LAKES OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

There are many lakes in Himachal Pradesh. In this blog we tried to provide you the maximum lakes for the preparation of competitive examination to the aspirants.

Sr. no.	Lake	Altitude	Details	District
1	Dal Lake		♦ Located in the Budhil valley of Bharmaur. ♦ It is highest in the hierarchy of sacred waters of Chamba ♦ It is famous for the Lord Shiva’s; it is believed that during the ancient times they lived here with his wife. ♦ Every year in the month of August or September there is Holy Mani Mahesh Journey held. ♦ It is a great source of pilgrimage during Radhaasthmi and Janamashtmi every year when pilgrims from far and wide assemble for a holy dip here. ♦ This journey begins from the Chamba and end at this lakes. ♦ The tarn is smaller than the tarn of Khajjiar lake but is the most sacred.	Chamba
2	Khajjiar Lake	1,920 m	♦ Biggest Natural Lake ♦ Distance from Chamba: 25 km. ♦ SanctuarySize: 1.5 Km long and 1 Km wide ♦ The lake is set in a huge grassy landscape, with evergreen cedar trees surrounding it from all sides. ♦ Khajjiar has a thick forest cover around the Kalatope. ♦ Old people this area said that once peoples wants to destroy this lakes and they want to cricket stadium here, so they came with machine and absorb the water of this lakes than a snake (in local language Naag) with five head came and said you can’t absorb the water of this lake because it is my birth place and now I am hear living. ♦ So after that this lakes become very popular and in the temple every year there is festival held in the memory of Naag Devta. ♦ This place is basically famous for the temples, Horse Riding, Balloon riding, boating in lake, Para Gliding, different statues of the God. ♦ Here 85 feet long statue of the Lord Shiva’s are made which is polished with bronze solution..
3	Lama Lake	3,960m	♦ “Group of Seven Lakes” ♦ The last and seventh in series constitutes the main Lama Dal. ♦ Thirty miles east of Chamba proper near the historic Balaini pass. ♦ Circumference: 1.5 miles.. ♦ There is small Shiva temple at the lake. It is held sacred to Lord Shiva ♦ The main lake serves the purpose of a sacred place for the surrounding villages. ♦ It is the 2nd most religious lakes of the district after Dal Lake.
4	Gadasaru Lake	3470m	♦ It is sixteen miles from Tisa, the headquarters of Churah tehsil of Chamba. ♦ Shape: Circular ♦ Circumference: 1 Km. ♦ Beside this lake also stands a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali. Top of Form
5	Khajund Lake		♦ A small lake at the feet of Bhala Village near Saho. ♦ It takes 3-4 hours from Bhala to reach atop the lake. ♦ Probably 30 km from the Chamba town. ♦ People used to come here and pray to the serpent God Khajji Nag. ♦ It is believed that the serpent God Khajji Nag lived here for a while before moving to Khajiyar Lake. ♦ Both these lakes, Khajundand Khajjiar, are named after this very serpent God. ♦ There is a small temple dedicated to the serpent God Khajji near the lake
6	Chakund Lake	3062 m	♦ Khajund and Chakund lakes are separated by the mighty Panj Ungla Peak (five fingered peak).
7	Mahakali Lake	4,080 m	♦A high altitude lake ♦ Lies between Sano and Gudial in district Chamba ♦ This lake is held sacred to goddess Mahakali
8	Chanderkup Tal	4100 m	♦ Moon lake. ♦It is a beautiful lake with ice blocks floating in it. ♦It is also called ‘Ice-berg Lake” .
9	Nag Dal	3800 m
10	Dham Ghodi Tal		. . While the water flows from the Dhauladhar towards the Kangra valley flows into the Beas, towards Chamba it forms the drainage to the Ravi. In the “Expedition to Seven Mountain lakes of Dhauladhar” besides the above lakes one more lake of prominence is the Dham Ghodi Lake.
11	Nag-Chhatri Dal	4200 m	Located near the lndrahara pass, situated on the other side of the Dhauladhar at an elevation of etres. The devotees take a dip in this lake during the Manimahesh yatra towards the end of August and early September.
12	Kalikund		♦Also called Kali Dal. ♦ It is located about 150 metres below Lam Dal.
13	Lam Dal	3900 m	approx 7 kms from Nag Dal is the Lam Dal Lake. circumference of about 2.5 Km
14	Kareri Lake	2934m	♦A high altitude, shallow fresh water lake situated approximately 9 km from Dharamsala, ♦Named after the nearby Gaddi village of Kareri ♦The lake is fed by the snow melting from the Dhauladhar mountains which serves as the source of the lake ♦A stream Nyund is the outflow.
