Dehnasar Lake

Dehnasar Lake
Location	Barot
Coordinates	32.1°N 76.93°E / 32.1; 76.93
Type	Glacial-fed
Primary inflows	Snow
Primary outflows	Evaporation
Catchment area	Lumbadug Valley
Basin countries	India
Max. length	300 m
Max. width	200 m
Max. depth	5 m (16 ft)
Surface elevation	4,280 m (14,040 ft)
Frozen	Winter
Settlements	Joginder Nagar (Nearest city)

Dehnasar Lake is a high-altitude freshwater lake in Barot Valley, Himachal Pradesh.

Geography

Lake lies at 4,280 metres (14,040 ft) above mean sea level, in Kangra District. Although, the proximity of the location is approachable near to Barot and Joginder Nagar in Mandi district.

Lake is situated beside rocky cliffs of the top of the mountain and derives its water from the snow. It remains frozen under a thick coat of snow during winters. Blizzards and hailstorms are common due to high altitude and therefore trekkers and pilgrims are advised to take precautions with them before leaving for the journey. Temporary accommodations and tents are raised up near the location of lake during pilgrimage season that falls in July to September every year. Shepherds are commonly sighted along the trek during pilgrimage besides rare varieties of herbs and flowers.

Getting there

Joginder Nagar is the nearest major town at a crow fly distance of 20 kilometres while Barot is 12 km away. Although, the base location to trek uphil towards the lake is at Polling village, 9 km northwards Barot which is well accessible through road up to Lohardi (6 km road distance from Barot ). The moderate difficulty 14 kilometres uphill trek opens after June due to heavy snowfall in winters and closes after September for the winter months.

There are two alternate routes towards the lake in Barot Valley.

• Jogindernagar-Barot-Lohardi-Polling-Dehnasar Lake.
• Jogindernagar-Thaltukhod-Dehnasar Lake.

Trek via Lohardi is the most commonly used and shortest due to steep gradient. Thaltukhod trek is more lengthy and time consuming due to gentle slopes upwards. On the other hand, side, the lake is approachable through another trek that starts from the opposite side of Kullu Valley. It can take more than 3 days to complete to and fro journey using this route.

• Kullu-Lag Valley-Sari Pass-Dehnasar Lake

Religious significance

According to the Mythology, the lake is abode to Goddess Parvati who is said to visit the lake in Bhadrapada month of Hindu calendar which generally falls in August or September. It is also believed that whosoever preaches Sun God while standing in water get their wishes fulfilled.