Roopkund, the lake of skeletons

When the sun shines through the white fluffy clouds and stern mountains in the chilly valley of the Himalayas, it illuminates the pristine lake, Roopkund . But there are mysteries buried in the depths of this attractive lake that sparkles like a green diamond. The Roopkund is a remote lake at the bottom of a steep slope in Trishul where hundreds of skeletons gaze at the sky when the ice melts during summer.

The mysterious lake of skeletons, Roopkund Lake; Image source- BBC

Amidst the serene environment, the Roopkund lake sits at 5,029 meters above sea level in the laps of the Trishul massif (a group of mountains) in Uttarakhand. The lake remains frozen for most of the year. However, its size expands and shrinks according to the season. This mostly frozen lake melts once a year, and hundreds of skeletons float on its surface. Some of them also look well preserved as a mystery, and the number of skeletons found each year makes this ordinary-looking lake a “Mysterious Lake.”

This peculiar lake of skeletons was first found in 1942 by a forest guard named Hari Kishan Madhwal from the Nanda Devi National Park. The site also contained wooden artefacts, jewellery, leather shoes, iron spearheads, along with hundreds of human skeletons.

A team from National Geographic reported that about 30 skeletons were found in 2003. Shockingly, several of them still had flesh attached to them.

At first, the skeletons were assumed to be those of Tibetan traders who died in an epidemic while travelling through the Silk Route, or the remains of Japanese soldiers who died while crossing that area during the disastrous Second World War. However, the scientists soon discovered that the skeletons were far too ancient to be of them.

A radiocarbon test was conducted in the 1960s in search of the history of the place. The tests dated the skeletons to be as old as the 12th to 15th century. During those times, Mohammad Tughlak was trying to conquer the mountains, and hence it was assumed to have been one of his unsuccessful attempts to invade the Garhwal Himalayas.

However, according to local legends, the mystery stems from a sad tragedy endured by the King of Kanauj, Jasdhaval. He once decided to go to the Nanda Devi shrine with his wife, Rani Balampa. He made a grand procession from the hilltop along with his servants, kinsfolk, dance troupe, and others. But, this decision proved fatal for everyone as the group encountered a catastrophic storm with massive hailstones, from which the entire clan perished at Roopkund Lake.

However, in 2004, scientists brought an end to all presumed theories of people by making a horrifying discovery. After a DNA test on the dead, the shocking reality behind the enigma began to surface.

The research concluded that the group died of a lethal blow that hit the back of their heads, but it was not by any weapon strike or landslide. They had marks on their shoulders and skulls from being struck by a circular object, but as no other body parts were injured, it was most likely that round items, possibly hailstones or ice balls, fell from the sky.

According to local folklore, the pilgrims suffered the terrible calamity as a curse of Nanda Devi. A traditional ballad of Himalayan women depicts a goddess who was so enraged at intruders who damaged her mountain refuge that she rained death on them by flinging hailstones as' hard as iron.'

Once you visit the spot, you will find it highly unsettling and unpreserved. The trekkers have moved the skeletons throughout the year, and the bones are now scattered horrendously all over the place. Some of these remains are also carried home as souvenirs by some visitors, thus making it challenging to discover a precise answer for further research. This is the reason why scientists can carbon-date the bones of only 38 bodies out of the hundreds of bodies that are littered all over the lake.

Although the identities of these people are in the dark, the icy water has preserved their bodies for centuries. Also, no one knows what further mysteries lie in the frozen grave. Apart from all these, "The Mystery Lake" is encircled by snow-covered mountains and glaciers filled with huge rocks. Each year, hundreds of pilgrims and hikers rush to witness the holy shrine and the icy burial.

Human Skulls found in Roopkund Lake, Image source- Tale of 2 Backpackers