Nundkol Lake

Nundkol, also called Nandi Kund or Kalodaka, is an alpine lake in Ganderbal district of Kashmir, lying below the 5,142-metre Mount Haramukh. The larger Gangabal Lake sits 1.5 km to the north and feeds it, along with Haramukh's glaciers, and its outflow forms the Wangath Nallah, a tributary of the Sind. Hindus hold it sacred: legend says the sage Shilad did penance here and Nandi, Shiva's bull, was born as his son, and the lake's blue centre and pale green rim are taken to mark Shiva and Nandi.

The lake is open only in summer, when its grassy banks become a campsite and alpine flowers such as blue poppy, gentian and potentilla bloom; in winter it freezes and the trails close. The usual route is a two-day trek from Naranag, 65 km by road from Srinagar, through the meadows of Trunakhul and Badpathri. Licensed anglers may fish for brown trout here.