Ma Chu
In the north, Golok embraces the watershed of the Ma Chu, the “River of the Peacock" (Ch. Huang Hé, known in the West as the Yellow River), the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest river system on Earth.
The area is named Matö or Makok. The actual source of the Ma Chu lies at the heart of Golok, to the southwest of the Amnyé Machen mountain range. This nascent river starts its 5,464 km journey in a remote, extremely cold and desolate open plateau, at 4,300 meters above sea level, and soon gently feeds the Kyaring Tso and Ngoring Tso lakes, to the south-east.
Since the early 8th century, Tibetans and Himalayan people have treasured "Namtars" as written or spoken narratives that demonstrate the realization of the Buddhist path by exceptional practitioners. These namtars, or spiritual biographies, serve as inspirational guides on the path to enlightenment.
Today, Namtars Foundation aims to record, preserve, and freely offer the world a written and electronic treasury of the oral wisdom of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism.
