Manasarovar

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi मानसरोवर (mānasrovar), from Sanskrit मानस (mānasa, “of the mind, the lake said to have been born from the mind of Brahma”) + Sanskrit सरोवर (sarovara, “lake”).

Proper noun

Manasarovar

1. A freshwater lake in Ngari prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.
   • 1989, Russell Johnson, Kerry Moran, The Sacred Mountain of Tibet: On Pilgrimage to Kailas‎^[1], Park Street Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 42:

     Manasarovar, the lake born from the mind of Brahma, is among the most ancient and holy of Hindu pilgrimage sites. Hindu legend tells of twelve Rishis, wise 'Seers’ of pre-Vedic times who retreated to the remote region for meditation and prayer. They stayed many years performing penances and austerities, and were awarded a vision of Shiva and Parvati, the divine Lord and Lady of Kailas. But still they lacked, in this dry land, a suitable place to perform the daily ablutions required of devout Hindus. The Rishis prayed to Brahma so that they might fulfil their duties. From the infinite depths of his all-encompassing mind Brahma created Manasarovar, the Lake of the Mind, as a mirror of his greatness. At the moment of its creation, it is said, the Rishis worshipped a golden linga, the generative symbol of Shiva, rising from the midst of the new-born waters.

   • 2015 June 23, Edward Wong, “China Opens New Land Route to Tibet for Indian Pilgrims”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 September 2023, Sinosphere‎^[3]:

     The crossing on Monday of Nathu La, a high-altitude pass between Sikkim in India and Chinese-ruled Tibet, signaled the official opening of a new pilgrimage route for Indians to the holy sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. China and India recently announced an agreement to allow pilgrims through Nathu La after India had lobbied for the opening for years.

   • 2021 August 19, “Asia Video captures the beauty of Tibet with release of documentary film Cang Qiong Fu Yin”, in AP News, PR Newswire‎^[4], archived from the original on 13 September 2022:

     Westerners that have visited Tibet regard it as a paradise. It is most known for Mount Everest and Mount Kailash, the Manasarovar, Namtso and Yamdrok lakes, as well as the simple and warmhearted Tibetan people, and the traditional white khata scarf.

Translations

lake

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Hindi: मानसरोवर (hi) (mānasrovar)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• Manasarovar, Manasarowar, Mapam Yumco at Google Ngram Viewer
• Saul B. Cohen, editor (1998), “Mapam Yumco”, in The Columbia Gazetteer of the World‎^[5], volume 2, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 1878, column 3: “Also called Manasarowar L.”