The Roopkund Lake has gained immense attention for its mystery, which is no less than the story of a Bollywood horror fantasy film. It has been recognized as the mystery lake as human skeletons can be found here when the frozen water of the lake starts to melt in the summer. Roopkund, a famous trekking destination, is regarded as a glacial lake in Uttarakhand of India, situated in the Indian Himalayas more than 5000 meters above sea level.
The discovery of hundreds of human skeletons around Roopkund Lake of Uttarakhand by an Indian forest official in 1942 has influenced archaeologists and researchers to find out the mysterious history associated with the mystery lake of Uttarakhand. Over time, several theories and evidence regarding the existence of the remains of human skeletons have come to the fore, which makes the mystery more complicated.
Various theories related to the mystery of Roopkund Lake of Uttarakhand
Theory 1: First discovery
In 1942, during winter, an Indian forest official named Hari Kishan Madhwal first witnessed the existence of hundreds of bones in the frozen RoopKund Lake. During the summertime, when the ice melted in the lake, more skeletons were found floating in the lake water and scattering at the edges of the lake. As it was that time of World War II, therefore it was initially thought that the skeletons were of the Japanese soldiers who were assumed to have died due to exposure while slinking through India.
Due to the apprehension of a Japanese land invasion, an investigation team was sent by the British government to ensure the reality of the incident. However, from the investigation, it was found that the skeletons were from a much previous timeline rather than the Japanese soldiers.
Theory 2: King Jasdhawal
According to the belief of locals, the bones are from the royal families. In connection to this story, King Jasdhwal started his pilgrimage journey to take blessings from Nanda Devi for the new child who is going to be born in their family. However, he was warned by the local priests not to go to that holy site with a noisy group, but the king did not obey the advice.
Moreover, during the journey, the King was found to be bringing more dancers and other lavishness when the queen gave birth to a baby. This makes the holy land profane, which leads the Nanda Devi to become angry at the king and his group, which resulted in the death of all the people who were there due to the hailstorm.
The insights derived from the forensic analysis conducted in 2004 resemble this theory. According to the conclusion of that forensic analysis, the bones were of two distinct groups. One is of the Indian pilgrims or a family and another one is of the local people who might be recruited as the guides and porters by the pilgrim.
Along with the bones, spears, rings, leather shoes, and bamboo staves were also identified in the place; therefore, the experts believe that when the pilgrims were going through the valley of the mystery lake of Uttarakhand, with the help of local guides, all were died because of the heavy hailstorms. The reasons for death identified in the forensic report revealed that they died because of head injuries with round-shaped items coming from above, reflecting the incident of the hailstorm.
Theory 3: Magic mushrooms
Several people also assume that the bones are of a group of individuals who were found to be coming into the valley in search of magic mushrooms, which are locally referred to as keeda jadi. The valley has been seen to have thousands of these caterpillar fungi every spring, which have significant medicative benefits. Therefore, the value of these fungi is extremely high.
Therefore, in the spring, when a group of people visited there to collect these valuable fungi, they witnessed a devastating natural disaster which took their lives. As there was no proper place to run away and hide, they became the victim of the fierce hailstones, which ended up killing the entire group. However, the common thing in this assumption is that here, the case of hailstorms is also mentioned.
New findings
After the publication of the new study in 2019 by a team led by Indian and International scientists, on the basis of genomic analysis of 38 skeletons found in the mystery lake in Uttarakhand, it was found that the bones belong to different eras as well as three different groups. Among 38 individuals, 23 belonged to the South Asian group who died between the 7th and 10th centuries, 14 belonged to the eastern Mediterranean ancestry of the island of Crete from the 19th Century, and the last sample belonged to the Southeast Asian origin, which also died in the 19th Century.
Impact on tourism
While it comes to the most common trekker’s list among the Indians, the Roopkund trek remains one of the top priorities in India. It is also considered as a holy place by the pilgrims. The popularity of Skeleton Lake of Uttarakhand has also increased among foreign countries because it offers a combination of a sense of adventure and beauty as well as the scope to feel its mystery, which is related to skeletons. The presence of deep forests, extensive meadows, gurgling rivers, and ice-covered regions makes the mysterious frozen lake a popular tourist place for adventurers.
Representation of the story of Mystery Lake in media
Roopkund Lake is also known as the Skeleton Lake because it has human skeletal remains at its bottom. Guess it's location. #DiscoverIndia pic.twitter.com/jz0tm9UEcF
— Discovery Channel India (@DiscoveryIN) June 2, 2017The skeletons of Roopkund were found to be featured in the documentary of National Geographic, which is titled “Riddles of the Dead: Skeleton Lake”. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), which is a research establishment of life sciences, has also created a documentary known as “The Mysterious Frozen Lake in the Himalayas”. In this documentary, it has been emphasised on showing a film crew and a scientific team investigating the lake.
FAQ
1. What is the significance of Roopkund Lake in Uttarakhand?
Roopkund, a famous trekking destination, is regarded as a glacial lake in Uttarakhand of India, which is situated in the Indian Himalayas in, more than 5000 metres above sea level. It has been recognised as the mystery lake as human skeletons can be found here when the frozen water of the lake starts to melt in the summer.
2. Who discovered the human skeletons at Roopkund, and when?
In 1942, during winter, an Indian forest official named Hari Kishan Madhwal first witnessed the existence of hundreds of bones in the frozen RoopKund.
3. What are some theories about the origin of the skeletons found in Mystery Lake?
There are several theories surrounding the origin of skeletons found in the mystery lake of Uttarakhand, while it was initially thought that the skeletons were of Japanese soldiers. According to the belief of locals, the bones are from the royal families. Several people also assume that the bones are of a group of individuals who were found to be coming into the valley in search of magic mushrooms, which are locally referred to as keeda jadi.
4. What were the findings of the 2019 genomic analysis of the skeletons at Roopkund?
After the publication of the new study in 2019 by a team led by Indian and International scientists, on the basis of genomic analysis of 38 skeletons found in the Roopkund in Uttarakhand, it was found that the bones belong to different eras as well as three different groups.
5. How has the discovery of skeletons impacted tourism at Roopkund Lake?
The popularity of the mystery lake of Uttarakhand has also increased among Indians and foreign countries because it offers a combination of a sense of adventure and beauty as well as the scope to feel its mystery, which is related to skeletons.
