The hot springs in Woka township once exclusively enjoyed by
former Tibetan religious rulers are now serving as a herders'
resort in the Tibet
Autonomous Region in southwest China.
The local government of Sangri county in Shannan prefecture
Tuesday opened the seven hot springs in the township to the public
for free, which, as the Dalai Lamas' personal resort in the past,
were traditionally regarded as a forbidden place by local
Tibetans.
According to living Buddha Lobsang at the Qulong Monastery,
which is opposite to the hot springs, 13 Dalai Lamas bathed in the
Zhuoluoka hot spring the most famous among the seven, on their
worshipping trip to the holy lake Lamulacuo.
Another hot spring was said to have served Zongkaba, founder of
Gelugba, or Yellow Lamaism, a major sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
County officials said that the hot springs whose water
temperature ranges from 35 to 65 degrees centigrade, are rich in
minerals, which are believed to be helpful in curing diseases.
The county will also further develop the hot spring area, making
it a tourism destination, officials said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2003)