Travellers flock to Rih Lake during Thingyan days

Locals and people from India believe that their ancestors’ souls are alive in Rih Lake and go to pray there.

Yangon April 20

The arrival of local and foreign travellers to Rih Lake in Chin State is high during Thingyan Festival this year, according to locals.

It is a natural lake located in northwestern Chin State in Myanmar. The lake is about one mile in length and half a mile in width. It is about 3 miles in its circumference and the depth is about 60 feet. It has a heart-shaped outline.

The lake is full of water all year round and never dries up. It is said that the surface colour of the lake turns red during the second week of December every year. The duration is about a month (or) two months up to the end of the cold season.

Most of the travellers come to Rih Lake in group, teams or pilgrims. The arrival rate of travellers to Rih Lake this year is higher than last year and some visitors stay overnight at the guest houses near the lake during the time of Thingyan Festival.

Moreover, some guesthouses are full of visitors during Thingyan days and some travellers have to stay the night at the homes of the locals.

“I like to travel during the Water Festival. I have been to famous places in the country. I think the trip to Chin Hill may be hard. However, the visit to Rih Lake is different from my first thought. 

The road is smooth and everything is okay for me. I feel fresh when I reach near the lake. If I have a chance, I will come here again,” said a visitor who comes to Rih Lake during Myanmar New Year Festival.

Travellers can go to Rih Lake via Hakha-Falam-Rih Khaw Dar motor road and, nowadays, tourists can also go to Rih Lake with jeeps and cars.

Due to smooth transportation to Rih Lake, more foreign visitors, especially travellers from Mizoram State in India, come to the beautiful lake of Chin State year by year.

Htal Na

The Myawady Daily