Roopkund is a glacial lake located at an altitude of approximately 5.029 meters in Uttarakhand, India. When the ice melts, hundreds of human skeletons appear on the surface or float in the waters. The lake was first discovered in 1942 by a game reserve keeper, although mention of these bones dates back to the late 19th century. It was originally thought to be the remains of Japanese soldiers who made their way into the area and then died in a battle with dire weather conditions. During the Second World War, the British immediately sent a team of researchers to determine the nature of these remains.
However, after investigation, it was found that the corpses could not have belonged to Japanese soldiers, since they are already very many years old.
Some British explorers of Roopkund and many scholars have suggested that the bones belonged to General Zorovar Singh of Kashmir and his soldiers, who are said to have lost their way and died in the high Himalayas during their return from the Battle of Tibet in 1841. But radiocarbon tests on corpses in the 1960s contradicted this theory as well. Tests vaguely indicated that the skeletons could date back to any period between the 12th and 15th centuries.
This has led many historians to associate the corpses with Mohammad Tulak's unsuccessful attack on the Himalayan Garhwal. Other historians believed they were victims of an unknown epidemic. Some anthropologists have also advanced the theory of ritual suicide.
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It wasn't until 2004, when a team of European and Indian scientists traveled to the area at the initiative of the National Geographic Channel, that the horrifying truth began to come to light. Modern DNA analysis has divided the dead into two distinct physical categories - some shorter in stature and others significantly taller. The results also showed that the bodies belonged to a much earlier date. A radiocarbon study put the date around 850 AD. e.
Cracks in their skulls indicated that they all died from a fatal blow to the back of their heads. The blows were not caused by a landslide or avalanche, but were made by blunt, round objects about the size of cricket balls. The absence of damage to any other parts of the body meant that the blow was from above. The only plausible explanation for so many people receiving such similar wounds at the same time is something that fell from the sky, such as a large hail.
There is no historical evidence of any trade routes to Tibet in this area, but Roopkund is located on an important pilgrimage route for the Nanda Devi cult, with festivals taking place every 12 years. The group consisted of 500 - 600 people, most likely pilgrims.
Hikers likely descended the slopes to fetch fresh water when the weather worsened. Without refuge in the open Himalayas, many, or perhaps all of them, perished. The icy waters have preserved bodies for hundreds of years. Some of them even retained their hair and nails, as well as parts of their clothing.
It is possible that some of the pilgrims escaped death, returned back to the village and talked about what happened, since a rather interesting folklore has survived. A traditional song by Himalayan women describes a goddess so enraged by outsiders who polluted her mountain refuge that she fell death upon them, throwing "steel-hard" hailstones.