Skip to main content

Journey to Sacred Prashar Lake at 2730 m (8560 feet) How to Reach? Road Condition, Precautions and Pictures

It is the dream of many travelers to visit sacred Prashar Lake for at least one time in life. Many people become interested in Prashar Lake after watching its pictures. 
Temple, Prashar lake, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Prashar
Prashar Lake and Temple First View

I also came to know about this beautiful lake is through its pictures only. This lake is situated at the top of a hill at a height of 2730 meters (8560 feet). This Lake is 49 KM drive from Mandi; however, the road condition is ruff towards the last 19 KMs.

The road conditions, even become worse during the rainy season or just after when the snow melts. Therefore, it is important to take all precautions to reach this place.

Prashar lake, Himachal Tourism
Prashar Lake 19 KM
The last 19 KM journey involves rough roads, steep ascent, and snow on top.

Also, the same precaution is required when you are coming down because you face a steep slope.

If you are accustomed to the difficult Himachali driving conditions, then this journey will not be difficult for you; though, you must take necessary precautions.

The road to Prashar Lake remains closed in winters and movement on it depends on the snow at top peak and around Lake.

Therefore, it is advisable to check at Mandi that the road is open to reaching Prashar Lake or not.

Prashar lake, Road, Narrow Road
Narrow Road through Snow

Road, Prashar lake
Snow around Road


I went there in a 9-year-old Maruti with five people and one child. Though, at two points I was required to the empty car to decrease load and cross few bumps.

I went to Prashar Lake in the month of March, though, some people don't believe this time ideal to visit Prashar Lake because of snow.

HPWD clears the road for vehicles in the month of February/March depending on the snow condition.

On my journey, snow started to appear in the last 8 km, though, the road was completely cleared for the movement of vehicles.

First of all, we enjoyed the snow for some time and then moved forward to Prashar lake.

In the last 15 KM of drive, I was forced to use only first and second gear because of steep ascent and bad road conditions. Therefore, the car engine was like burning just 4 KM away from Prashar lake.

This journey is not for people who don't enjoy tough roads, high mountains, or who have bad health conditions.

The daytime temperature was fine, but we were still in woolens to avoid any cold.

HP Forest Department, Prashar lake
HP Forest Department Board
Near Prashar lake, we can find two Guest Houses by Forest Department and HPWD. If you want to stay for a night in them, then you need to book them in advance.

Booking for a night stay can be only done at Mandi.










Snow, Prashar Lake
Snow around Prashar Lake
After reaching the Prashar lake, we got such feeling that we will not able to see the lake and temple because of 2 to 4-foot snow spread across the lake.

To reach the lake from the road, you need to first climb 50 to 80 feet and then descend 50 to 90feet. However, due to snow, it was very difficult to climb and two of the main paths to reach Prashar Lake were in 3-4 foot snow.

To avoid this situation, we are forced to find another way to enter Prashar Lake which was 2 KM away from the road. The local shopkeepers opened this path for the visitors and you are required to cross a small stretch of snow.

Prashar lake, First View
Me at Prashar lake
After around 60 foot climbs, I got the first glimpse of the Prashar lake for the first time and after seeing the majestic beauty of the Lake, my all pains disappear.

Inside the circle, there was not much snow and it was very easy to reach the temple and Lake.

We reached the temple and sat there for some time.





Parashar Rishi, Temple, Parashar lake
13th Century Parashar Rishi Temple
There are many stories associated with this temple. This temple was built in the 13th century and is a pagoda-like temple. As per legend, this temple was constructed by a six-month-old baby from a single Tree. Parashar Rishi mediated at the place and Prashar Lake is believed to come into existence through his meditation. Parashar Rishi is the first saint to explain how the planet acts as per Karma and he is the founder of Indian astrology.

The Priest at the temple was very nice and he allowed us inside the temple to pay obedience to Prashar Rishi. He performed a Pooja for us and gave his blessings to my son. He insisted that we should visit this place again.

Parashar Lake, Floating Island,
Mysterious Floating Island Prashar Lake
The other unique point of this Lake is its mysterious and floating island. So far, no one knows exactly why this island floats and how long it is floating. Though, someone told me that Prashar Rishi used to meditate on this island.

Parashar Rishi Temple, Floating Island, Prashar lake
Floating Island and Parashar Rishi Temple
This floating island keeps on changing its position throughout the year. In the background, you can watch the ancient Parashar Rishi and Temple complex. At this place, you get a heavenly experience that is difficult to put into words.

It is believed good to circle around the lake after visiting the temple so we did the same and got to see the lake from all sides.

Prashar lake
Prashar Lake


 To keep you safe, there is a wired boundary across the lake so that people should avoid going near it.

When you climb again from Prashar lake then you can find a four-five local restaurant where you can eat food or drink tea.

Overall, it was a great experience and I will definitely like to do it again.

