Gangabal Lake

Gangabal Lake, also called Haramukh Ganga, lies at the foot of Mount Harmukh in Ganderbal district. The glacial lake is about 2.5 km long and 1 km wide and is fed by snowmelt, glaciers and springs; brown trout live in its clear, cold water. It drains into neighbouring Nundkol Lake and on into the Sind River, which tradition says rises here.

Hindus regard Gangabal as an abode of Shiva, and Kashmiri Hindus come here to perform rites for their ancestors and to immerse ashes. Ancient texts know it as Uttaramanasa or Uttara Ganga; the Mahabharata, the Nilamata Purana and the Rajatarangini all name it as a place of pilgrimage. An annual yatra to Harmukh and the lake sets out from the 8th-century Wangath temple complex at Naranag. Walkers drive about 45 km from Srinagar to Naranag and then climb some 15 km to the shore, on foot or on horseback.