Kausar Nag or Kausarnag (sometimes alternatively spelled as Konsarnag), is a high-altitude oligotrophic lake located at an elevation of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) above sea level.[1] Kausar Nag is located in the Pir Panjal mountain range in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. The lake is roughly 3 km (2 mi) long and .75 km (0 mi) at the widest point.[2] The lake is the primary source of the Veshaw River, a tributary of Jhelum. This lake is considered sacred in Kashmir Shaivism.
Legends
According to the Nilamata Purana, after the great flood, the boat of Manu that carried the Vedas and the Saptarishi was stuck in the mountains above the lake.[3] According to another belief, the lake was created by Vishnu by stamping with his foot, and thus it is also referred to as Vishnu Pad.[4] Sultan Zain ul Abedin is said to have visited the lake, as a symbolic gesture to persuade the exiled Hindus of Kashmir to return.[5] Visits to the lake by Hindus for ablution were also recorded in the late 1830s.[4]
Yatra
There are two routes traditionally used for Hindu pilgrimages (called yatra) to the lake, one through Kulgam in the Kashmir Valley and the other via Reasi in the Jammu region.[6] The Kashmir Valley route, used by Kashmiri Pandits, was abandoned during the 1990s militancy in the region. Plans to revive this route in 2014 failed after stiff opposition and protests from separatists.[7] The Reasi route continues to be used for the pilgrimage.[6]
Access
The Kausar Nag Lake is accessible during the summer and can be reached from its trail-head Aharbal, by a 36 km hiking trail. Aharbal is connected with Srinagar, a 70 km motorable road passing through the towns of Shopian and Pulwama.[8] The lake can also be reached through a tougher alternate trail from the south, primarily used by pilgrims.[7]
^ abVigne, Godfrey (1842), Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, the countries adjoining the mountain-course of the Indus, and the Himalaya, north of the Panjab, Henry Colburn London, pp. 295–296
^Akbar, M.J. (1991), Kashmir: behind the vale, Penguin Books India, p. 28, Emissaries were sent to persuade Hindus in exile to return. To give meaning to the promise, Zainul Abidin abolished jiziya, the cremation tax, and banned cow slaughter. The Sultan personally visited Hindu shrines and places of pilgrimages Iike Kausar Nag, Naubandana Tirath, and the famous Amanath.