15	Khundi Maral Lake	3750m	♦Located at an altitude of in Churah Tehsil of Chamba District. ♦Area of 3000 sq mt. ♦During September, when the Manimahesh Yatra starts, pilgrims also visit Khundi Maral lake in their best colorful attire. ♦The lake is sacred to Goddess Maha Kali who it is believed emerged after splitting a hard rock at this place. The Goddess owns a large flock of sheep which can be seen grazing at the slopes of the lake.
16	Dal Lake	1,775 m	♦ Small mid-altitude lake near the village of Tota Rani in Kangra district. ♦The name ‘Dal Lake’ is taken from Kashmir’s Dal Lake. ♦ It is surrounded by deodar trees and is considered to be a sacred spot as there is small Shiva mandir (shrine) on its bank
17	Kamrunag	3,334 m	♦On the Mandi – Karsog road. ♦The lake has enormous religious significance in the region as the temple of one of most revered deities in Mandi, known as Kamrunag Dev is situated on the banks of lake. ♦Kamrunag is a famous weather-god of Seraj valley. ♦A fair is held here on 14^th of June every year. ♦People make various offerings especially of gold ornaments, coins etc. People have been making offerings of gold and other precious metals and stones since centuries. ♦ Thus gold and other ornaments much more than anyone’s imagination lies buried in the depths of the holy lake of Kamrunag ♦One can also trek to Shikari Devi temple, passing through Kamru Nag.
18	Prashar Lake	2730 m	♦ The sage Prashar is supposed to have meditated at the bank of this lake. ♦ There is a three-tiered Pagoda like temple dedicated to sage Prashar. ♦ The whole of the temple is built up of a single Deodar tree. ♦ Raja Bansen the king of Mandi got this temple built in the 13th century. ♦ This lake is fed by small mountain streams.
19	Rewalsar Lake	1360m	♦ A distance of 24 km from the city of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. ♦ A square shaped like lake is surrounded by mountain spur and dense vegetation. ♦ The spot is also famous among the Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists pilgrims, so it attracts a mix of pilgrims of all faiths. ♦ For Tibetan Buddhists, Rewalsar is one of the places visited by Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) on his mission to spread the dharma, while for Sikhs it’s associated with the life of Guru Gobind Singh. There are also a couple of Hindu temples dedicated to Krishna and Shiva. ♦ This odd religious mix gives the place a great atmosphere – turbaned Punjabis rub shoulders with the occasional sadhu and the scenery is dotted with three major Buddhist gompas. ♦ This lake is famous for its floating islands of reed. According to the myths, it is believed that all the seven of the reeds can be moved by breeze or prayer.
20	Kala-sar	1,755	♦At the top of the Rewalsar town . ♦The lake is surrounded by beautiful green hills and is an excellent picnic spot.	Mandi
21	Kunt Bhyog	1700m	♦Situated at the beautiful hilltop of the Rewalsar town. I♦t is enclosed by hills from two sides. ♦The lake is about 12 to 15 m deep at the centre.
22	Sukh-sar	1760m	Beautiful lake on the hilltop of Rewalsar town. ♦This lake is also surrounded by hills and thick vegetation. There is a snowfall during winter here
23	Khadla-sar
24	Saaf-sar
25	Nil-sar
26	Chita-sar
27
28	Macchial Lake		♦A low altitude lake (7 km from the Jogindernagar town). ♦ This lake is considered sacred ♦ Named after Macchendru Devta or Matasya Avtar of Lord Vishnu.
29	Suketi		♦ Located near Suketi fossil park	Sirmaur
30	Renuka lake	672 m	♦ Largest lake in Himachal Pradesh. ♦ Circumference 3214 m. ♦ Named after the goddess Renuka. ♦ Shaped like a sleeping women. ♦ A lion safari and a zoo are there at Renuka. ♦ It is the site of an annual fair held in November. It is believed that the lake is an embodiment of Renukaji, the mother of Parshurama – one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu –and wife of the sage Jamadagini. As per the stories told by the locals, once an evil named Sahasarjuna killed the sage Jamadagini (Renuka ji’s husband), and attempted to abduct his wife Renuka, but she threw herself in the lake to escape from him. Many gods and goddesses tried to bring Renuka out of the lake, but she decided to stay permanently in the river. After her death, Lake Renuka was formed. In the month of October or November (after Diwali) a fair is held on the bank of the lake.
