Gosaikunda - a trip to remember

Gosaikunda (गोसाइँकुण्ड), also spelled Gosainkunda and Gosain Kunda is an alpine freshwater oligotrophic lake in Nepal's Langtang National Park, located at an altitude of 4,380 m (14,370 ft) in the Rasuwa District with a surface of 13.8 ha (34 acres). Together with associated lakes, the Gosaikunda Lake complex is 1,030 ha (4.0 sq mi) in size and has been designated a Ramsar site on 29 September 2007.

The lake melts and sips down to form the Trishuli River and remains frozen for six months in winter October to June. There are 108 lakes in this area, small to medium in size. The challenging Lauribina La at an altitude of 4,610 m (15,120 ft) is on its outskirts.

Gosaikunda lake is a sacred/holy lake with a religious context. It is believed that Lord Shiva, to save the Universe from a poison, drank the poison extracted from the sea and with a burning throat had to find someplace to cool himself down. So he struck his trident to release a burst of water, in a place now referred to as Trishuldhara which is the source of Gosaikunda as well as the famous river, Trishuli. In the cascade of same events, Lord Shiva is believed to have created multiple lakes, which includes the famous Bhairav Kunda and Naagkunda among others.