During WWII, an Indian forest ranger named Hari Kishan Madhwal made a strange discovery in a remote valley deep in the Himalayas. He came across a small glacial lake with something strange visible in its clear water at an elevation of 4,800 metres. Human skeletons littered the lake. He’d discovered the now-famous Lake Roopkund, also known as the ‘skeleton lake.’
The remains were thought to be those of a group of Japanese soldiers who attempted to infiltrate British-controlled India. The roughly 500 skeletons, however, turned out to be too old to be Japanese invaders. Various theories have been proposed over the years to explain the bones’ mysterious origins. Some speculate that the remains are those of an ancient Indian army returning from battle across the mountains. Others have speculated that the deaths were caused by an epidemic.
A severe hailstorm has been blamed as well. The story of a disrespectful group of pilgrims traveling to the nearby Hindu shrine of the mountain goddess Nanda Devi is told in a popular local folk song. The goddess is said to have hurled balls ‘as hard as iron’ at the deviants, enraged by their actions.
Some of the bones show signs of trauma, indicating that they were struck by a round object. There were no weapons discovered, but religious jewellery and clothing were. The skeletons were a mix of healthy men, women, and children, indicating that war and epidemic were unlikely. As a result, researchers concluded that the deceased were most likely South Asian pilgrims who died in the ninth century.
A recent DNA analysis of 38 skeletons revealed that they belonged to three genetically distinct groups. 23 of them had ancestors who came from present-day India. One of them was of South East Asian descent. Surprisingly, 14 of them were from the eastern Mediterranean region. The presence of a Graeco-Indo kingdom in the area between the first and second centuries BC could explain this. Carbon dating, on the other hand, determined that none of the bones are from this time period.
Those of South Asian ancestry can be traced back to a number of events between the seventh and tenth centuries, while those of Mediterranean ancestry can be traced back to a single event in the eighteenth century. The differences in timing and causes of death also indicate that the causes of death were likely diverse. It’s possible that the lake served as a makeshift graveyard, which would explain the bones’ diversity. Finally, no conclusive evidence exists to explain how the Roopkund skeletons came to be. Every year, as spring approaches, the frozen lake thaws, revealing the bones but not their origin. For the time being, Skeleton Lake’s mystery reigns supreme.
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