| Gangabal Lake | |
|---|---|
 Gangabal Lake at the foot ofHarmukh | |
  Gangabal Lake Location in Jammu and Kashmir Show map of Jammu and Kashmir Gangabal Lake Gangabal Lake (India) Show map of India | |
| Location | Ganderbal district,Jammu and Kashmir |
| Coordinates | 34°25′50″N74°55′30″E / 34.43056°N 74.92500°E /34.43056; 74.92500 |
| Type | Oligotrophic lake |
| Primary inflows | Melting glaciers |
| Primary outflows | Nundkol Lake, which drains intoSind River |
| Basin countries | India |
| Max. length | 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) |
| Max. width | 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 3,576 metres (11,732 ft)[1] |
| Frozen | November to April |
Gangabal Lake (lit. 'place ofGanga'), also calledHaramukh Ganga, is a high-altitudeglacial lake situated at the foot ofMount Harmukh in theHimalayas ofJammu and Kashmir,India.[2] The lake has a maximum length of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) and a maximum width of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), and is located in theGanderbal district. It is fed by precipitation, glaciers, and springs, isoligotrophic in nature and is home to many species of fish, including thebrown trout.[3][4] Water from the lake flows into the nearbyNundkol Lake[5] and then intoSind River, of which it is considered the source per tradition, via Wangath Nallah.[6][7][8] This lake is considered sacred in Hinduism as one of the abodes ofShiva, is a site ofHindu pilgrimage and used byKashmiri Hindus to perform ancestral and death rites.
Gangabal has been mentioned in several ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts, where it is referred to asUttaramanasa andUttara ganga (lit. 'northernGanga').[9] It is mentioned in theMahabharata as a place of pilgrimage, along with theKalodaka orNandikunda lake (Nundkol).[10] TheVishnu Smriti mentions the lake as a place of pilgrimage for performingŚrāddha.[10] It is also mentioned as a place of pilgrimage in other Hindu texts, such as theNilamata Purana, as well as in chronicles such as theRajatarangini.[9] In 1519, approximately 10,000 Kashmiri Brahmins died, possibly due to landslides and early snowstorms near Mahlish Meadow during theirpilgrimage to Gangabal while immersing the ashes of Kashmiri Hindus who were killed byMir Shams-ud-Din Araqi on the day ofAshura.[11] British authors such asWalter Roper Lawrence,Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe, andFrancis Younghusband, who visited Kashmir during British colonial rule in India, also mentioned Gangabal Lake and its association with Hindu rites.[12][13] In 1943,Vikram Sarabhai, along with a team, measured cosmic rays near the lake.[14]
Gangabal Lake is sacred for Hindus, who consider it a manifestation ofGanga[15] and the region to be an abode of Shiva.[16] Kashmiri Hindusimmerse the ashes of their dead aftercremation in the lake, and consider it equivalent to theriver Ganga andHaridwar for performing ancestral rites.[17][18][19] An annual pilgrimage, called Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra, starts from the 8th-centuryWangath Temple complex atNaranag.[16][20] The lake is also invoked during the rituals ofKaaw Punim, a Kashmiri Hindu festival.[17][21] It is considered the traditional source of theSind River.[22]
Gangbal Lake is approached fromSrinagar, 45 kilometers by road viaGanderbal up toNaranag, and then a trek of 15 kilometers upslope leads to the lake, which can be covered by a horse ride or on foot.[23] TheGujjar shepherds can be seen during the trek with their flocks ofsheep andgoats. Another trek (25 kilometers long) leads to the lake site fromSonamarg via theVishansar Lake, crossing three mountain passes, Nichnai pass, Gadsar pass, and Zajibal pass of an average elevation of 4100 meters.[24] It can also be accessed through a trek fromBandipore via Arin[25] and fromGurez via Tilel.[26] The trek to the lake Gangabal takes place in an alpineenvironment, (cut crossing) with meadows, (cut from) and huts ofGujjars with their herds crossing through two passes over 4,000 m to get to the lake Gangabal.
