The Himalayas are full of mysterious places including a few lakes. Gurudongmar is one of such lakes highest in the world, at a towering height of 17,800 feet. Still, it does not freeze in winter and worshiping the holy water body is believed to help issueless couples to have children! This lake is the best example of tranquillity one attains in a magical place.
The legend has it that because the lake used to remain totally frozen most of the year with no possibility of providing for drinking water needs. So, the local people appealed to famous Buddhist Guru Padmasambhva who was on his way back from Tibet for water during such hard times. The guru placed his hands on a small part of the lake area, which stopped freezing during winter. facilitating drinking water to the people. That portion of the lake remains unfrozen even today despite peak winter though the rest turn into ice like all other water bodies of Himalayas. Since then, the lake has been considered sacred for Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs and devotees carry this holy water in containers. The Guru also himself believed that the lake and its surroundings have some divine presence. The lake is named after the Guru-also known as Guru Rinpoche- founder of Tibetan Buddhism, who visited it in the 8th century.
The high-altitude lake is located 190 kilometres away from Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim, and about five kilometres south of the Tibetan (Chinese) border. The lake can be reached by road from Lachen to Thangu Valley. The road from Thangu to Gurudongmar passes through rugged terrain with moraine, which has high alpine pastures covered with many rhododendron trees.
The lake, fed by glaciers, is located to the north altitude. of the Kanchendzonga range. It provides one of the source streams which joins the Tso Lahmu and then forms the source of the Teesta River. The lake remains completely frozen in the winter months barring the small patch blessed by the Guru.
The lake has an area of 118 hectares and its peripheral length is 5.34 kilometres. However, the size of the lake appears small at the place where the devotees offer worship because the larger part of it is not visible due to hilly topography obstructing the view. The area surrounding the lake, also known as Gurudongmar, inhabited by Yaks, blue sheep and other wildlife of high altitude.
Though sacred, the lake is not free from rows. A dispute arose when on the bank of the lake an Indian Army regiment of Sikhs-located at the border with China-constructed a Gurudwara in 1997- 1998. It is also believed that the lake was once visited by their saint Guru Nanak. This created anger among the Sikkimese people of the area, who considered the Gurudwara an illegal construction. But it was settled later on with Lachen Monastery given possession of the structure under which it remains so till date.
