The Krishansar Lake or Krishan Sar () is an alpine high elevation oligotrophic lake situated, near Ganderbal- Sonamarg, in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

at an elevation of . It is located less than one kilometer northwest of

Vishansar Lake The Vishansar Lake also known as Vishan Sar () is an alpine, high-elevation Trophic state index, oligotrophic lake, located near Ganderbal town and Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, Ind ...

, and has a maximum length of 0.95 km and maximum width of 0.6 km.

Etymology, geography

Krishansar in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and Kashmiri means ''the lake of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

.'' It is home to many types of fishes among of which is the

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

. 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. The Krishansar Lake is adjacent to

, 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 just north of the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

. It is mostly fed by melting of snow and

glaciers A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

. It drains out through a small stream which falls into the

and gives rise to Kishanganga River.

Access

The Krishansar Lake is situated 115 km. northeast from

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

and 35 km from Shitkadi Sonamarg. It can be accessed from Srinagar or Srinagar Airport 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

File:Krishansar10.jpg, File:Krishansar11.jpg, File:Krishansar12.jpg, File:Krishansar13.jpg,

References

{{Hydrography of Jammu and Kashmir Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir Geography of Ganderbal district Tourist attractions in Ganderbal district