31	Dashair Lake	4,270 m	Located near the Rohtang Pass. Also known as Sarkund.	Kullu
32	Brighu Lake		♦This lake is named after Rishi Brighu and is considered extremely sacred. ♦ Situated in the Kullu district, the lake is around 6 km from the village of Gulaba. ♦People from all over Kullu, Mandi and Lahaul valley frequent this lake a lot despite the fact that its shore lacks any human settlement. ♦The lake is around 3 to 4 m deep and is blanketed by snow throughout the winter season.
33	Seruvalsar	3100m	♦ Situated at the top of Jalori pass. ♦ Ruins of Raghupur Garh Fort which is approx 4 to 5 kms on the other side of the Jalori Pass
34	Sareul Sar		♦ temple of goddess ‘Buddhi Nagin’. ♦ It is believed that goddess ‘Buddhi Nagin’ resides inside the Serol Sar lake and is the mother of 60 ‘Nag Devtas’ in Himachal. ♦ It is also said that Pandavas visited Serol Sar in Dwaparyug during their exile period and planted rice here.
35	Beas Kund Lake		Beas Kund is a serene and calm lake in the Solang Valley in Manali from where river Beas originates. On the West side of Beas Kund is the magnificent peak of Hanman Tibba 5990m, which access through tiny pass of above this lake. The place also provides magnificent views of the lofty Pir Panjal range of mountains.
36	Mantalai	4115m	♦ Set in the Parvati Range, the Mantalai lake ♦ Source of Parvati River.
37	Shringtingu	4200		Kullu
38	Chandernahan lake	4,260 meters	♦ Located on Chansal peak in Rohru tehsil of Shimla district. ♦ Origin of Pabbar river. ♦3 It is the birth place of Devta Shikru. ♦ It lies in the Chanshal range of Rohru Tehsil. ♦ It is the source of the river Pabbar. ♦ The lake is fed by many springs.	Shimla
39	Garh Kuffar Lake
40	Tani Jubbal		♦Situated at a distance of 70 KMs from Shimla towards Thanedhar, Kotgarhand is 12 kms from Narkanda. ♦It is a small artificially water fed oval-shaped, shallow mass of water that is more of a pond than a lake. ♦It is famous for the ‘Nag Devta’ temple.
41	Bardosar	5500m	♦ Located between Sangla and Dodra Kwar. Area 1 sq.Kmc
42	Karali		♦Located in Shimla District on the other side of Chhota Shali Hillock. ♦This lake is almost of the same size of Annadale ground of Shimla. ♦The distance from Shimla is only 7 kms.
43	Chandra Taal	4,300 m	♦ Also called *Lake of the Moon. ♦ Hiuen Tsang called it Lohitya sarovar. ♦ The name of the lake originates from its crescent shape. ♦ It is source of Chandra River ♦ Situated in the Spitipart of the Lahaul and Spiti district ♦ It is a popular destination for trekkers and campers. ♦ The lake is situated on the Samudra Tapu platea*u, which overlooks the Chandra River. ♦ The lake is one of two high-altitude wetlands of India which have been designated as Ramsar sites.	Lahul -Spiti
44	Suraj Tal	4980m	♦ Also called: Suraj Tal Lake, Surya taal, Lake of the Sun God. ♦ It lies just below the Bara-lacha-la pass (4,890m). ♦ Length: 8 km. ♦ It is the third highest lake in India, and the 21st-highest in the world. ♦ It is the source of Bhaga River
45	Unam So
46	Tso Morari		♦ It is one of the largest lake in the Ladakh region.
47	Sissu Lake		♦Just on the banks of Chandrabhagha river. ♦ It is not exactly a lake but a swamp.
48	Neelkanth		♦A glacial Lake , at the foot of Neelkanth Peak. ♦This area is often visited by men who have not been blessed with a son. ♦Approached from Kamring near Thirot via Naingarah.
49	Dhankar	4270 m	♦ Lies above the monastery of Dhankar in Spiti. ♦ The locals take a round of this lake as this is considered a sacred ritual.
50	Sorang
51	Nako	3,662 m	♦A high altitude lake in the Pooh sub-division. ♦ It forms part of the boundary of Nako village . ♦ Near this lake there is a foot like impression ascribed to the saint Padmasambhava. ♦Tashigang is a nearby village has several caves, believed that Guru Padmasambhava meditated and gave discourse to followers. ♦There is a waterfall nearby which has snow water falling like a river of milk. Legend says that it is a heavenly realm of fairies. ♦It is a sacred place for the people of these valleys. ♦Followers come from as far a place as Ladhak and spiti valley	Kinnaur
52	Kunihar Talab		Situated in the Kunihar Valley, which lies nearly 50 kms towards West of Shimla in the Solan District.	Solan