Roopkund
—  lake  —
Roopkund Location of Roopkund in Uttarakhand and India
Coordinates	30°15′43″N 79°43′55″E / 30.262°N 79.732°E / 30.262; 79.732Coordinates: 30°15′43″N 79°43′55″E / 30.262°N 79.732°E / 30.262; 79.732
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand
District(s)	Chamoli
Population	Nil
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 5,029 metres (16,499 ft)

Roopkund (Skeleton Lake) is a glacial lake in Uttarakhand state of India famous due to more than five hundred human skeletons found at the edge of the lake. The location is uninhabited and is located in Himalaya at an altitude of about 5,029 metres (16,499 feet).

Human Skeletons[link]

The human skeletons were rediscovered in 1942 by a Nanda Devi game reserve ranger H K Madhwal, although there are reports about these bones from late 19th century.^[1] Earlier it was believed by specialists that the people died from an epidemic, landslide or blizzard. The carbon dating from samples collected in the 1960s vaguely indicated that the people were from the 12th century to the 15th century.

In 2004, a team of Indian and European scientists visited the location to gain more information on the skeletons. The team uncovered vital clues including jewellery, skulls, bones and preserved tissue of bodies.^[2] DNA tests on the bodies revealed that there were several groups of people including a group of short people (probably local porters) and a taller group who were closely related - with DNA mutations characteristic for Kokanastha Bramins in Maharashtra.^[1] Though the numbers were not ascertained, remnants belonging to more than 500 people have been found and it is believed that even more than six hundred people perished. Radiocarbon dating of the bones at Oxford University Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit determined the time period to be AD 850 ±30 years.

After studying fractures in the skulls, the scientists in Hyderabad, Pune and London determined that the people died not of disease, but of a sudden hailstorm.^[2] The hailstones were as large as cricket balls, and with no shelter in the open Himalayas, many, or possibly all of them, perished.^[2] Furthermore, with the rarefied air and icy conditions, many bodies were well preserved. With landslides in the area, some of the bodies made their way into the lake. What is not determined was where the group was headed to. There is no historical evidence of any trade routes to Tibet in the area but Roopkund is located on an important pilgrimage route of the Nanda Devi cult with Nanda Devi Raj Jat festivities taking place approximately once every 12 years.^[1][3]

Tourism[link]

Bedni Bugyal falls on the way to Roopkund

Roopkund is a picturesque and beautiful tourist destination in the Himalayas, located near the base of two Himalayan peaks: Trisul (7120 m) and Nandghungti (6310 m). A religious festival is held at the alpine meadow of Bedni Bugyal every autumn with nearby villages participating. A larger celebration, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat, takes place once every twelve years at Roopkund. Skeleton lake is covered with ice for most of the time during the year. However, the journey to Roopkund is an enjoyable experience. All along the way, one is surrounded by mountain ranges from all sides.

There are different routes for a trek to Roopkund. Generally, trekkers and adventurers travel to Lohajung or Wan by road. From there, they climb a hillock at Wan and reach Ran ki Dhar. There is some flat area where trekkers can camp for the night. If the sky is clear, one can see Bedni Bugyal and Trisul. The next camping spot is at Bedni Bugyal, which is 12–13 km from Wan. There is a huge grazing ground for mules, horses and sheep. There are two temples and a small lake that add to the beauty of this place. One can see many Himalayan peaks from Bedni Bugyal bridge. Trekkers then go up to Bhaguwabasa, which is 10–11 km from Bedni Bugyal. The climate at Bhaguwabasa is hostile for most of the year. One gets a closer view of Trisul and other peaks higher than 5000 metres. Many waterfalls and landslides are visible on the extreme slopes of the surrounding mountains. From Bhaguwabasa, trekkers either go to Roopkund and come back or they go to Shila Samundra (Ocean of Stones) via Junargalli Col Pass, which is just above the lake, and then proceed with the trek up to Homkund.

Access[link]

Kathgodam - Ranikhet - Garur- Gwaldam - Debal (1220 m) - Bagrigad (1890 m) - Mundoli village - Lohajung pass - Wan village (2590 m) - Bedni Bugyal (3660 m) - Baghubasa - Kalu Vinayak - Roopkund

Roopkund (The mystery lake) This high altitude lake (4600m) lies in the lap of Trishul massif. A shallow lake, Roopkund has attracted attention by having human skeletal remains easily visible at its bottom. There are many theories and opinions, from purely spiritual to purely scientific ones, which explain the existence of these skeletons, which date back to 14th century AD.

Marked by typical Garhwali villages busy in their own way and the extensive meadows this trek is special.

Roopkund skeletons in Popular Culture[link]

Roopkund's skeletons were featured in a National Geographic documentary "Riddles Of The Dead: Skeleton Lake". [1]

References[link]

• Aitken, Bill. The Nanda Devi Affair, Penguin Books India, 1994. ISBN 0-14-024045-4.

