The Gangabal Lake, also called Haramukh Ganga, is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

situated at the foot of

Mount Haramukh Mt Harmukh (originally "Haramukuta") is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Harmukh is part of the Himalaya Range and is located between Sind River in the south and Kishanganga River in ...

Ganderbal district The Ganderbal district, or more formally District Ganderdal, is a district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Ganderbal town is administrative headquarters of district. It was formed in 2007 and has 6 subdistricts (tehsils): ...

, north of

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

, in

Indian-administered Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. It is an alpine high altitude

oligotrophic lake The Trophic State Index (TSI) is a classification system designed to rate water bodies based on the amount of biological productivity they sustain. Although the term "trophic index" is commonly applied to lakes, any surface water body may be inde ...

, home to many species of fish, including the

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

. This lake is considered sacred in Hinduism, and as one of the home of Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Kashmiri Hindus Kashmiri Hindus are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Hinduism and are native to the Kashmir Valley of India. With respect to their contributions to Indian philosophy, Kashmiri Hindus developed the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. After their exodus ...

perform annual pilgrimage called ''

Harmukh Mt Harmukh (originally "Haramukuta") is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in India. Harmukh is part of the Himalaya Mountain Range, Range and is located betwe ...

-Gangabal Yatra''. The lake has a maximum length of two and a half kilometers and maximum width of one kilometre. It is fed by precipitation, glaciers and springs. The lake water outflows to a nearby Nundkol Lake and then via Wangath Nallah to

Sind River The Sind River or the Sindh River is a river in the Ganderbal district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a major tributary of the Jhelum River and is 108 kilometres long. Geography The Sind River forms the Sind V ...

History

Gangabal has been mentioned in Hindu texts like

Nilamata Purana The Nilamata Purana ( sa, नीलमत पुराण, translit=nīlamata purāṇa), also known as the ''Kasmira Mahatmya'', is an ancient text (6th to 8th century CE) from Kashmir which contains information on its history, geography, religio ...

as well as

Rajatarangini ''Rajatarangini'' ("The River of Kings") is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western part of India, particularly the kings of Kashmir. It was written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri historian Kalhana in the 12th century CE. The ...

. Authors like

Walter Roper Lawrence Sir Walter Roper Lawrence, 1st Baronet, (9 February 1857 – 25 May 1940) was a member of the British Council of India and an English author who served in the Indian Civil Service in British India and wrote travelogues based on his exper ...

and

Francis Younghusband Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, (31 May 1863 – 31 July 1942) was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer. He is remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia; especially the 1904 British e ...

also mentioned Gangabal lake and it's association with Hindu rites. Kashmiri Hindus were massacred in the year 1518 by Islamic invader

Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi Mir Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Arāqi (; CE), also known as ''Mir Syed Muhammad Musavi Isfahani'', was an Iranian Sufi Muslim saint. Araqi was part of the order of Twelver Shia Sufis in Jammu and Kashmir who greatly influenced the social fabri ...

on the day of

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...

. In 1519 around 10,000 Kashmiri Hindus were killed during their pilgrimage to Gangabal as they had gone to immerse the ashes of Kashmiri Hindus who were killed by

on the day of

. After the gap of 200 years, APMCC/HGGT took the initiative and restarted

-Gangabal Yatra in 2009.

Religious significance

Gangabal Lake is sacred for Hindus. Each year Kashmiri Hindus take pilgrimage to the lake on the Ganga Ashtami. In the past Kashmiri Hindus used to immense the ashes of their dead ones in this lake.

Access

Gangbal Lake is approached from Srinagar 45 kilometers by road via

Ganderbal Ganderbal is a town and a municipality committee in Ganderbal district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters of Ganderbal district.It is in Central Kashmir, it has an average elevation of 1,619 metres (5, ...

up to

Naranag Naranag or (Nara Nag) is a tourist village and ancient Hindu pilgrimage site, near Ganderbal town in Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Well known for its ancient but pillaged temple ruins complex, it is located around 8 km fro ...

and then a trek of 15 kilometers upslope leads to the lake, which can be covered by a horse ride or by foot. The

gujjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

shepherds can be seen during the trek with their flocks of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

and

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of Caprinae, goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a membe ...

. Another trek (25 kilometers long) leads to the lake site from

Sonamarg Sonamarg () or Sonmarg (), known as Sonamarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a hill station located in the Ganderbal District The Ganderbal district, or more formally District Ganderdal, is a district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, I ...

via the

Vishansar Lake The Vishansar Lake is an alpine high-elevation oligotrophic lake, situated near Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, at an elevation of . It has a maximum length of 1 km, and maximum width of 0.6 km. Etymol ...

crossing three mountain passes Nichnai pass, Gadsar pass and Zajibal pass of an average elevation of 4100 meters. It can also be accessed through a trek from

Bandipore Bandipore () or Bandipora is the headquarters of district of Bandipore in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located on the northern banks of Wullar Lake—the second-largest freshwater lake in Asia. Bandipora has a ter ...

via Arin. The trek to the lake Gangabal takes place in an alpine environment, (cut crossing) with meadows, (cut from) and huts of

Gujjars Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

with their herds crossing through two passes over 4,000 m to get to the lake Gangabal.

Gallery

File:Trekking near Gangbal Lake.jpg File:GangbalPanorama1.jpg File:Gangabal1.jpg File:Gangabal4.jpg File:Gangabal3.jpg File:Mount Harmukh.JPG File:Horse riding near Gangbal Lake.JPG File:Fishes of Gangbal Lake.JPG

References

{{Hydrography of Jammu and Kashmir Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir Geography of Ganderbal district Tourist attractions in Ganderbal district