Suraj Tal
| Suraj Taal Surya taal |
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|---|---|
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| Location | CB Range, Lahaul Valley, Himachal |
| Coordinates | 32°45′N 77°24′E / 32.750°N 77.400°ECoordinates: 32°45′N 77°24′E / 32.750°N 77.400°E |
| Type | High altitude Lake |
| Primary inflows | Glacier and Snow melt |
| Primary outflows | Bhaga River |
| Basin countries | Kashmir |
| Shore length1 | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 4,883 m (16,020.3 ft) |
| Frozen | During winter |
| Settlements | Patseo and Darcha (mountain hamlets) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Suraj Tal or Suraj Tal Lake also called Surya taal, is a sacred body of water, literally means the Lake of the Sun God, and lies just below the Bara-lacha-la pass (4,890m) (8 km (5.0 mi) in length) in the Lahaul and Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh state in India and is the third highest lake in India, and the 21st-highest in the world. Suraj Tal Lake is the source of Bhaga River which joins the Chandra River downstream at Tandi to form the Chandrabhaga River in Himachal Pradesh territory, and as it enters Jammu and Kashmir it is renamed as the Chenab River. The Bhaga River (a tributary of the Chandrabhaga or Chenab) originates from Surya taal. The other major tributary of the Chandrabhaga, the Chandra originates from the glacier close to the Chandra Taal lake in the Spiti district.
Suraj Tal is 65 km (40.4 mi) from Keylong, the district headquarters of the Lahaul Spiti district, a frontier district of India which is approachable by road by the National Highway NH 21, also known as the Leh-Manali Highway. The NH 21 is the vital road link for the people living in the Lahaul Spiti district. The road skirts the Suraj Tal and is just 3 km (1.9 mi) short of the Bara-lacha-la pass. It is sometimes falsely claimed to be the highest mountain road in the world (probably the true highest road is the Semo La in Tibet) but it remains inaccessible from Rohtang Pass to Leh during winter months of November to April since the pass becomes totally snowbound during this period.
The lake is fed from the glaciers and torrential nullahs (streams) originating from the Bara-lacha-la pass, which is 8 km (5.0 mi) long and is also called the "Pass with crossroads on summit" since roads from Zanskar, Ladakh, Spiti and Lahaul meet at this pass. In addition to the Suraj Tal and the Bhaga River that originates from it, Bara-lacha-la Pass is also the source of the Chandra and Yunan Rivers in the northwest and north, respectively.
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