Krishansar Lake

Krishansar Lake (Neelum Lake)
Location	Ganderbal, Kashmir valley
Coordinates	34°23′49″N 75°06′02″E / 34.397072°N 75.100447°ECoordinates: 34°23′49″N 75°06′02″E / 34.397072°N 75.100447°E
Type	oligotrophic lake
Primary inflows	Melting of snow
Primary outflows	Vishansar Lake, Neelum River
Max. length	0.95 kilometres (0.59 mi)
Max. width	0.6 kilometres (0.37 mi)
Surface elevation	3,710 metres (12,170 ft)
Frozen	December to April

The Krishansar Lake (Urdu: کرشن سر) is an alpine high altitude oligotrophic lake^[1] situated in the vicinity of Sonamarg,^[2] less than one kilometer from Vishansar Lake north westwards at an elevation of 3710 meters. It has a maximum length of 0.95 kilometers and maximum width of 0.6 kilometers.

Etymology, geography

Krishansar in Kashmiri means the lake of Krishna. It is home to many types of fishes^[3] among of which is the brown trout.^[4] It freezes during winter, and is inaccessible during this season due to heavy snowfall. It is surrounded by green lush meadows and attracts local shepherds who graze their flocks of sheep and goat during summer.^[5] The Krishansar Lake is adjacent to Vishansar Lake, at its back are the mountains standing covered with snow in which lies the Gadsar Pass, a mountain pass which leads to the Gadsar Lake. The lake is a famous trekking site in the Kashmir Valley. It is mostly fed by melting of snow and glaciers. It drains out through a small stream which falls into the Vishansar Lake and gives rise to Neelum River.^[6]

Access

The Krishansar Lake is situated 115 km. northeast from Srinagar and 35 km from Shitkadi Sonamarg. It can be accessed from Srinagar or Srinagar Airport^[7] 80 km by road NH 1D up to village Shitkadi from which ponies can be hired to cover an alpine trek of 35 km to reach the Krishansar Lake, which takes a complete day of trekking passing Nichnai Pass of 4100 meters above sea level. The Gadsar Lake is some 9 kilometers in the north westwards. The best time to visit the lake is from the month of June to September.

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 

References

1. Raina, HS; KK Vass (May–June 2006). "Some biological features of a freshwater fairy shrimp, Branchinecta schantzi, Mackin, 1952 in the Northwestern Himalayas, India" (PDF). J. Indian Inst. Sci. 86: 287–291. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
2. "go2kashmir, Sonmarg, sonmarg, Accommodation in Sonmarg, Hotel in Sonamarg, Sonmarg attractions,Sonmarg Travel". Go2kashmir.com. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
3. "Fishes and Fisheries in high altitude lakes, Vishansar, Gadsar, Gangabal, Krishansar". Fao.org. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
4. Petr, ed. by T. (1999). Fish and fisheries at higher altitudes : Asia. Rome: FAO. p. 72. ISBN 92-5-104309-4.
5. "Sonamarg -Vishansar - Naranag Trek". KashmirTreks.in. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
6. Majid Hussain (1998). Geography of Jammu and Kashmir. Rajesh Publications, 1998. p. 13–. ISBN 9788185891163. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
7. "Kashmir unseen". ckashmir.com. Retrieved 2012-04-20.