ROOPKUND SKELETON LAKE

Like “Rainbow Valley.” “Roopkund” is another famous spot in the Himalayas whose name and fame are just contradictory. The high- altitude beautiful glacial lake lying in the lap of Trishul massif of the Himalayas, is littered with skeletons, bones and skulls of many dead people. The area around the lake is uninhabited and surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers and snow-clad mountains.

While one theory says that the skeletons belong to WWII soldiers, who were struck by a massive hailstone while on the trek, another theory says that these belong to a king’s family, cursed by a Goddess to die this way. On the contrary, one legend says that so impressed was Goddess Parvati to see her own beauty manifest in the water reflection, that the lake was named, Roopkund – Roop is a Hindi connotation for beauty, and kund refers to pool.

Add to this equation, 9th century skeletons buried in the lake, and surreal mountain landscapes, packaged with meadows, forests, snow peaks and streams, which have together helped Roopkund become one of the most sought-after treks in Uttarakhand. But it is full of howling winds, haunting legends and chilling mysteries.