Sarkidhar has 7 lakes in total and most of them are dried. The name Sarkidhar translates to lakes in hills. The homestay where I was staying (RituRaj Home Stay) has a lake in the front (Sukhsar) which remains dry most of the time and only gets water during rain. There’s another lake next to Kunt Bhayog, Kalasar which is supposed to have black water (muddy, dirty water) but this lake is also dried. It’s only Kunt Bhayog which exists with water and lots of fishes.
When the host picked me up from Rewalsar in his car, he was sharing information about the place. And this lake also came on the way and he told the same that this lake never dried. Also, there is a Lord Hanuman Temple which has a giant statue of the lord. The statue can be easily spotted from a distance.
Kunt Bhayog Lake is located at 1750 meters above the sea level above Rewalsar.
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From Mahabharata to Today - The Legends Behind Lake Kunt Bhayog of Sarkidhar
So, this lake has some connections with the Mahabharata era. There’s this incident when they escape the wax house which was burnt down and came here. When Pandavas were passing through this area, Kunti felt thirsty and asked Arjuna for water. But at that time, there was no water. So he created this lake with his arrow. But the water wasn’t clean. So Bheem picked up all the stones and dirt from the lake to make it clean. Legend has it that the hill on Naina Devi Temple is located, was created from the stones of this lake.
Also, the dirty water was passed to a different area and that formed a lake (Kalasar with black water). Pandavs spent a lot of time roaming in Himachal Pradesh. They are also said to have spent some time in Shangarh and made Devta Ground, removing all the pebbles from it. That’s why it is said that there are no pebbles, stones in the ground if you dig deep. Another legend says that Bheem kicked a rock at Dhosi Hills for water.
Locals say that the water of Kunt Bhayog lake never dries. It remains filled with water all through the year, in all the seasons. The water is also used for several purposes and is supplied to nearby villages. I used to wake up early in the morning to go there and sit by the lake side. There is a bench where you can sit. I would sit here in silence, try some meditation with meditation music and fishes dancing in the lake.
So, coming back to the modern time. Now the lake is a religious place (also, since now there is a temple at the bank). The temple side entrance of the lake has a proper concrete road, which to my mind is more for the temple. There is a viewpoint on the other side of the lake. There’s a shade with four benches. Also, this part has some stairs where you can sit and relax. I even visited the lake in the evening, and sat there till dark. The village becomes peaceful during those hours with minimum noise.
