Was the Tibetan plateau, known as "the roof of the world," once was a great boundless sea? Modern science says it was, Otherwise no one would have ever believed it. However, in the Tibetan's widespread folklore there is a legend about the Himalayas which tells just such a story.
Once upon a time the land of Tibet was a great boundless sea whose foaming waves crashed onto the beach densely covered with pines, hemlocks and palms. Above the forest, mountain ranges rose one upon another, and wisps of clouds rolled over the horizon. Within the forest, exotic flowers and grasses grew in profusion, deer and antelopes galloped in herds, and rhinoceroses roamed slowly in small groups, leisurely ambling to the water's edge to drink. Cuckoos, thrushes and larks hopped on treetops, warbling harmoniously, and hares gamboled in the green meadows. Such was the charming picture of peace and tranquility!
But one day, a giant five-headed poisonous dragon suddenly rose up from the sea. It threw the forest into confusion, stirred bottomless waves, and destroyed the flowers, plants and trees. The birds and animals dwelling in the forest thought catastrophe had befallen them. They fled to the east but the eastern forest had toppled over and the green meadows were flooded. They swarmed back to the west, but the west, too, was a world of angry waves. As the animals and birds prepared to meet their doom, suddenly over the sea there appeared a five-colored cloud which trans-formed itself into the Five Sister Dakinis. Alighting on the beach, the Dakinis used their supernatural power to subdue the five-headed poisonous dragon. Once the demon was defeated, the great sea became calm again, and the deer, antelopes, monkeys, hares and birds that lived in the forest prostrated themselves before the Dakinis and expressed their gratitude to their saviors.
As the Dakinis prepared to take their leave for heaven, the animals and birds begged them to stay and favor them with their presence. Out of compassion, the Five Sister Dakinis agreed to remain and share their peaceful days with the forest dwellers. The Dakinis then ordered the sea to retreat. As a consequence, the east changed into a dense forest, the west became a boundless expanse of fertile soil, the south was transformed into a garden of flourishing flowers and grasses, and the north into an endless open grassland. The Five Sister Dakinis next transformed themselves into the five main peaks of the Himalayan Range: Tashi Tseringma, Tingki Shalsangma, Miyo Losangma, Chopen Dinsangma, and Tadkar Dosangma all of which stand towering at the south-west border of Tibet in defense of the happy paradise. The main peak Tingki Shalsangma is now known as Mt. Qomolangma and is the highest peak in the world, beloved by the local people as the "Goddess Peak."
