For a long time in Tibet, before the Buddha passed by, the gods appeared readily to the eye. Back then, Lake  Namtso was a portal to heaven, a place where humans could whisper to the gods. Namtso, "Heavenly Lake", is also known as Tengri Nor in Mongolian, and Tianhu in Chinese, the "Sky Lake". But tian can also mean "very important", or "very high". To Tibetans, both terms apply. They have many celestial stories concerning this place, the highest saltwater lake in the world at 4,718 meters above sea level.

Namtso is the god Shitian's daughter. Perhaps the association sprung from the crystal-clear blue water of the lake, a metaphor for purity if ever there was one. Her glassy surface reflects the infinite glory of her father admirably. But Namtso is also the wife of Nyainqêntanglha Mountain. At  7,162 meters, this mountain is chief of the northern gods. He controls all the land and sky of that region, and the treasures between. Outside his power, however, is the untarnished faith of his wife. The love stories told about the two are many and varied. But they all agree that Namtso has had many lovers, including Zhaguelian and Baoji Mountains.

According to local lore, Namtso arose two million years ago, when the Tibetan highlands offered a very different prospect. Back then,the lake was much wider and deeper. But over the course of a mere age, the Tibetan plateau shot up, erecting barriers on Namtso's east and south sides. The sea air which had fed its waters no longer blew in, reducing her breadth and depth. Today, there are still tell-tale marks of her previous extent, the highest eighty meters above the current shore.

Namtso has five islands, the geological manifestations of five Buddhas' mortal remains. Thus do many pilgrims set out for the islands to pray and burn incense. The biggest lake, at 1.2 square kilometers, is Liangduo island. But Zhaxibandao, steeped in religious significance, is the most famous. For Zhaxibandao means "Lucky Island". Maybe it is the bizarre rock formations dotting  the island that impart a feeling of divine favor. Assuming the shape of humans, animals, and whatever else springs to an oxygen-deprived imagination, these grotesque stones made a deep impression on animistic minds, which see no coincidence in the doings of nature. The followers of Buddha readily concurred.

A complex of grottoes run maze-like through the island as well, some deep enough to bristle with stalactites. Buddhists long ago used to make a retreat of this island, engaged in carving rock designs according to the dictates of their awakened consciousness. They would walk over the frozen lake at the end of winter, and not return until the following winter once again turned the water solid. So did Namtso become one of Tibet's chief holy lakes for Buddhists, as well as the animists who preceded them.

Today, Buddhist devotees are no longer permitted to traverse the ice. But the Tashi Dor temple, built on a peninsula jutting into the southeast corner of Namtso, is a locus for worshippers. A cluster of hermit caves near the temple house those who would make the ultimate inner journey save death.

The view from Tashi Dor monastery

Always a sacred destination, Namtso's holiest day nevertheless occurs once every twelve years, on the fifteenth day of April, in the year of the Sheep by Tibetan reckoning, drawing thousands of pilgrims. Their worship consists of a solemn clockwise walk around the entire shore, chanting in order to receive blessings.

April is still a windy, biting time for the uninitiated to visit Namtso. High summer, however, will reveal the sky god's daughter in all her glory. Giant hares romp among the abundant wildflowers, myriad migratory birds tend to their hatchlings, and golden trout break the lake surface to nip at dragonflies. On the endless grassland surrounding the lake, vast herds of sheep graze, lulled by the songs of their shepherds. It's as far away and above the man-made cares of the city as a soul can wander.

Gathering for a horse race on Namtso's shores