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Gangabal Lake

Coordinates: 34°25′50″N 74°55′30″E / 34.43056°N 74.92500°E / 34.43056; 74.92500
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Gangabal Lake
view of Gangabal lake
Gangabal Lake at the foot of Harmukh
Location of Gangabal lake within Jammu and Kashmir
Location of Gangabal lake within Jammu and Kashmir
Gangabal Lake
Location in Jammu and Kashmir
LocationGanderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir
Coordinates34°25′50″N 74°55′30″E / 34.43056°N 74.92500°E / 34.43056; 74.92500
TypeOligotrophic lake
Primary inflowsMelting glaciers
Primary outflowsNundkol Lake which drains into the Sind River
Basin countriesIndia
Max. length2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi)
Max. width1 kilometre (0.62 mi)
Surface elevation3,576 metres (11,732 ft)[1]
FrozenNovember to April

The Gangabal Lake (lit. 'place of Ganga'), also called Haramukh Ganga, is an alpine high-altitude oligotrophic lake situated at the foot of Mount Haramukh in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, India.[2][3] The lake has a maximum length of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) and maximum width of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi). It is fed by precipitation, glaciers and springs and is home to many species of fish, including the brown trout.[4][5] Water from the lake outflows into the nearby Nundkol Lake[6] and then into the Sind River–of which it is considered the source per tradition–via Wangath Nallah.[7][8][9] This lake is considered sacred in Hinduism as one of the abodes of Shiva, and Kashmiri Hindus perform an annual pilgrimage to the lake called Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra.

History

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Gangabal has been mentioned in several ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts, where it is referred to as uttaramanasa and uttara ganga (lit. 'northern Ganga').[10] It is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a place of pilgrimage, along with the Kalodaka or Nandikunda lake (Nundkol).[11] The Vishnu Smriti mentions the lake as place of pilgrimage for performing shraadh.[11] It is also mentioned as a place of pilgrimage in other Hindu texts such as the Nilamata Purana, as well as in chronicles such as the Rajatarangini.[10] In 1519 around 10,000 Kashmiri Brahmans died possibly due to landslides and early snowstorms near Mahlish Meadow during their pilgrimage to Gangabal as they had gone to immerse the ashes of Kashmiri Hindus who were killed by Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi on the day of Ashura.[12] British authors like Walter Roper Lawrence, Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and Francis Younghusband, who visited Kashmir during British colonial rule in India, also mentioned Gangabal lake and its association with Hindu rites.[13][14] In 1943, Vikram Sarabhai along with a team measured cosmic rays near the lake.[15]

Religious significance

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Shiva shrine at the Gangabal Lake

Gangabal Lake is sacred for Hindus, who consider it a manifestation of Ganga,[16] and the region to be an abode of Shiva.[17] Kashmiri Hindus immerse the ashes of their dead after cremation in the lake, and consider it equivalent to river Ganga and Haridwar for performing ancestral rites.[18][19][20] An annual pilgrimage, called Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra, starts from the 8th century Wangath Temple complex at Naranag.[17][21] The lake is also invoked during the rituals of Kaw Punim, a Kashmiri Hindu festival.[18][22] It is considered the traditional source of the Sind River.[23]

Access

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1903 painting of the lake, showing the Shiva shrine on the left

Gangbal Lake is approached from Srinagar 45 kilometers by road via Ganderbal up to Naranag and then a trek of 15 kilometers upslope leads to the lake, which can be covered by a horse ride or by foot.[24] The gujjar shepherds can be seen during the trek with their flocks of sheep and goats. Another trek (25 kilometers long) leads to the lake site from Sonamarg via the Vishansar Lake crossing three mountain passes Nichnai pass, Gadsar pass and Zajibal pass of an average elevation of 4100 meters.[25] It can also be accessed through a trek from Bandipore via Arin,[26] and from Gurez via Tilel.[27] The trek to the lake Gangabal takes place in an alpine environment, (cut crossing) with meadows, (cut from) and huts of Gujjars with their herds crossing through two passes over 4,000 m to get to the lake Gangabal.

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References

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  1. ^ Ahmed et al. 2022.
  2. ^ "Trekking Kashmir". gaffarakashmir.in. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ^ Raina, HS; KK Vass (May–June 2006). "Some biological features of a freshwater fairy shrimp, Branchinecta schantzi, Mackin, 1952 in the Northwestern Himalayas, India" (PDF). J. Indian Inst. Sci. 86: 287–291. Retrieved 21 February 2012.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Fishes and Fisheries in high altitude lakes, Vishansar, Gadsar, Gangbal, Krishansar". Fao.org. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  5. ^ Petr, T., ed. (1999). Fish and fisheries at higher altitudes : Asia. Rome: FAO. p. 72. ISBN 92-5-104309-4.
  6. ^ "Harmukh Gangbal". kashmirfirst.com. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Indus projects". nih.ernet.net. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  8. ^ Raina, Maharaj Krishen. "Know Your Motherland – Gangabal Lake".
  9. ^ Dhar, D.N. (1999). Artisan of the Paradise: Art and Artisans of Kashmir, from Ancient to Modern Times. Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation. p. 83. ISBN 9788186505250.
  10. ^ a b Inden 2008, p. 535.
  11. ^ a b Inden 2008, p. 537.
  12. ^ Bhatt, Saligram (2008). Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace: Proceedings of National Seminar by Kashmir Education Culture & Science Society (K.E.C.S.S.), New Delhi. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-313-0402-0.
  13. ^ Tyndale-Biscoe, Hugh (2018). The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 261. ISBN 9781786735447.
  14. ^ Younghusband, Francis; Molyneux, Edward (1909). Kashmir. United Kingdom: A. and C. Black. p. 110.
  15. ^ Shah, Amrita (2016). Vikram Sarabhai: A Life. Penguin Books. ISBN 9789386057181.
  16. ^ Shali, S.L. (2001). Settlement Pattern in Relation to Climatic Changes in Kashmir. India: Om Publications. p. 39.
  17. ^ a b "Harmukh Gangabal lake pilgrimage performed in Kashmir due to Covid-19". Deccan Herald. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. ^ a b Nehru, Raj; Gariyali, C.K. (2022). Kathasatisagar. Repro India Limited. ISBN 9789394534353.
  19. ^ "Braving Unrest, Pandits Perform Gangbal Yatra in Kashmir". 12 September 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  20. ^ Sareen, T.R. (2004), Socio-Economic And Political Development In South Asia (3 Vols.), Isha Books, ISBN 9788182050747
  21. ^ Raina, Irfan. "Annual Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra commences". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  22. ^ Bakshi, S.R. (1997). Kashmir: History and People. Sarup. p. 99.
  23. ^ Rabbani, G.M. (1981). Ancient Kashmir: A Historical Perspective. India: Gulshan Publishers. p. 29.
  24. ^ Lovell-Hoare, Max; Lovell-Hoare, Sophie (2014), Kashmir: Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Zanskar, Bradt Travel Guides, p. 208
  25. ^ "Trek to Gangabal". kashmirtreks.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Tracks of Kashmir". kashmirmount.org. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  27. ^ Hafizullah Dar; Mudasir Ahmad Dar (2024). "Community Based Tourism Development in the Gurez Valley". In Anna Staszewska; Shivam Bhartiya; Viana Hassa (eds.). Building Community Resiliency and Sustainability with Tourism Development. United States: IGI Global. p. 117.

Bibliography

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