True Life Tuesday: Roopkund Lake

I can only imagine how creepy this place must be. It is not something I would want to see actually.

Roopkund Lake is a high altitude glacial lake located in the Uttanakhand state of India. it is located in the Himalayas and is at 16,470 feet. The area surrounding the lake is uninhabited however it is a popular hiking location with tourists. In 1942 a forest ranger, Hari Krishan Medhwai, found many skeletons inside the lake. There were so many that many people now call it Skeleton Lake. Wooden artifacts, iron spearheads and leather slippers were also found. 

Scientists were able to recover the remains of over 300 people. The Anthropological Survey of India began a study of the skeletons in the 1950s. It was originally believed that all of these individuals were part of a mass incident that was determined not to be the case. Using carbon data testing it was found that some of the skeletons were from around 800 CE while others were from 1800 CE. The remains were also determined to be from three different regions - south Asia, southeastern Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. Many of the remains were found to have head injuries consistent with being hit by a round object from above. 

There is a growing concern about the loss of the skeletons. Tourists in the area sometimes take bones as souvenirs. (As a side note what the hell is wrong with people?). Government agencies are working on developing the area as an eco-tourism destination in order to preserve the skeletons.