Roopkund Lake

The Roopkund lake is a high altitude glacial lake which is located in a remote location in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

About the Roopkund lake

• The lake lies in the lap of Trishul massif and given its remote location high up among the Himalayas the area around the lake is uninhabited.
• The lake is located at an altitude of 16,470 feet and is surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers interspersed with snow-clad mountains. The average depth of the lake is barely 2 meters.
• This makes the lake a popular trekking destination.

Why is the lake famous?

• The Roopkund lake is famous for the discovery of the ancient skeletal remains of hundreds of humans which were found at the edge of the lake.
• These remains are visible at its bottom of the lake when the snow melts.
• While there are several superstitions related to the skeletons, modern research has shown that the skeletons belong to the 9th century and were of a group of travelers who were killed in a sudden, violent hailstorm.

Why is the lake in the news?

The lake is in the news because the scientists at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have concluded that the skeletal remains found at the lake contain not only have Indian people but also a few people of Mediterranean origins. These results were obtained after a comprehensive genomic study.