The Vishansar 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 ...

, situated near

Sonamarg Sonamarg () or Sonmarg (), known as Sonamarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a hill station located in the Ganderbal District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about 62 Kilometers from Ganderbal Town and northeast of the capital city, Srina ...

in the

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): ...

of Jammu and Kashmir, India, at an elevation of . It has a maximum length of 1 km, and maximum width of 0.6 km.

Etymology and geography

Vishansar, in

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

, means ''the lake of Vishnu.'' This lake holds great importance for

Kashmiri Pandits The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region ...

. It is home to many types of fish, among which is the brown trout. It freezes during winter. During the summer season, the lake is surrounded by green lush meadows, where local shepherds graze their flocks of sheep and goats. The lake, with its scenic beauty, snow-covered mountains, gorges filled with small glaciers, and meadows with alpine flowers, is an attraction for the trekkers in the Kashmir Valley. It is fed by the

Krishansar Lake The Krishansar Lake is an alpine high elevation oligotrophic lake situated near Sonamarg, in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in India at an elevation of . It is located less than one kilometer northwest of Vishansar Lake, and has a ...

and glaciers. The Vishansar Lake is the source of

Kishanganga River The Neelum River, or Kishanganga River, is a river in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. It originates in Bandipora district of northern Jammu and Kashmir in India, flows through the Neelam District of Pakistan's Azad Kashmir and then mer ...

, which flows northwards up to Badoab, and then westwards through

Gurais Gurez, or Gurais (''Guráai'' in the local Shina language), is a valley located in the high Himalayas, about from Bandipore and from Srinagar, to the north of the Kashmir valley. At about above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow-cap ...

, along the Line of Control. The

Gadsar Lake The Gadsar Lake, also called ''the valley of flowers'', is a picturesque, alpine high altitude oligotrophic lake is close to Sonamarg & Ganderbal town in Ganderbal district of Kashmir valley in Jammu and Kashmir, India at an elevation of . It ...

lies some 9 km to the west, crossing Gadsar Pass.

Gallery

File:Vishansar10.jpg, File:Vishansar11.jpg, File:Vishansar lake2.jpg, File:Vishansar13.jpg, File:Vishansar14.jpg,

References

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