DarleneSeamon8 at 17:36, 16 February 2026

2026-02-16T17:36:24Z

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{{short description|Lake in Jammu & Kashmir, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Gangabal Lake
| image = Gangabal Lake.jpg
| alt = view of Gangabal lake
| caption = Gangabal Lake at the foot of [[Harmukh]]
| location = [[Ganderbal district]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| coords = {{coord|34|25|55|N|74|55|33|E|region:IN_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Jammu and Kashmir#India
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Jammu and Kashmir
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Gangabal lake within Jammu and Kashmir
| basin_countries = India
| type = [[Oligotrophic lake]]
| inflow = Melting glaciers
| outflow = [[Nundkol Lake]], which drains into [[Sind River]]
| area = 
| length = {{cvt|2.7|km|mi}}
| width = {{cvt|1|km|mi}}
| elevation = {{cvt|3576|m|ft}}{{sfn|Ahmed|Rawat|Wani|Ahmad|2022}}
| frozen = November to April
}}

'''Gangabal Lake''' ({{literally|place of [[Ganga]]}}), also called '''Haramukh Ganga''', is a high-altitude [[glacial lake]] situated at the foot of [[Harmukh|Mount Harmukh]] in the [[Indian Himalayan Region|Himalayas]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gaffarakashmir.com/trekking_kashmir.html |title=Trekking Kashmir |publisher=gaffarakashmir.in |access-date=19 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313064920/http://gaffarakashmir.com/trekking_kashmir.html |archive-date=13 March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The lake has a maximum length of {{convert|2.5|km|mi}} and a maximum width of {{convert|1|km|mi}}, and is located in the [[Ganderbal district]]. It is fed by precipitation, glaciers, and springs, is [[oligotrophic lake|oligotrophic]] in nature and is home to many species of fish, including the [[brown trout]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x2614e/x2614e05.htm |title=Fishes and Fisheries in high altitude lakes, Vishansar, Gadsar, Gangbal, Krishansar |publisher=Fao.org |access-date=19 April 2012 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924053536/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x2614e/x2614e05.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Petr |editor-first=T. |title=Fish and fisheries at higher altitudes : Asia |year=1999 |publisher=FAO |location=Rome |isbn=92-5-104309-4 |page=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4HESCeJyZcC&q=Vishansar+Lake&pg=PA72 }}</ref> Water from the lake flows into the nearby [[Nundkol Lake]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kashmirfirst.com/articles/history/070509_haramukh_gangabal.htm |title=Harmukh Gangbal |publisher=kashmirfirst.com |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-date=5 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205054332/http://www.kashmirfirst.com/articles/history/070509_haramukh_gangabal.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and then into [[Sind River]], of which it is considered the source per tradition, via Wangath Nallah.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nih.ernet.in/rbis/india_information/iNDUS_PROJECTS.htm |title=Indus projects |publisher=nih.ernet.net |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710143538/http://www.nih.ernet.in/rbis/india_information/iNDUS_PROJECTS.htm |archive-date=10 July 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Raina |first=Maharaj Krishen |title=Know Your Motherland – Gangabal Lake |url=http://ikashmir.net/mkraina/13.html |access-date=21 May 2012 |archive-date=28 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728033427/http://ikashmir.net/mkraina/13.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dhar |first=D.N. |date=1999 |title=Artisan of the Paradise: Art and Artisans of Kashmir, from Ancient to Modern Times |publisher=Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation |isbn=9788186505250 |page=83 }}</ref> This lake is considered sacred in Hinduism as one of the abodes of [[Shiva]], is a site of [[Yatra|Hindu pilgrimage]] and used by [[Kashmiri Hindus]] to perform ancestral and death rites.

