'Tso' meaning "lake" and 'Mgo' meaning "head" which gives the literal meaning as "source of the lake".
Topography
The lake is surrounded by steep mountains which are covered with snow during winter. During summer the snow cover melts and forms the source for the lake.
[ The lake which remains frozen in winter season, sometimes extending up to May, receives an average ]annual precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hai ...
of with temperatures recorded in the range of .
The lake is about away from Gangtok on the Gangtok-Nathula highway. Further, the road to Nathu La
Nathu La
(, ) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal in Bengal, South Asia. The pass, at , connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok to ...
skirts the lake on the north side. The Chinese border crossing is only some east-northeast in a straight line, but some by road.
Features
The lake is formed in an oval shape and has a surface area of . The maximum length of the lake is and has a maximum width of . The maximum depth reported is while the average depth is . The lake water quality is of moderate turbidity
Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality.
Fluids can ...
.
The lake is the venue for the Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima (Poornima) is a tradition dedicated to all the spiritual and academic Gurus, who are evolved or enlightened humans, ready to share their wisdom, based on Karma Yoga. It is celebrated as a festival in India, Nepal and Bhutan by Hi ...
festival which is also the Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hin ...
festival when the faith healers known as '' Jhakris'' of Sikkim assemble at the lake area to derive benefits from the healing qualities of the lake waters.[
Alpine forests cover the catchment of the lake.] After the winter season ends in middle of May, the periphery of lake has scenic blooms of flower species of rhododendrons
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
(the state tree of Sikkim), primulas
''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the primrose ('' P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common species are '' P. auricula'' (auricula), '' P. veris'' (co ...
, blue and yellow poppies Poppies can refer to:
*Poppy, a flowering plant
*The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses
*''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation
*"Poppies", a song by Patti Smith Group from their 1976 album ''Radio Ethiopia''
*"Poppies", th ...
, irises and so forth. Also seen in the precincts of the lake are several species of birds including Brahminy duck
The ruddy shelduck (''Tadorna ferruginea''), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, in length with a wingspan of . It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the ...
s. Wildlife seen includes the red panda
The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle ...
.[
Tourist attractions at the lake site include joy rides on decorated ]yaks
The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin Sta ...
and mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
s where kiosks offer variety of food and drinks.[ There is also a small ]Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
temple on the bank of the lake.[
]
Entry permits
As the lake is located in a restricted area it is essential for all Indians visiting the area to obtain permits. In case of foreign nationals special permit is essential.[
]Indian Postal Service
India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...
released a commemorative stamp on the lake on 6 November 2006.
Border trade market
The nearby habitation of Changgu was declared a border trade market in 2003.
Gallery
File:Changu Lake, Gangtok.jpg, Tsongmo Lake, January 2014
File:Tsomgo Lake.jpg, Tsomgo Lake
File:Chsungo.jpg, Tsongmo Lake in Winter
File:Source of the Lakes "Sikkim".jpg, Tsomgo Lake in April 2017
File:Tsomgo Lake in October.jpg, Tsomgo Lake in October
File:Tsomgo Lake in April 2019.jpg, alt=Tsomgo Lake in April 2019, Tsomgo Lake in April 2019
See also
* Tilicho Lake
Tilicho Lake () is a lake located in the Manang district of Nepal, as the crow flies from the city of Pokhara. It is situated at an elevation of in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. Another source lists the elevation of Lake Tilicho as bein ...
* Gurudongmar Lake
Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world and in India, at an elevation of according to the Government of Sikkim. It is located in the Great Himalayas in the North Sikkim district, Mangan District in States and union territori ...
*Nathu La
Nathu La
(, ) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal in Bengal, South Asia. The pass, at , connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok to ...
Tourist Attraction
It is one of the biggest tourism draws in the Eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim receiving around 300,000 (3 lakh) tourists annually. The best time to visit the lake is January to March.
References
Tsomgo Lake travel guide - Permit Regulations Climate Temperature
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Bibliography
*
{{Hydrography of Sikkim
Tsongmo
Gangtok district
Tsongmo