Prashar Lake is a freshwater lake located at a height of 8,960 ft in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. It is around 50 kms from Mandi city. The lake is surrounded by snow capped mountains of the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas. Prashar lake is one of the most sacred lakes in Himachal. It is equally mysterious at the same time. Let’s delve into the stunning facts, stories and mysteries of this ancient spiritual site.
The lake is named after Rishi Prashar. It is believed that Rishi Prashar meditated on the banks of this lake for many years. Rishi Prashar was a ‘maharishi’ who wrote the ‘Vishnu Puran’. He was the grandson of Rishi Vashisht and the father of Rishi Ved Vyas. Rishi Prashar was raised by his grandfather because his father died very early. The birth place of Prashar Muni is believed to be at Panhala fort in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. A cave supposed to be of Prashar Muni is present at the fort. Prashar was known as the ‘limping sage’. He had wounded his leg during an attack on his ashram. When a rishi dies he merges back into an element or an archetype. When Rishi Prashar was walking through a dense forest he and his students were attacked by wolves. He was unable to get away in his old age with a limping leg. He left this world merging into the wolves.
Traditionally, it is believed that the lake was formed as result of striking of rod (Gurj) by Rishi Prashar. Water came out and took shape of the lake. As per another legend, this lake was created by Bheem, one of the five Pandava brothers. Legend has it that after the Mahabharat war, the Pandavas were returning with Kamrunag. When they reached this place, Kamrunag fell in love with the tranquil landscape and decided to live here forever. So, Bheem rammed his elbow on one of the mountains and created a big dent in the land. This dent became the lake.
Prashar Lake is one of the very few holomictic lakes in Bharat. A holomictic lake is a type of lake where the water column mixes completely at least once a year. The lake also has a floating island which keeps changing its position. The island is composed of plant matter in various stages of decomposition, and is held afloat by the oxygen in its plants’ roots. The floating island covers 7% of the area of the lake.
Another weird fact is that the maximum depth of the lake has not been determined till date. Locals claim that they have seen entire huge trees drowning in the lake and they could not even see a ripple on the surface. In the past two German divers tried to map the depth but it was an unsuccessful attempt. Later the lake was declared sacred and diving is prohibited. The trek to Prashar lake is very scenic in the months of January to March when the entire valley blooms with pink rhododendron bushes.
Right beside the lake is an ancient Pagoda style 3 storeyed temple dedicated to Rishi Prashar. The temple was constructed by Raja Ban Sen in the 14th century with the Rishi being present in the form of a Pindi (stone). It is also said that the whole temple was built by using single deodar tree and it took 12 years to complete the temple construction.
Every year in the month of June, Saranauhali fair takes place at Prashar lake. Large number of locals from the Mandi and Kullu district attend the fair. The patron gods of Himachal participate in the fair and it is conducted in Himachali traditions. The best time to visit the lake is during May to June. The lake is frozen and the entire area is snow clad during the winters.
Image credits: Photo by Anmol Arora on Unsplash, Photo by Anmol Arora on Unsplash