==History==
[[File:Gangabal Lake, India, by George Strahan.jpg|thumb|left|1903 painting of the lake, showing the shrine on the left]]
Gangabal has been mentioned in several ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts, where it is referred to as ''Uttaramanasa'' and ''Uttara ganga'' ({{literally|northern [[Ganges|Ganga]]}}).{{sfn|Inden|2008|page=535}} It is mentioned in the [[Mahabharata]] as a place of pilgrimage, along with the ''Kalodaka'' or ''Nandikunda'' lake ([[Nundkol]]).{{sfn|Inden|2008|page=537}} The [[Vishnu Smriti]] mentions the lake as a place of pilgrimage for performing [[Śrāddha]].{{sfn|Inden|2008|page=537}} 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]]''.{{sfn|Inden|2008|page=535}} In 1519, approximately 10,000 Kashmiri Brahmins died, possibly due to landslides and early snowstorms near Mahlish Meadow during their [[pilgrimage]] to Gangabal while immersing the ashes of Kashmiri Hindus who were killed by [[Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi]] on the day of [[Ashura]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhatt |first=Saligram |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=It1LePnN2LsC&pg=PA116 |title=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 |date=2008 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn=978-81-313-0402-0 |language=en }}</ref> British authors such as [[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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tyndale-Biscoe |first=Hugh |year=2018 |title=The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |isbn=9781786735447 |page=261 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Younghusband |first1=Francis |last2=Molyneux |first2=Edward |date=1909 |title=Kashmir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xRDlW_YFCEC |place=United Kingdom |publisher=A. and C. Black. |page=110 }}</ref> In 1943, [[Vikram Sarabhai]], along with a team, measured cosmic rays near the lake.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shah |first=Amrita |date=2016 |title=Vikram Sarabhai: A Life |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=9789386057181 }}</ref>

==Religious significance==
[[File:Shiva shrine, Gangabal Lake.jpg|thumb|left|[[Shiva]] shrine at the Gangabal Lake]]
Gangabal Lake is sacred for Hindus, who consider it a manifestation of [[Ganga (goddess)|Ganga]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Shali |first=S.L. |date=2001 |title=Settlement Pattern in Relation to Climatic Changes in Kashmir |place=India |publisher=Om Publications |page=39 }}</ref> and the region to be an abode of Shiva.<ref name=DH>{{cite web |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/harmukh-gangabal-lake-pilgrimage-performed-in-kashmir-due-to-covid-19-879203.html |title=Harmukh Gangabal lake pilgrimage performed in Kashmir due to Covid-19 |work=[[Deccan Herald]] |date=28 August 2020 |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=9 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209033009/https://www.deccanherald.com/india/harmukh-gangabal-lake-pilgrimage-performed-in-kashmir-due-to-covid-19-879203.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kashmiri Hindus [[Indian rituals after death#Niravapanjali|immerse the ashes]] of their dead after [[Antyesti|cremation]] in the lake, and consider it equivalent to the [[river Ganga]] and [[Haridwar]] for performing ancestral rites.<ref name=Nehru&Garyali>{{cite book |last1=Nehru |first1=Raj |last2=Gariyali |first2=C.K. |date=2022 |title=Kathasatisagar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QglyEAAAQBAJ |publisher=Repro India Limited |isbn=9789394534353 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=12 September 2016 |title=Braving Unrest, Pandits Perform Gangbal Yatra in Kashmir |language=en |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/braving-unrest-pandits-perform-gangbal-yatra-in-kashmir-2-1291746.html |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=9 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209025645/https://www.news18.com/news/india/braving-unrest-pandits-perform-gangbal-yatra-in-kashmir-2-1291746.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Sareen |first=T.R. |date=2004 |title=Socio-Economic And Political Development In South Asia (3 Vols.) |publisher=Isha Books |isbn=9788182050747 }}</ref> An annual pilgrimage, called Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra, starts from the 8th-century [[Wangath Temple complex]] at [[Naranag]].<ref name=DH/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Raina |first=Irfan |title=Annual Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra commences |language=en |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/kashmir-todays-paper/annual-harmukh-gangabal-yatra-commences |work=Greater Kashmir |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125092415/https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/kashmir-todays-paper/annual-harmukh-gangabal-yatra-commences |url-status=live }}</ref> The lake is also invoked during the rituals of ''[[Magha Purnima#Kaaw Punim|Kaaw Punim]]'', a Kashmiri Hindu festival.<ref name=Nehru&Garyali/><ref>{{cite book |last=Bakshi |first=S.R. |date=1997 |title=Kashmir: History and People |publisher=Sarup |page=99 }}</ref> It is considered the traditional source of the [[Sind River]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rabbani |first=G.M. |date=1981 |title=Ancient Kashmir: A Historical Perspective |place=India |publisher=Gulshan Publishers |page=29 }}</ref>