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External links[link]

• Roopkund trek in detail Indiahikes.blogspot.com
• Roopkund trek blog : September 2009 All you want to know about Roopkund!
• Roopkund Trek Sep 2009 Pictures [2]
• Roopkund Experience Roopkund trek info Updated
• Roopkund Trek Pictures [3]
• Pictures from RoopKund, Bhagwabhasa, Bedni Bugyal and Ali Bugyal

Pilgrim by Gheorghe Tattarescu

A pilgrim (from the Latin peregrinus) is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system. In the spiritual literature of Christianity, the concept of pilgrim and pilgrimage may refer to the experience of life in the world (considered as a period of exile) or to the inner path of the spiritual aspirant from a state of wretchedness to a state of beatitude.

History[link]

An Indian pilgrim in Gangasagar in West Bengal, India

Pilgrims and the making of pilgrimages are common in many religions, including the faiths in ancient Egypt, Persia in the Mithraic period, India, China, and Japan. The Greek and Roman customs of consulting the gods at local oracles, such as those at Dodona or Delphi, both in Greece, are widely known. In Greece, pilgrimages could either be personal or state-sponsored.^[1]

Pilgrims at the Jordan, near Jericho, 1891

Russian Pilgrims on board S.S. Kormiloff returning from Greek Easter at Jerusalem, 1891

In the early period of Hebrew history, pilgrims traveled to Shiloh, Dan, Bethel, and eventually Jerusalem, see also Three Pilgrimage Festivals, a practice followed by other Abrahamic religions. While many religious pilgrims travel toward a specific destination, a physical location is not a necessity. One group of pilgrims in early Celtic Christianity were the Peregrinari Pro Christ, (Pilgrims for Christ), or "white martyrs". They left their homes to wander in the world.^[2] This sort of pilgrimage was an ascetic religious practice, as the pilgrim left the security of home and the clan for an unknown destination, in complete trust of Divine Providence. These travels often resulted in the founding of new abbeys and spreading Christianity among the pagan population in Britain as well as in continental Europe.

Modern era[link]

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, like many fans of Elvis Presley, visited Graceland

Orthodox pilgrim in Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine.

Many religions still espouse pilgrimage as a spiritual activity. The great Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia), is obligatory for every able Muslim. Other Islamic devotional pilgrimages, particularly to the tombs of Shia Imams or Sufi saints, are also popular across the Islamic world.

Beginning in 1894, Christian ministers under the direction of Charles Taze Russell were appointed to travel to and work with local Bible Students congregations for a few days at a time; within a few years appointments were extended internationally, formally designated as "pilgrims", and scheduled for twice-yearly, week-long visits at each local congregation.^[3][4] International Bible Students Association (IBSA) pilgrims were excellent speakers, and their local talks were typically well-publicized and well-attended.^[5] Prominent Bible Students A. H. Macmillan and J. F. Rutherford were both appointed pilgrims before they joined the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; the IBSA later adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses and renamed pilgrims as traveling overseers.^[6][7]

Pilgrims to the Shrine of the God "Subramania" in the Palni Hills Madura District, S. India, 1905

A modern phenomenon is the cultural pilgrimage, which while also about personal journey, involves a secular response. Destinations for such pilgrims can include historic sites of national or cultural importance, and can be defined as places "of cultural significance: an artist's home, the location of a pivotal event or an iconic destination."^[8] An example might be a baseball fan visiting Cooperstown, New York. Destinations for cultural pilgrims include examples such as Auschwitz concentration camp, Gettysburg Battlefield, the Ernest Hemingway House or even Disneyland.^[8] Cultural pilgrims may also travel on religious pilgrimage routes, such as the Way of St. James, with the perspective of making it a historic or architectural tour rather than a religious experience.^[9]

Secular pilgrims also exist under communist regimes. These devotional but strictly secular pilgrims visited locations such as the Mausoleum of Lenin or Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, or the Birthplace of Karl Marx. Such visits were sometimes state-sponsored.

Notable pilgrims[link]

Pope John Paul II was known as the "pilgrim pope" for his travels.

Many national and international leaders have gone on pilgrimages for both personal and political reasons.

• Bridget of Sweden
• Columba
• Egeria
• Godric of Finchale
• Ignatius of Loyola
• James, son of Zebedee
• Judah HaLevi
• Junichiro Koizumi
• Mahatma Gandhi^[10]
• Malcolm X
• Margery Kempe
• Mansa Musa
• Mustapha Kartali
• Pope John Paul II
• Ruslan Gelayev
• Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama and Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
• Piligrim
• Thomas the Apostle

See also[link]

• Pilgrimage
• Christian Pilgrimage
• The Hajj
• The Pilgrim's Progress

References[link]

Literature[link]

• Documentation, of a modern pilgrimage to Rome. Kerschbaum & Gattinger, Via Francigena. DVD. Vienna: Verlag EUROVIA, 2005. ISBN 3-200-00500-9

External links[link]

Traditional folk song about a pilgrim

Look up pilgrim in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pilgrims

• The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela Wiki
• Pilgrimages to Jerusalem Descriptions of pilgrimages to Jerusalem from the 3rd-20th centuries
• Medieval Pilgrims' Clothing Illustrations of 13th-16th century pilgrims, and links to photos of 16th century clothing made for pilgrimage