Sheshnag Lake

Sheshnag Lake sits at about 3,590 metres in Anantnag district, on the path to the Amarnath cave, some 23 km from Pahalgam. It is roughly 1.1 km long and 0.7 km wide, cupped in a deep hollow among snowbound peaks whose slow melt fills it. The lake takes its name from Sheshanaga, king of the serpents in Hindu tradition.

Green meadows and snow-covered mountains surround the water, which holds brown trout and drains through a stream into the Lidder River at Pahalgam. In winter the lake freezes and heavy snow cuts it off entirely. The road runs as far as Chandanwari, and from there ponies can be hired for the 7 km climb to the lakeshore, a stretch walked by Amarnath pilgrims as well as trekkers.