Namtso followed her proud and arrogant husband Nyainqentanglha.

'Namtso' in the Tibetan language means 'Heaven Lake.' It's 4,718 m above the sea level and is the highest lake on earth. 240 km to the north of Lhasa between the counties of Damxung and Baingoin, the lake is 70 km from east to west and 30 km from north to south, and comes to an area of 1,940 sq km. Namtso is the largest salt lake in Tibet, and the second largest in China.

In 2005, Lake Namtso was selected as one of the five most beautiful lakes in China by Chinese National Geography magazine.

Historical literature describes that the lake looked as if it had been part of the heaven that had fallen off to the ground, so people called it Namtso, meaning 'Heaven Lake.' While herdsmen near the lake gave another version: the position of the lake was so high, so much so that it reached into the heaven.

Namtso sits to the north of the ever-snow-covered Tanglhar Mountain. To its north and west are large areas of plateau hills. Surrounded by vast grassland, the broad Namtso breeds exuberant waterweeds.

Namtso is a rift structure lake formed in the third phase of the Himalayas Movement. Since the level of the lake has kept going down. Quite a few ancient banks can still be tracked today, the highest being 80 m above the present level.

According to the myth, Namtso is the daughter of Indra, deity of rain and thunder, and wife of Nyainqentanglha. The goddess has three eyes. She holds a secret bottle in her right hand, and a magic mirror in her left hand. Her hair is piled high and the loose hair is long and let down on her back. She rides a green dragon. She is astonishingly charming.

Picture Links:
Namtso, snow mountain and people
Namtso, mountain and prayer flag
Namtso, a jade recessing in snow mountains
Girl living near Namtso
More pictures in Tibet Picture -- Scenery