Prashar lake is situated 49 Kilometer north of Mandi town. It is situated at an average height of 2730 meters (8960 ft). Prashar Lake water is deep blue. The lake is held blest sacred to the Sage Prashar.
Background
Prashar Lake is dedicated to Maharishi (Hindi:महर्षि, English:Sage) Parashar (Hindi:पराशर), the father of Ved-Vyasa (Hindi: वेद-व्यास) and the grand-son of Maharishi Vashishtha (Hindi:वशिष्ठ). Sage Vasishth was the Religious and spiritual counselor of Lord Rama while Ved-Vyasa was the Raj Purohit of Kuru dynasty (Hindi: कुरु वंश;कौरव और पांडव), stated in Mahabharata(Hindi: महाभारत). Sage Prashar Rishi is supposed to be the narrator of first Purana, the Vishnu Purana of Hindu mythology. He also narrated many other important text scripts such as “The science of life of trees” (botany) in Hindu mythology. He meditated at the place which is names as Prashar Lake after his name. Sage Prashar meditated here for years.
History
Mythology says that this lake was formed by Pandawas(Hindi: पांडव) when they were on their way after Mahabharata was over, with deity Kamrunag(Hindi: कमरुनाग) to find best place for their teacher. Dev Kamrunag loved the isolation of this place so much that he decided to stay here for the rest of his life. On his request, Bheemsen one of the Pandava brothers formed the lake by pushing his elbow and forearm on the peak of the mountain. And that is the reason believed by locals after oval-shaped lake with depth unknown.
The Divine Calculation
According to locals and care-takers of the Prashar Lake, the lake itself represents the science of the earth. According to myth, and which looks practical at a glance of the entire lake, it consists of 79% or water and 21% of dry area which actually represents the anatomy of earth. A floating island represents the earth, which revolves on its own axis as well as move around the lake according to the season. According to priests, movement of this island to certain place has a prediction and sign in itself which is a matter of study and research. They further tell that moving of this island to absolute North corner is a sign of bad omen.
Priests further says that, they think that if the floating island is sunk it will mark as an end of life on the planet earth.
The Temple
The three storied temple was built by Raja Ban Sen of Mandi in the 13th century. The temple is capped with a roof of slate tiles and wood carvings. It looks beautiful.
How to access Prashar Lake
By Bus
The motorable road is all the way up to the lake. The bus from Mandi which reaches Prashar lake at around 11.15 and daily in the morning 7.45. The buses do not ply to Prashar Lake in peak winter when it snows and road are not in good conditions. The last HRTC bus makes an overnight stop at Suda village, between Bagi village and Prashar Lake. One could hire private taxis or travel in personal vehicle to lake.
By Motorbike
A lightweight motorcycle such as pulsar or splendor can carry two people with moderate level efforts along the bends and the curves. A heavy motorcycle such as the bullet is not recommended. It is recommended to get a petrol refill in Mandi if it is low.
Trek:
There is a 7.5 km trekkable route with starting point at Bagi village. The trek is mostly uphill through the dense forest. The trek is 16.5 kilometres from Suda village to Prashar Lake and it is moderately difficult.
Climate
Prashar has its own charm in every season of the year. The weather here is unpredictable, rain and snow might wet you any time due to the dense forest area. In winters due to heavy snowfall the lake freezes and is delight to watch. The area almost cut off from the outside world for some month. The environment is very cool.
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