Template:Infobox body of water
Gangabal Lake (Template:Literally), also called Haramukh Ganga, is a high-altitude glacial lake situated at the foot of Mount Harmukh in the Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, India.[1] The lake has a maximum length of Template:Convert and a maximum width of Template:Convert, and is located in the Ganderbal district. It is fed by precipitation, glaciers, and springs, is oligotrophic in nature and is home to many species of fish, including the brown trout.[2][3] Water from the lake flows into the nearby Nundkol Lake[4] and then into Sind River, of which it is considered the source per tradition, via Wangath Nallah.[5][6][7] This lake is considered sacred in Hinduism as one of the abodes of Shiva, is a site of Hindu pilgrimage and used by Kashmiri Hindus to perform ancestral and death rites.
History
Gangabal has been mentioned in several ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts, where it is referred to as Uttaramanasa and Uttara ganga (Template:Literally).Template:Sfn It is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a place of pilgrimage, along with the Kalodaka or Nandikunda lake (Nundkol).Template:Sfn The Vishnu Smriti mentions the lake as a place of pilgrimage for performing Śrāddha.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn 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.[8] 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.[9][10] In 1943, Vikram Sarabhai, along with a team, measured cosmic rays near the lake.[11]
Religious significance
Gangabal Lake is sacred for Hindus, who consider it a manifestation of Ganga[12] and the region to be an abode of Shiva.[13] Kashmiri Hindus immerse the ashes of their dead after cremation in the lake, and consider it equivalent to the river Ganga and Haridwar for performing ancestral rites.[14][15][16] An annual pilgrimage, called Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra, starts from the 8th-century Wangath Temple complex at Naranag.[13][17] The lake is also invoked during the rituals of Kaaw Punim, a Kashmiri Hindu festival.[14][18] It is considered the traditional source of the Sind River.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21] It can also be accessed through a trek from Bandipore via Arin [22] and from Gurez via Tilel.[23] 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.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Trekking Kashmir. gaffarakashmir.in. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ↑ Fishes and Fisheries in high altitude lakes, Vishansar, Gadsar, Gangbal, Krishansar. Fao.org. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ↑ Fish and fisheries at higher altitudes : Asia{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. FAO(1999). ISBN 92-5-104309-4
- ↑ Harmukh Gangbal. kashmirfirst.com. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ↑ Indus projects. nih.ernet.net. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ↑ Know Your Motherland – Gangabal Lake, Raina, Maharaj Krishen. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ↑ Artisan of the Paradise: Art and Artisans of Kashmir, from Ancient to Modern Times{{#if:Dhar|, Dhar}. Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation(1999). ISBN 9788186505250
- ↑ 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{{#if:Bhatt|, Bhatt}. APH Publishing(2008). ISBN 978-81-313-0402-0
- ↑ The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir{{#if:Tyndale-Biscoe|, Tyndale-Biscoe}. Bloomsbury Publishing(2018). ISBN 9781786735447
- ↑ Kashmir{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. A. and C. Black.(1909)
- ↑ Vikram Sarabhai: A Life{{#if:Shah|, Shah}. Penguin Books(2016). ISBN 9789386057181
- ↑ Settlement Pattern in Relation to Climatic Changes in Kashmir{{#if:Shali|, Shali}. Om Publications(2001)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Harmukh Gangabal lake pilgrimage performed in Kashmir due to Covid-19(28 August 2020). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kathasatisagar{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Repro India Limited(2022). ISBN 9789394534353
- ↑ Braving Unrest, Pandits Perform Gangbal Yatra in Kashmir(12 September 2016). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ↑ [{{{url}}} Socio-Economic And Political Development In South Asia (3 Vols.)]. Isha Books(2004).
- ↑ Annual Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra commences. Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ↑ Kashmir: History and People{{#if:Bakshi|, Bakshi}. Sarup(1997)
- ↑ Ancient Kashmir: A Historical Perspective{{#if:Rabbani|, Rabbani}. Gulshan Publishers(1981)
- ↑ [{{{url}}} Kashmir: Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Zanskar]. Bradt Travel Guides(2014).
- ↑ Trek to Gangabal. kashmirtreks.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ↑ Tracks of Kashmir. kashmirmount.org. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ↑ Building Community Resiliency and Sustainability with Tourism Development{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. IGI Global(2024)
Bibliography
- 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. Remote Sensing({Template:Date).
- [{{{url}}} The Valley of Kashmir: The Making and Unmaking of a Composite Culture]. Manohar.
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