Gadsar Lake
Encyclopedia
Gadsar LakeKashmiri
:ﻏﺎﮌ ﺳﺁﺭ ) also called as “the valley of flowers“ is a picturesque lake
in Ganderbal district of Kashmir valley at an elevation of 3600 metres. It has a max. length of 0.85 kilometres and max. width of 0.76 kilometres.
Gadsar' in Kashmiri
means “the lake of fishes“ . The lake is the natural habitat of trout
. The lake freezes in the month of November to April and is mostly covered by snow during these months. It is surrounded by alpine flowers, therefore the lake is sometimes called as “the valley of flowers“. The lake is mainly fed by melting of glaciers and it drains out by a small stream which flows north westwards which later joins Neelum River
.
city and 28 kilometres Northwest from Sonamarg
. It can be accessed from Srinagar
80 kilometres by road NH 1D. Ponies can be hired from NH 1D at village Shitkadi to cover a mountaneous trek of 28 kilometres which leads to Gadsar Lake. There are two more lakes enroute the trek, Vaishnosar lake and Krishansar lake. It can also be accessed by another trek via Gangabal Lake
. The best time to visit is from the month of June to September.
, a freshwater Octopus
which drags the creatures from shores by its tentackles into the water and eats them. There is an uncertainty in the minds of visitors, a kind of threat which prevents them going near the shores. The shepherds also chose otherwise grazing their folks at the shores of the lake. There has never been any attempt made by anyone to find the reality. The fishes are being caught outside the lake in a stream from which it drains out.
Kashmiri language
Kashmiri is a language from the Dardic sub-group and it is spoken primarily in the Kashmir Valley, in Jammu and Kashmir. There are approximately 5,554,496 speakers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Census of 2001. Most of the 105,000 speakers or so in Pakistan are émigrés from the Kashmir...
:ﻏﺎﮌ ﺳﺁﺭ ) also called as “the valley of flowers“ is a picturesque lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Ganderbal district of Kashmir valley at an elevation of 3600 metres. It has a max. length of 0.85 kilometres and max. width of 0.76 kilometres.
Gadsar' in Kashmiri
Kashmiri language
Kashmiri is a language from the Dardic sub-group and it is spoken primarily in the Kashmir Valley, in Jammu and Kashmir. There are approximately 5,554,496 speakers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Census of 2001. Most of the 105,000 speakers or so in Pakistan are émigrés from the Kashmir...
means “the lake of fishes“ . The lake is the natural habitat of trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. The lake freezes in the month of November to April and is mostly covered by snow during these months. It is surrounded by alpine flowers, therefore the lake is sometimes called as “the valley of flowers“. The lake is mainly fed by melting of glaciers and it drains out by a small stream which flows north westwards which later joins Neelum River
Neelum River
The Neelum River , or Kishanganga , is a river in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. The Neelam River enters Pakistan from India in the Gurais sector of the Line of Control, and then runs west till it meets the Jhelum River north of Muzzafarabad.- Neelum Valley :The Neelum Valley is a...
.
Access
Gadsar Lake is situated 108 kilometres Northeast from SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
city and 28 kilometres Northwest from Sonamarg
Sonamarg
Sonmarg or Sonamarg is a town of Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Situated at 87 km from Srinagar, it is a popular tourist destination....
. It can be accessed from Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
80 kilometres by road NH 1D. Ponies can be hired from NH 1D at village Shitkadi to cover a mountaneous trek of 28 kilometres which leads to Gadsar Lake. There are two more lakes enroute the trek, Vaishnosar lake and Krishansar lake. It can also be accessed by another trek via Gangabal Lake
Gangabal Lake
Gangabal Lake also called Gangbal Lake is a lake situated at the foothills of Mount Haramukh in Ganderbal district, north of Srinagar city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.The lake has a maximum length of two and a half kilometres and maximum width of one kilometre...
. The best time to visit is from the month of June to September.
Lake Monster controversy
The shepherds grazing their folks in the outskirts of Gadsar lake during summers believes that, there lives a Lake MonsterLake monster
A lake monster or loch monster is a purported form of fresh-water-dwelling megafauna appearing in mythology, rumor, or local folklore, but whose existence lacks scientific support. A well known example is the Loch Ness Monster. Lake monsters' depictions are often similar to some sea monsters...
, a freshwater Octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
which drags the creatures from shores by its tentackles into the water and eats them. There is an uncertainty in the minds of visitors, a kind of threat which prevents them going near the shores. The shepherds also chose otherwise grazing their folks at the shores of the lake. There has never been any attempt made by anyone to find the reality. The fishes are being caught outside the lake in a stream from which it drains out.