Kamrunag Lake is located in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, Bharat. It is a lake at 10,938 ft above sea level. Kamrunag Lake holds enormous religious and spiritual significance. The temple of Kamrunag Dev on the banks of the lake is one of the most visited temples in the Mandi district.
According to legend, Yakshas (the Gods of wealth) used to reside in the region. The lake was made in honour of the King of Yakshas who finds a mention in the Mahabharata. It was the second Pandava brother, the mighty Prince Bhima, who built this lake which is also connected to the netherworld. Yakshas are believed to be the celestial guardians of wealth hidden at different places on earth.
Kamrunag Dev is also known as ‘Rain God’ and people visit the temple in large numbers to pray for a favorable rainy season and also to seek blessings and wish fulfilment by offering gold and silver to the sacred waters of the lake.
The legend of Kamrunag
Dev Kamrunag’s original name was Ratan Yaksha. Ratan Yaksha was the grandson of Bhima (one of the five Pandava brothers) and the son of Ghatotkacha. He was a self-learned warrior. He practiced by keeping Lord Vishnu’s idol in front of him and he considered it his master, the Guru. He wanted to take part in the Mahabharat war. He was very brave and he decided to fight with the weaker party, which meant he was going to join the army of Kauravas.
Lord Krishna got to know about it and he decided to stop the self-learned warrior before he could reach the battlefield. Disguised as a yogi, Lord Krishna appeared before Ratan Yaksha. He asked him about his journey and gave him a task to pierce all the leaves of the large peepal tree. When Ratan Yaksha was preparing his arrow, the Lord plucked some leaves and hid them in his closed fists. To his surprise, the arrow pierced even the leaves in his fists. Then Lord Krishna asked him about his guru, upon which the Yaksha replied it to be no one but the almighty himself, and there Lord Krishna had an idea. Lord Krishna transformed into his eternal form, and asked the young man for Gurudakshina, the fee for services he had never offered to his student.
Ratan Yaksha couldn’t resist and he had to offer what the Lord had asked for. Lord Krishna asked for his head. He gave away his head and asked the Lord to keep it alive until the Great War was over. He wanted to witness the Mahabharat war. The Lord immediately agreed and blessed him with the same, his head was brought to Kamru Hill and today it’s referred to as Kamrunag Temple. Ratan Yaksha saw the greatest war of all time, from the Kamru hill.
It is said that there is a treasure hidden underwater in the Kamrunag Lake. This treasure belongs to the Mahabharata period and cannot be touched. There is massive wealth at the bottom of the lake. The temple of the Kamrunag deity is also established near the Kamrunag lake. It is believed that the treasure is protected by the the Nagraj of the temple. Attempts to steal and rob the treasure from the lake have failed till date.
A three day fair is organized every year in this temple in the middle of June. Each year, thousands of devotees visit Kamrunag temple from across the state to witness the three day fair after completing a difficult journey on foot. Pilgrims offer ornaments and coins to the lake in reverence to the deity. All the offerings are immersed in the lake. The temple is in the middle of a dense forest and no priest is available after the fair is over. In the winters, the Kamrunag lake is frozen and the entire area is snow clad.
Kamrunag is about 50 kms from Mandi. You can hire a taxi and reach upto the motorable point of Kamrunag. You can also reach Kamrunag from the town of Sundernagar which is around a distance of 30 kms. From the last motorable point, people have to trek for around 6 kms to reach Kamrunag.
