Roopkund

2021-08-29T14:52:26Z

2800:484:6E81:1D80:BD3B:1C82:5806:8DE6:

{{short description|High altitude glacial lake in Uttarakhand, India, known as Skeletons Lake}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name =Roopkund
| native_name =
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| other_name = {{unbulleted list |
| Mystery Lake
| Skeleton Lake
}}
| image = Roopkund Lake.jpg
| alt = Roopkund lake in August 2014
| caption = Lake in August 2014
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| location = Chamoli, Uttarakhand
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| coordinates = {{coord|30|15|44|N|79|43|54|E|display=inline,title}}
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| depth = {{convert|3|m}}
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| elevation = {{convert|4536
|m}}
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| pushpin_map = India Uttarakhand#India
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| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Roopkund lake within Uttarakhand
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'''Roopkund''' (locally known as '''Mystery Lake''' or '''Skeletons Lake''')<ref name=mystery>{{cite news|last=Alam|first=Aniket|title=Fathoming the ancient remains of Roopkund|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/06/29/stories/2004062905461200.htm|access-date=29 May 2013|date=29 June 2004|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041107000331/http://www.hindu.com/2004/06/29/stories/2004062905461200.htm |newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|archive-date=2004-11-07}}</ref> is a high altitude [[glacial lake]] in the [[Uttarakhand]] state of [[India]]. It lies in the lap of [[Trisul|Trishul]] massif. Located in the [[Himalayas]], the area around the lake is uninhabited and is roughly at an altitude of {{convert|5020|m|ft}},<ref name=mystery/> surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers and snow-clad mountains. Roopkund is a popular trekking destination.<ref name=play>{{cite book|last=Kohli|first=M.S.|title=The Himalayas : playground of the gods : trekking, climbing, adventure|year=2000|publisher=Indus Publishing Co.|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788173871078|page=79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4knycWWbqgC&q=roop+kund&pg=PA79}}</ref> The size of the lake varies substantially, but it is seldom more than 40 metres in diameter (1000 to 1500 square metres in area), and is frozen in the winter.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harney |first1=Éadaoin |last2=Nayak |first2=Ayushi |last3=Patterson |first3=Nick |last4=Joglekar |first4=Pramod |last5=Mushrif-Tripathy |first5=Veena |last6=Mallick |first6=Swapan |last7=Rohland |first7=Nadin |last8=Sedig |first8=Jakob |last9=Adamski |first9=Nicole |last10=Bernardos |first10=Rebecca |last11=Broomandkhoshbacht |first11=Nasreen |last12=Culleton |first12=Brendan J. |last13=Ferry |first13=Matthew |last14=Harper |first14=Thomas K. |last15=Michel |first15=Megan |last16=Oppenheimer |first16=Jonas |last17=Stewardson |first17=Kristin |last18=Zhang |first18=Zhao |last19=Bartwal |first19=Maanwendra Singh |last20=Kumar |first20=Sachin |last21=Diyundi |first21=Subhash Chandra |last22=Roberts |first22=Patrick |last23=Boivin |first23=Nicole |last24=Kennett |first24=Douglas J. |last25=Thangaraj |first25=Kumarasamy |last26=Reich |first26=David |last27=Rai |first27=Niraj |title=Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India |journal=Nature Communications |date=20 August 2019 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=3670 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-11357-9 |pmid=31431628 |pmc=6702210 }}</ref>

With a depth of about 3 metres, Roopkund is widely known for the hundreds of ancient human [[skeleton]]s found at the edge of the lake.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/science/skeleton-lake-archaeology-roopkund.html?fallback=0&recId=1Pjl26KcWDSOLcSvsxzh2ZOwWqx&locked=0&geoContinent=NA&geoRegion=NY&recAlloc=control&geoCountry=US&blockId=home-discovery-vi-prg&imp_id=301371102|title=The Mystery of the Himalayas' Skeleton Lake Just Got Weirder: Every summer, hundreds of ancient bones emerge from the ice. A new genetic study helps explain how they got there.|last=Andrews|first=Robin George|date=20 August 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> The human skeletal remains are visible at its bottom when the snow melts.<ref name=sati>{{cite book|last=Sati|first=Vishwambhar Prasad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ct6YMRvYJQ4C&q=Roopkund|title=Uttaranchal : dilemma of plenties and scarcities|year=2004|publisher=Mittal Publ.|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788170998983|page=82|edition=1st|author2=Kumar, Kamlesh }}</ref> Research generally points to a semi-legendary event where a group of people were killed in a sudden, violent hailstorm in the 9th century.<ref name="Obscura">{{cite web|title=Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-skeleton-lake-of-roopkund-india|website=Atlas Obscura|access-date=25 October 2016}}</ref> Because of the human remains, the lake has been called Skeleton Lake in recent times.<ref name=today>{{cite news|title=Roopkund lake's skeleton mystery solved! Scientists reveal bones belong to 9th century people who died during heavy hail storm |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uttarakhand-roopkund-skeleton-lake-mystery-solved-bones-9th-century-tribesmen-died-of-hail-storms/1/277681.html|access-date=12 June 2013|newspaper=India Today|date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

