Skeleton Lake and the Riddle of its Dead
In 1942, high in the snowy caps of the Himalayas and five days from civilization, a forest ranger took a routine stroll on the shores of lake Roopkund.
The lake is located on one of the Himalayas’ highest peaks, so it was relatively unchartered ground. Still, the ranger didn’t expect to stumble across one of India’s most mysterious and startling discoveries; hundreds of bones and skulls - some with preserved flesh still clinging to them - scattered in the glacial hollow.
Resting for centuries in a storm-battered altitude of snowfields and unforgiving peaks, the riddle of who these skeletons belonged to has plagued scientists for years. Who were these people? Why were they in the mountains? And how did they die?
The findings at Skeleton Lake
Roopkund - Skeleton Lake - is a shallow glacial lake, with a depth of approximately two meters. It is frozen solid during the winter months, so it is only during the summer that Skeleton Lake fully reveals its macabre secret; the remains of more than three hundred people.
DNA analysis revealed that the bones belonged to both males and females of a wide age range. Due to the extreme temperatures on Trisul, the skeletons are remarkably well maintained. Some even have preserved soft tissue, hair, and nails, as well as accessories such as slippers, spearheads, wooden artifacts, and the remnants of musical instruments
Interestingly, not many weapons or trade goods could be located at Skeleton Lake, indicating that it was not on an ancient trade route. This lack of utilitarian artifacts only led to more questions around who these people were and why they were traveling this route to begin with.
Who do the skeletons belong to?
Local - as well as international - scientists have been understandably fascinated by the mystery of who these bones belonged to. Some theorized that the lake was a sacred spot where religious men committed suicide to their gods, while others debated that it was the burial grounds for unfortunate traders who lost their way. Many locals believed that it was a celebratory pilgrimage gone awry, and yet others presumed that it was a pragmatic spot to bury the victims of an illness to avoid contagion.
These theories led to a range of assumptions regarding who the skeletons belonged to in the more than half-century since they were discovered.
Initially, British officials residing in India believed that the skeletons belonged to Japanese soldiers that died while attempting a secret invasion. Another similar theory suggested that the bodies were those of Indian soldiers who died while attempting to invade Tibet in 1841. However, both of these concepts were quickly ruled out due to the age of the skeletons, as radiocarbon dating placed them to be from approximately 850 CE.
However, a more recent analysis of the remains found them to be from strikingly different eras (potentially as much as one thousand years apart) and from different genetic groups; Mediterranean, south-Asian, and south-east Asian.
In fact, one larger group of skeletons appears to be of South Asian ancestry dating to approximately 800 AD. The other skeletons found, dating from around 1800 AD, seem to be of Greek or Cretan origin. Unfortunately, it's still unknown how these migrants from the Mediterranean died in this remote location.
How did these people die?
The locals surrounding the area of Roopkund have their own beliefs and legends concerning how those buried underneath the lake died. According to their theories, the King of Kannauj - Raja Jasdhaval - and his pregnant wife were taking a pilgrimage to the goddess Nanda Devi’s shrine to honor the birth of their child. There was a festive atmosphere to their group; musicians, dancers, servants, and other people of high stature joined them to celebrate the impending birth. While they journeyed, they sang, danced, and feasted.
Yet the pilgrimage was considered to be a religious and respected one, and the group were technically not honoring its sanctity.
In response to their disrespect, Latu - the adopted brother of Nanda Devi - furiously sent a hailstorm to the group. The celebrants were assaulted with chunks of ice as large as cricket balls that killed whoever they struck. Some scientists believe that the skeletons might actually be the result of such a pilgrimage, which would account for the number of people traveling in such a precarious area, as well as the musical instruments, and the victim’s variation in age. However, further research revealed that pilgrimages in this area didn’t start happening until the late 19th Century - therefore, the remains are potentially too old.
The popular local Cemetary Theory assumed that the dead were victims of an illness and, thus, were buried high in the mountains. However, genetic studies of the remains couldn’t find any evidence to support the presence of illness or disease. The Cemetary Theory is still recounted in popular folk songs, where locals also sing about how Nanda Devi conjured a hail storm “as hard as iron.”
Startlingly, studies of the remains conducted in the 1950s determined that many of the skeletons displayed head injuries, apparently caused by objects from above. This lead the researchers to determine that the common cause of death was a heavy and sudden hailstorm, from which the victims were unable to find shelter. This finding backs up the legends which focus on hailstorms being the main cause of death, although perhaps not the myths around them.
As is clear from these accounts, as well as the genetic diversity of the remains and the time difference between their deaths, there is no one clear cause of death for the people buried at Roopkund lake. Although how these people died still remains a mystery, it is confidently believed that it cannot be attributable to one specific cause.
Conclusion
Roopkund is held in considerably high regard by locals; every twelve years, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat festival is held there to honor the Goddess Nanda. Unfortunately, due to the heavy tourist interest in the area, there is growing concern about the diminishing number of skeletons as people have been found taking bones with them as macabre souvenirs after they visit. The worrying fact here is that if steps are not taken to preserve this fascinating historical site, then the mystery of Skeleton Lake will be lost in time.
Would you like to know if you could have a DNA connection to one of the populations found at Skeleton Lake? Take our free DNA analysis to find out!
