The mystery of 'Lake of Skeletons', situated in the Himalayas

Roopkund Lake is a lonely lake situated at an altitude of 16,500 meters above sea level in the Himalayas, with the nearest settlement some five days away. The beautiful lake, away from humans, looks stunning as it stays frozen for most parts of the year; however, on warmer days, the lake reveals a terrible secret that it hides within itself—skeletal remains of about 200 people.


The lake’s terrible secret was discovered in 1942 by H. K. Madhwal, an Indian forest official. According to his reports, he found many things like wooden artifacts, iron spearheads, leather shoes, and rings along with the skeletal remains of humans preserved in the frigid lake. Due to the extreme cold temperatures, some even had flesh still attached to them.

The discovery was made public only in 1950, instantly piquing the interest of many. The trek to reach Roopkund Lake is intense and extremely dangerous, and it is not for the faint-hearted. Located in such a remote location, questions were naturally raised about what happened to these humans and how they ended up dying in a lake that remains frozen for most parts of the year. The mystery surrounding this lake has made it a famous story, often recounted by the locals of Uttarakhand.


Initially, the British thought the bodies might have belonged to Japanese soldiers who had died while crossing that route during World War II. This theory was disproved in 2003 when a team from National Geographic retrieved 30 of the skeletal remains and brought them to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology for detailed DNA tests. They confirmed that the skeletons were of Indian origin.

Another theory that gained popularity was that these bodies belonged to General Zorawar Singh of Kashmir and his men, who were rumored to have died in the middle of the Himalayan region after being caught in bad weather while returning from the Battle of Tibet in 1841. Devotees of Goddess Nanda Devi, also the second-highest peak in India, believe that it was her wrath that unleashed a hailstorm that killed those crossing the lake.


None of the theories could stand the test of time and logic. In 2013, a group of scientists declared that they had finally solved the mystery of the lake. According to their analysis, these humans were part of an Indian tribe, which existed in the 9th century, that was en route to a pilgrimage. The scientists found that they all had suffered a blow to the head, most likely due to an unexpected hailstorm.

Another study conducted over a period of 25 years concluded that, among the 38 human skeletons, 15 belonged to women and were dated as being as old as 1,200 years. Furthermore, a certain group of skeletons matched DNA with people currently living in South Asia, while another group was more closely linked to the present-day Mediterranean population. This has complicated the mystery again, as to how people from different regions all died in the same place. The study, conducted in collaboration with 28 researchers from India, Germany, and the United States, suggested that a single event could not explain the deaths of all the people buried in the lake.


The lake still holds its mystery, but recent reports have painted a worrisome picture. According to reports, the lake is shrinking in both depth and width due to increased rainfall rather than snowfall.