Rih Lake, Chin State

Rih Lake located in the northwestern Chin State is a natural lake which lies at about 1 Kilometer from Rihkhawdar town near the Indo-Burma border. It is fairly small – just about 1.6 Kilometers in length, 1 kilometer in width and the depth is about 18 meters. The lake sits within over five hundred acres of protected forest and is home to various different types of bird species. This romantic heart-shape’s name is derived from a Mizo folktale: Rih-I had a younger sister who was murdered by her father upon the order of their stepmother, only to be resurrected by a helping spirit. Rih-I then used the same spell to turn herself into a water body that became Rih Lake. Another legend has it that the trees surrounding the lake have souls and all souls destined to heaven must pass through the Rih Lake. Despite Rih Lake today is weekend local hang-out to swim or simply relax, the lake remains a pilgrimage site for Mizo people of both Chin State in Myanmar and Mizoram State in India. The way to reach RihLake is via Tiddim, which is accessed either from Kalaymyo in northern Sagaing State or from Hakha, the Chin capital. Due to its remote location and difficult accessibility in the rainy season, the best time to travel the Myanmar’s Rih Lake in Chin State is within October through April.