==Human skeletons==
[[File:Human Skeletons in Roopkund Lake.jpg|thumb|Human skeletons in Roopkund Lake]]
Skeletons were rediscovered in 1942 by [[Nanda Devi National Park|Nanda Devi game reserve]] ranger Hari Kishan Madhwal, although there are reports about these bones from the late 9th century. At first, British authorities feared that the skeletons represented casualties of a hidden Japanese invasion force, but it was found that the skeletons were far too old to be Japanese soldiers.<ref name="Obscura" /> The skeletons are visible in the clear water of the shallow lake during one month when the ice melts.<ref name=mystery/> Along with the skeletons, wooden artefacts, iron spearheads, leather slippers,<ref name="riddle">{{cite web | url = http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?225620 | title = Bones Of A Riddle | author = Hari Menon | date = 8 November 2004 | access-date = 31 May 2013 }}</ref> and rings were also found. When a team from ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' retrieved about 30 skeletons in 2003, flesh was still attached to some of them.<ref name=mystery/>

=== Identification ===
Remnants belonging to more than 300 people have been found. The [[Anthropological Survey of India]] conducted a study of the skeletons during the 1950s and some samples are displayed at the Anthropological Survey of India Museum, [[Dehradun]].<ref name=protect/> The studies of the skeletons revealed head injuries;<ref name="Pant">{{cite journal |last1=Pant |first1=Alka Barthwal |date=2018 |title=Roopkund Mystery "Pathology Reveals Head Injury behind the Casualties |url=http://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume6/58.pdf |journal=Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology |volume=6 |issue=2018 |pages=1084‐1096 |access-date=2020-07-27}}</ref> according to some sources,<ref name="tele">{{cite news |last=Orr |first=David |date=2004-11-07 |title=Giant hail killed more than 200 in Himalayas |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/1476074/Giant-hail-killed-more-than-200-in-Himalayas.html |work=The Telegraph|access-date=2020-07-27 }}</ref> these injuries were caused by round objects from above, and were the common cause of death amongst the deceased. Those researchers concluded that the victims had been caught in a sudden hailstorm, just as described in local legends and songs.<ref name="Obscura" /><ref name="tele" /> [[Radiocarbon dating]] of the bones at Oxford University's Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit determined the time of death to be 850 CE ±30 years.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} More recently, radiocarbon dating combined with genome-wide analysis of 38 individuals from Roopkund Lake, found that the remains are from different eras and belong to three distinct groups.<ref>{{cite web |title=8th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology |url=https://www.isba8.de/fileadmin/congress/media/isba2018/druckelemente/ISBA2018%20Programm.pdf |website=isba8.de|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919211418/https://www.isba8.de/fileadmin/congress/media/isba2018/druckelemente/ISBA2018%20Programm.pdf |archive-date=2018-09-19}}</ref><ref name="Ancient DNA">{{cite journal |last1=Harney |first1=Éadaoin |last2=Nayak |first2=Ayushi |last3=Patterson |first3=Nick |last4=Joglekar |first4=Pramod |last5=Mushrif-Tripathy |first5=Veena |last6=Mallick |first6=Swapan |last7=Rohland |first7=Nadin |last8=Sedig |first8=Jakob |last9=Adamski |first9=Nicole |last10=Bernardos |first10=Rebecca |last11=Broomandkhoshbacht |first11=Nasreen |last12=Culleton |first12=Brendan J. |last13=Ferry |first13=Matthew |last14=Harper |first14=Thomas K. |last15=Michel |first15=Megan |last16=Oppenheimer |first16=Jonas |last17=Stewardson |first17=Kristin |last18=Zhang |first18=Zhao |last19=Bartwal |first19=Maanwendra Singh |last20=Kumar |first20=Sachin |last21=Diyundi |first21=Subhash Chandra |last22=Roberts |first22=Patrick |last23=Boivin |first23=Nicole |last24=Kennett |first24=Douglas J. |last25=Thangaraj |first25=Kumarasamy |last26=Reich |first26=David |last27=Rai |first27=Niraj |last28=Rai |first28=N |title=Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India |journal=Nature Communications |date=December 2019 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=3670 |doi=10.1038/s41467-019-11357-9 |pmid=31431628 |pmc=6702210 |bibcode=2019NatCo..10.3670H }}</ref> A group of 23 individuals (dated ~800 CE) had typical South Asian ancestry, 1 individual (dated ~1800 CE) had Southeast Asian ancestry, and 14 individuals (dated ~1800 CE) had ancestry typical of the eastern Mediterranean, and specifically of present-day people from mainland Greece and [[Crete]].<ref name="Ancient DNA" /> Those findings counter the theory that the individuals died in a single catastrophic event. The radiocarbon dating further suggests that the older, South Asian remains were deposited over an extended period of time, while the younger, eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian remains were deposited during a single event.<ref name="Ancient DNA" />

