Dehnasar Lake

At a distance of 22 km from Barot, 20 km from Joginder Nagar, and 70 km from Mandi Bus Station, Dehnasar Lake is a high-altitude freshwater lake located in Himachal Pradesh. Situated in Barot valley, it is one of the sacred lakes in Himachal Pradesh and among the popular places of trekking as part of Mandi Tour Packages.

Lies at an altitude of 4,280 m (14,040 ft), Dehnasar Lake, or Dansar Lake is one of the highest lakes in the Dhauladhar range of Himalayas. The lake is situated on the foothills of Ghora Lotnu Peak and derives its water from melted snow. Surrounded by big rocks from all the sides, the lake has a circumference of about 800 m and lies frozen under a thick coat of snow during winters.

Like other lakes of Himalayas, it holds religious importance to people. According to the myth, goddess Parvati said to visit the lake to take a holy bath in the lake in the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, which generally falls in August or September. It is also believed that whoever preaches sun god while standing in the water gets their wishes fulfilled, so many pilgrims come to this high altitude lake just in the hope that their wishes will be fulfilled.

The trek to this holy lake starts from Luhardi or Lohardi which is about 8 km from Barot. One can reach Lohardi by his own vehicle or public transport too. This moderately difficult, 14 km, uphill trek via Polling opens after June and closes after September. It is the most commonly used and shortest route due to its steep gradient. It takes almost 7 hours to reach the lake from Lohardi. The other route that passes through Thaltukhod (34 km) is time-consuming as it is too lengthy with challenging upward slopes. The route takes a minimum of 3-5 days as you would have to cross valleys and passes like Kullu, Lag Valley, Sari Pass, etc. Shepherds are commonly seen along the trek during the pilgrimage and rare types of herbs and flowers are also witnessed by the visitors. On the other hand, the lake is also approachable through another trek that starts from the opposite side of Kullu Valley. It can take more than 6 days to complete the journey using this route.

The lake is frozen for almost nine months and the best time to visit is from July to September which is considered as the peak period when a lot of travelers and pilgrims visit this place. Temporary accommodations and tents are raised near the lake during the pilgrimage season.

Timings: 24 Hr

Entry: Free