Mansarovar and Rakas Tal
Topic: Drainage System of India: Rivers, Basins and Patterns · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"
Meaning
Mansarovar and Rakas Tal are two high-altitude lakes that lie side by side near Mount Kailash in Tibet. The Satluj flows out of Rakas Tal. The Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Karnali (the Ghaghara in India) also rise close by. So this small area is the source region of several great South Asian rivers. Mansarovar is also a major pilgrimage site, especially for Hindus and Buddhists.
Example
The Satluj leaves Rakas Tal at 4,555 m, where it is called Langchen Khambab. It flows about 400 km parallel to the Indus and enters India at Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh.
Don't confuse with
- Source of the Brahmaputra: the Brahmaputra does not flow out of Mansarovar. It rises in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range, near the lake.
Related concepts
- Himalayan drainage system
- Antecedent river
- Indo-Brahma river
- Indus-Ganga water divide
- Water tower of Asia