Prashar lake, Top Hill
Top Hill Around Prashar lake


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Journey to Historical Shakti Devi Wooden Temple Chhatrari (Chamba) (Pictures)

Historical Shakti Devi Wooden Temple Read in Hindi My visit to Bharmour in Chamba was filled with lots of excitement and thrill because of the tough terrain and narrow roads. The most difficult drive was to reach Chhatrari to see the Historical Shakti Devi Temple. Chhatrari village is situated 40 KM from Chamba (HP) on the Chamba-Bharmour Road. I decided to visit this place on the return journey from Bharmour. The road to Chhatrari is a steep ascend and you need to be very cautious while driving on this road. However, once you reach there, it is a paradise and you find it very peaceful. The temple is situated at a distance from where the road ends and you need to travel through the village to see the temple. Front View 680 AD Historical Shakti Devi Temple Chhatrari is situated on the old by foot road to Manimahesh which is not used nowadays because of the direct road connectivity. Chhatrari village is situated at the top of a hill and you enjoy a great view of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beautiful Mahakaleshwar Pandoi Devta ji Temple at Pandoa (Shimla)

 You are aware of my road trip on the stretch Nalagrah-Ramshehr-Arki-Basantpur-Luhri -ANNI. When from Basantpur-Tatapani Road, we take a right turn on MDR 22 towards Luhri and Rampur then we follow the Satluj river continuously and get a chance to see communities living near Satluj river and in this valley. We also get a chance to see their culture and beliefs. Today, I am going to talk about the Pandoi Devta temple situated just a few meters away from this road at Pandoa village. Himachal Pradesh can be known as a place of thousands of deities; therefore, we say it the land of Gods. This temple is not visible from the road and you need to take an unpaved road that is 300 meters long to reach this temple. Pandoi Devta temple is a set of one main temple and two Kothis.  At this place, we can find the same style of Shivlinga as we find at the Ujjain; therefore, this place is also known as Mahakaleshwar Pandoi Devta ji Shahib. It is believed that this Shivlinga was created by Pan...
Post a Comment
Read more

Journey to Hill Station Paneu (Paneo) and Naag Temple (Lesser Known Gem of Hills)

 I always love to visit hilltops because they provide the ultimate beauty and adventure. My journeys to Hatu Peak Narkanda ,  Prashar Lake in Mandi , and to the ancient wooden temple of Skhati Devi in Chhatrari  are some of its examples. This time, I got a chance to visit an ancient Naag Temple situated at Paneu (Paneo) hill station where a British rest house is situated. This hill station and Naag temple are situated 7 KM away from Kungash in Anni Tehsil of Kullu. The ancient Naag Temple is situated at walking distance from the main top and gets a chance to walk through the tall (some are around 50 feet of height) deodar (Pine) Trees. The last six-kilometer road to the Paneo is not metaled and it is very narrow at some points accompanied by a steep climb. This area is predominately an apple-growing belt and we can find many apple orchids on the way.  Around the temple, we can find a small pond that gets its water from rain. The temple also resembles the famous Kamro...
Post a Comment
Read more

TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) Rooms Review (with Pictures)

Recently, I stayed in one of guest houses run by TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) in Tirumala. I did online booking for a single room under Rs 500 category from their online booking website www.ttdsevaonline.com. After reaching Tirumala, I did not get any problem in getting a room and system was very smooth so I got room allotment in just 5 minutes. Rooms under this category are average and can accommodate 2 to 5 people. In these rooms, TTD provide two beds with full bedding, two chairs and attached bathroom with Geyser. Room was clean when I entered my room; however, geyser in bathroom was not working plus pillows were not completely clean. Otherwise, it was one of best and economical arrangement available in front of people for stay in Tirumula. Rooms are available in the category of Rs 100, Rs 150, Rs 300, Rs 500 (non AC) and Rs 750, Rs 1000, Rs 3000 (AC). All these rooms can be easily booked online by visiting TTD online booking website (www.ttdsevaonline.com). People from nort...
11 comments
Read more

Journey of Beautiful Kangra Fort (Himachal Pradesh) Pictures and Video

 Read in Hindi Kangra Fort is one of the largest and famous forts present in Himachal Pradesh. The main attraction of the fort is its strategic location which gives its an advantage over the enemies for many centuries. This fort is constructed on the confluence of two rivers in such a way that it is surrounded by steep natural walls from the three sides. It is believed very few outside attackers were able to win this fort in its long history. A long history of Katoch rulers is also associated with this fort who ruled it for the longest time. It was believed that those who have the fort also have control over this area.  Today, this fort is under the archeological department of India and they have worked well to restore its damaged parts. Kangra Fort is one of the most visited places in the Kangra district after the Masroor Rock Temples . The fort is situated in old part of Kangra city which is just 4 KM away from the main town. This fort was built by the Katoch (Rajput) ruler...
Post a Comment
Read more