{{anchor | King | Jasdhaval }}
Yet another legend says that the King of [[Kanauj]], Raja Jasdhaval (mostly likely a king from [[Gurjara Pratihara|Gurjara Pratihara dynasty]] (r. 730-1036 CE) and faintly likely of [[Pala Empire|Pala dynasty]] (r. 750-1162 CE), see ) and [[Rashtrakuta]]s (r. 753-982 CE), with his pregnant wife, Rani Balampa, their servants, a dance troupe and others went on a pilgrimage to [[Nanda Devi]] shrine, and the group faced a storm with large hailstones, from which the entire party perished near Roopkund Lake.<ref name="missing1">{{cite news|title=Roopkund's human skeletons go missing|url=http://archive.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep242007/national2007092326962.asp|access-date=31 May 2013|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=24 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128081408/http://archive.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep242007/national2007092326962.asp|archive-date=28 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="legend">{{cite book|last=Vicki|first=Pomeroy|title=Deep in the Indian Himalaya|year=2007|publisher=Garhwal Publishing|isbn=9780615156972|page=63|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VL2022JhuKMC&q=Roopkund}}</ref>

===Conservation concerns===
There is growing concern about the regular loss of skeletons and it is feared that, if steps are not taken to conserve them, the skeletons may gradually vanish in the years to come.<ref name=vanish>{{cite web|title=Skeletons:AWOL|url=http://uttarakhand.org/2005/07/statesman-2005716-skeletons-awol/|work=Satesman 16.7.2005|publisher=uttarakhand.org (Govt. website)|access-date=30 May 2013}}</ref> It is reported that tourists visiting the area are in the habit of taking back the bones in large numbers and the district administration has expressed the need to protect the area.<ref name=protect>{{cite news|last=Kazmi|first=SMA|title=Tourists to Roopkund trek back with human skeletons |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tourists-to-roopkund-trek-back-with-human-skeletons/238208/|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=12 November 2007}}</ref> The district magistrate of Chamoli District has reported that tourists, trekkers, and curious researchers are transporting the skeletons on [[mule|mules]] and recommended that the area should be protected.<ref name=missing1/> Government agencies have made efforts to develop the area as an eco-tourism destination to protect the skeletons.<ref name=eco>{{cite news|last=Kazmi|first=SMA|title=Roopkund's skeletal tales|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090205/dplus1.htm|access-date=30 May 2013|newspaper=The Tribune|date=5 February 2009}}</ref>

==Tourism==
[[File:Bedni Bugal on way to roopkund.jpg|thumb|Trekking path to Roopkund, passing near [[Bedni Bugyal]]]]
Roopkund is a picturesque tourist destination and one of the important places for trekking in [[Chamoli District]], Himalayas, near the base of two Himalayan peaks: [[Trisul]] (7,120 m) and [[Nanda Ghunti]] (6,310 m).<ref name=important>{{cite book|last=Nigam|first=Devesh|title=Tourism, environment and development of Garhwal Himalaya|year=2002|publisher=Mittal Publ.|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788170998709|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MK1nAp5hTWsC&q=Roopkund&pg=PA28|edition=1.}}</ref> The Lake is flanked by a rock face named Junargali to the North and a peak named Chandania Kot to the East. A religious festival is held at the alpine meadow of [[Bedni Bugyal]] every autumn with nearby villages participating. A larger celebration, the [[Nanda Devi Raj Jat]], takes place once every twelve years at Roopkund, during which Goddess Nanda is worshipped.<ref name=important/> The lake is covered with ice for most of the year, with the best time to trek being in autumn (mid-September to October).

==In popular culture==
Roopkund's skeletons were featured in a ''[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]'' documentary, "Riddles of the Dead: Skeleton Lake".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.miditech.tv/content.aspx?page=skeleton_lake |title=Skeleton Lake |publisher=Miditech.tv |access-date=2 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206152124/http://www.miditech.tv/content.aspx?page=skeleton_lake |archive-date=6 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>[http://natgeotv.com/asia/riddles-of-the-dead/about Riddles of the Dead Episode Guide], [[National Geographic Channel]]</ref> The Indian Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) commissioned the documentary "The Mysterious Frozen Lake in the Himalayas",<ref>{{Citation|title=The Mysterious Frozen Lake iin Himalayas.|url=https://vimeo.com/53057210|language=en|access-date=2021-03-18}}</ref> where a scientific team and a film crew try to investigate the lake.

==See also==
* [[List of unsolved deaths]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Bill Aitken (traveller)|Aitken, Bill]]. ''The Nanda Devi Affair'', Penguin Books India, 1994. {{ISBN|0140240454}}.

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Uttarakhand}}
* [http://almora.nic.in/pages/display/158-roopkund-trek Roopkund Trek], District Administration-Almora
* [https://garhwalitraveller.blogspot.com/2019/07/roopkund-trek-skeleton-lake.html Roopkund Lake]. Garhwali Traveller
* {{Skeptoid | id=4323 | number=323 | title= 8 Spooky Places, and Why They're Like That| date= August 14, 2012| quote= 4. The Skelton Lake of Roopkund | access-date=}}

{{Waters of South Asia}}
{{Hydrography of Uttarakhand}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Geography of Chamoli district]]
[[Category:Glacial lakes of India]]
[[Category:Lakes of Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Unsolved deaths]]
[[Category:Hiking trails in Uttarakhand]]

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