Sheshnag Lake ( ; ) is an alpine high elevation

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 ...

located in

Anantnag district Anantnag district is a district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of ten districts which make up the Kashmir Valley. The district headquarters is Anantnag city. As of 2011, it was the third most populous district ...

of Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, India at an elevation of 3590 meters. It is situated on the track leading to the Amarnath cave, about 23 km from

Pahalgam Pahalgam (), known as Pahalgom (; in Kashmiri) is a town and a notified area committee, near Anantnag city in the Anantnag district of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a popular tourist destination and hill ...

. It has a maximum length of 1.1 km and maximum width of 0.7 km.

Etymology, geography

In ancient times, cloud bursts at the site caused a deep groove lined by mountains. Those mountains are covered with snow and ice sheets which melt slowly so that water flows into the deep groove and forms a lake. It was named Sheshnag because Sheshanaga (Śeṣanāga) is the nagaraja or King of all Nāgas and one of the primal beings of creation in Hinduism. An hour's drive away from Srinagar city lies a fabled spring from a popular Kashmiri folk tale, “Himal and Nagrai”. A stone marker there commemorates the lore and with it, the original, aboriginals inhabitants of Kashmir, the Nagas. The protagonist of this story was Nagrai, a Naga, the serpent king. Sheshnag Lake is home to many types of fish among which is the brown trout. It freezes during winter, and is inaccessible during this season due to heavy snowfall. It is surrounded by green lush meadows and mountains covered by snow. Sheshnag Lake is one of the famous tourist destinations in Kashmir Valley. It is mostly fed by melting of snow and streams coming down from mountaintops. It drains out through a stream that joins

Lidder River The Lidder or Liddar ( ur, , translit=liddar, sa, लम्बोदरी, translit=Lambodarī) is a river situated in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It originates from the Kolahoi Glacier and feeds the Jhelum River in Mi ...

Access

Sheshnag Lake is situated 120 kilometers east from Srinagar and 23 km from

. It can be accessed 113 km by road up to Chandanwari from which ponies can be hired to cover a trek of 7 km upslope to reach the Sheshnag Lake. Amarnath Temple is situated 20 kilometers north of this lake.

Gallery

File:Sheshnag6.jpg, File:Sheshnag Lake-Amarnath Yatra Series.jpg, File:Sheshnag Lake.jpg,

References

{{Hydrography of Jammu and Kashmir Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir Tourist attractions in Anantnag district