==Access==
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 on foot.<ref>{{citation |last1=Lovell-Hoare |first1=Max |last2=Lovell-Hoare |first2=Sophie |date=2014 |title=Kashmir: Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Zanskar |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |page=208 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kashmirtreks.com/naranag-gangabal-trek |title=Trek to Gangabal |publisher=kashmirtreks.com |access-date=5 January 2023 |archive-date=5 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105101028/https://www.kashmirtreks.com/naranag-gangabal-trek/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It can also be accessed through a trek from [[Bandipore]] via Arin <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kashmirmount.org/track.html |title=Tracks of Kashmir |publisher=kashmirmount.org |access-date=22 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425074501/http://www.kashmirmount.org/track.html |archive-date=25 April 2012 }}</ref> and from [[Gurez]] via Tilel.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Hafizullah Dar |author2=Mudasir Ahmad Dar |chapter=Community Based Tourism Development in the Gurez Valley |editor1=Anna Staszewska |editor2=Shivam Bhartiya |editor3=Viana Hassa |title=Building Community Resiliency and Sustainability with Tourism Development |date=2024 |place=United States |publisher=IGI Global |page=117 }}</ref> The trek to the lake Gangabal takes place in an alpine [[Natural environment|environment]], (cut crossing) with meadows, (cut from) and huts of [[Gurjar|Gujjars]] with their herds crossing through two passes over 4,000 m to get to the lake Gangabal.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Trekking near Gangbal Lake.jpg
File:GangbalPanorama1.jpg
File:Gangabal1.jpg
File:Gangabal4.jpg
File:Gangabal3.jpg
File:Harmukh.jpg
File:Horse riding near Gangbal Lake.JPG

</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite journal |last1=Ahmed |first1=Rayees |last2=Rawat |first2=Manish |last3=Wani |first3=Gowhar Farooq |last4=Ahmad |first4=Syed Towseef |last5=Jain |first5=Sanjay Kumar |last6=Meraj |first6=Gowhar |last7=Mir |first7=Riyaz Ahmad |last8=Rather |first8=Abid Farooq |last9=Farooq |first9=Majid |date=24 November 2022 |title=Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Hazard and Risk Assessment of Gangabal Lake in the Upper Jhelum Basin of Kashmir Himalaya Using Geospatial Technology and Hydrodynamic Modeling |journal=Remote Sensing |volume=14 |issue=23 |page=5957 |doi=10.3390/rs14235957 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022RemS...14.5957A}}
*{{citation |last=Inden |first=Ronald |author-link=Ronald Inden |year=2008 |chapter=Kashmir as Paradise on Earth |editor-last=Rao |editor-first=Aparna |editor-link=Aparna Rao |title=The Valley of Kashmir: The Making and Unmaking of a Composite Culture |pages=523–562 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-751-0}}

{{portal bar|Lakes}}
{{Kashmir Valley}}
{{Hydrography of Jammu and Kashmir}}

[[Category:Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Geography of Ganderbal district]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Ganderbal district]]
[[Category:Sacred lakes of India]]

Gangabal Lake - Revision history

DarleneSeamon8 at 17:36, 16 February 2026