Pagsum Lake

Template:Short description Template:Main otherTemplate:Template other Dragsum Tsho (Tibetan: Template:Bo-textonly, Wylie: brag gsum mtsho, THL: Draksum TsoTemplate:Main other, Pagsum Co (Template:Lang-zh), literally meaning “three rocks” in Tibetan, is a lake covering 28 square kilometres in Gongbo'gyamda County, Nyingchi of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, approximately Template:Convert east of Lhasa. At 3,700 metres over sea level it is about 18 km long and has an average width of approximately Template:Convert. The deepest point of the green lake measures 120 metres. The lake is also known as Gongga Lake.

Geography

Surrounded by dense primary forests of fir, spruce, and rhododendron, the lake hosts 195 native animal species and 242 phytoplankton varieties, including endemic fish like the naked carp (Gymnocypris spp.), which thrive in its oligotrophic waters. The northwestern shore features a 5 m² sacred boulder with a central perforation, believed to cleanse sins and cure illnesses through ritual passage.

Culturally, Dragsum Tsho is central to the Kongpo people, a Tibetan subgroup known for unique traditions like polyandrous marriages and silver-ornamented attire35. The 7th-century Tsodzong Monastery on Drowa Island (Template:Lang-zh) exemplifies Nyingma school architecture, dedicated to Padmasambhava and adorned with ancient carvings of the deity Hayagriva. Annually on the 15th day of the fourth Tibetan month, pilgrims circumambulate the lake, tracing routes marked by King Gesar’s legendary arrow strikes and hoofprints of his warhorse embedded in shoreline rocks. The lake's designation as Tibet's first AAAAA-rated scenic area in 1994 underscores its dual role as an ecological sanctuary and living cultural archive.