Macchial Lake

Macchial Lake, also spelt Machyal, is a sacred lake in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, 8 km south of Jogindernagar on the Jogindernagar–Sarkaghat state highway. It is named after Machinder Nath, linked with Matsya, the fish avatar of Vishnu, and regarded as the teacher of Guru Gorakhnath and founder of the Natha Sampradaya.

The lake is holy to the surrounding villages. People once made wishes to Machinder Nath and, when they came true, decorated the sacred Himalayan golden mahseer with gold nose rings, a custom now almost gone; feeding the fish for luck is still common, and fishing in the stream is banned. Devotees bathe in the stream on particular days of the Hindu calendar. Each year a three-day fair at the start of Vaishakh draws people from nearby villages, ending with wrestling bouts that attract wrestlers from distant districts. India's first mahseer farm lies 2 km further south at Bhararu.