The lake is a tranquil body of water situated in a sweet smelling conifer forest and the area exudes peace and tranquility. The great guru Padmasambhava is said to have stopped here, and admired the lakes beauty, on his way to tame the Bon gods of Tibet. The stone upon which he left his footprints is housed in a small shrine in the grounds of the nearby gompa.

Because of the holy-man’s visit, the site is considered sacred by Buddhists and is administered by the Katsaptenga Gompa that sits high on the ridge overlooking the lake. The gompa has extensive grounds containing chortens and mani walls, funerals can often be witnessed taking place near the gates.

The working gompa is home to a large community of monks and the temple contains some unique relics. The "treasures of the bodily representation" for which it is famous, are a collection of five terracotta icons brought from Tibet. More curious is the Astu ("top of the skull") of a monk engraved with the Tibet letter A that was found there when he passed away after spending his life concentrating on the sound of the vowel.

The lake is a fantastic place to relax and meditate away from the rigors of the trail and the grounds of the little visited gompa offer fine views of the valley.