Roopkund Lake Trek

Roopkund Lake is widely known for its hundreds of ancient human skeletons found on the shores of the lake. The human skeletal remains are visible at the bottom of Roopkund Lake when the snow melts. Research generally points to a semi-legendary event where people from different regions lost their lives by a violent hailstorm in the 9th century. Because of the human remains, the lake has been called Skeleton Lake in recent times. Around 300 – 600 skeletons are lying in the area. How did so many people lose their lives? A sudden hailstorm in the mountains might be the reason.

People found many skeletons of people from different periods, provinces, and countries near Roopkund lake. Apart from these, people also found some weapons, which point towards any war. All these things deepen the mystery of Roopkund Lake. That’s why Roopkund Lake is called a mysterious lake.

According to legends: Goddess Parvati had killed the demon Mahisasur near the Bedini Kund in her Kali avatar. Meanwhile, as Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva were on their way to Kailash, Goddess Parvati felt unclean after killing the demons and wanted to have a bath. After all, she had cleaned up the dirt on the earth! To please her consort, Lord Shiva created a lake for the Goddess. The Goddess dipped herself in the blue waters of the lake and could see her beautiful reflection in the waters. It is why the lake is named Roopkund ( ‘Roop’ means beauty).

The elevation of Roopkund lake is about 4796m / 15735ft. It is one of the highest lakes in Uttarakhand.

The depth of Roopkund lake is about 3m.

Bhaguwabasa means: “abode of the tiger” Goddess Parvati had left her tiger at this point before heading towards Roopkund to take a bath.

The practice of sending Maa Nanda to her in-laws once in 12 years, is called Nanda Devi Raj Jat.

Shiva lived in his meditation. Nanda felt lonely in Kailash, where she remembered her maternal grandfather. Nanda called by her parent’s house. After a hiatus, he sent his beloved daughter to her in-laws’ house with great love and exultancy. Since then, every 12 years, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat is organized by the people in honor of Nanda Devi.

People from the Garhwal, Kumaon, other parts of India, and the world, participate in Nanda Devi Raj Jat yatra. The Goddess Nanda Devi is worshiped by the people from dozens of places in Kumaon and Garhwal. But the region around mount Nanda Devi and its sanctuary, which falls in the Pithoragarh district, Almora district, and Chamoli district, is the prime area related to Nanda Devi. In Chamoli, Nanda Devi Raj Jaat is organized once in 12 years. The Jaat ( Yatra or pilgrimage) starts from Nauti village near Karnprayag and goes up to the Roopkund and Homekund with a four-horned sheep. After the havan-yagna is over, the sheep let free with decorated ornaments, food, clothing, and the other offerings are discarded.

Pilgrims celebrate an annual Nanda Jaat yatra. The Raj Jaat procession goes through villages, where there is a recognized Nanda Devi temple. A night halt of the participants takes place at Koti, where night-long worship and celebrations take place.
Though in the Johar Valley region, there is no tradition of Nanda Raj Jaat. But the worship, dance, and the ritual of collecting Bramhakamal (it is called Kaul Kamphu) are part of Nanda festivals. The Nanda Devi fair is held at Almora, Nainital, Kot (Dangoli), Ranikhet, Bhowali, Kichha and also in the far flung villages of Lohar (like Milam and Martoli) and Pindar valleys (like Wachham and Khati).

In the villages of the Pinder valley, people celebrate the Nanda Devi Jaat (journey) every year. In the Lohar region, people come from the far end to Danadhar, Suring, Milam, and Martoli to worship the Goddess. In Nainital and Almora, thousands take part in the procession carrying the Dola of Nanda Devi. Some say that the Nanda Devi fairs started in Kumaon during the reign of King Kalyan Chand in the 16th century. There is a three-day fair at Kot Ki Mai or Kot Bhramari Devi. The fair at Saneti comes every second year. Both these fairs are rich in folk expressions, and many villages sell their products.

The source of the Neelganga river is nearby Bedini Kund.

Acclimatization is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment, allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions. Acclimatization occurs in a short period and within the organism’s lifetime.

We can observe acclimatization when traveling to high altitude locations, such as tall mountains. For instance, if an individual hikes to 3,000 meters above sea level and stays there for 1-3 days, they become acclimatized to 3,000 meters. If the same person hikes to 4000 meters in altitude, their body has to acclimatize once again. Some of the changes that take place during acclimatization to high altitudes involve:

• Increased production of Red blood cells.
• Increased pressure in pulmonary arteries – thereby forcing blood into sections of the lungs that are usually not used during normal breathing at lower altitudes.
• Increased depth of respiration.
• Increased depth (volume) of breath.

In some cases, individuals suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness when ascending to elevations of over 3,000 meters from sea level. However, it is a common and mild condition. If the body gets enough time, then it can be overcome. The reason why it happens is- reduced air pressure at high altitudes as well as lower oxygen levels. One of the more severe forms of mountain sickness is called High Altitude Cerebral Edema, where fluid builds up in the brain. It is a life-threatening situation and requires immediate medical attention.