The strange story of Sangetsar Lake which was formed due to an earthquake
If you live in India, you have grown up hearing about all the legends and myths associated with different rivers in India. After all, most rivers have their unique backstory, while some are even considered pious! But apart from rivers, India also has numerous lakes spread across its landscape starting from Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir that was formed due to tectonic activity, to Odisha’s Chilka Lake, the largest saline lake in India formed by the Bay of Bengal and Lonar Lake in Maharashtra that was created due to a meteorite – the list is endless.
Well, there’s a lake in Arunachal Pradesh located in a remote region but deserves a mention nonetheless. Yes, we are talking about the Sangetsar Lake. Here is all you need to know about this waterbody.
Created by an earthquake
That’s right. The state of Arunachal Pradesh located in the Indo-Chinese border encountered a massive scale earthquake that had a magnitude of 8.6 on the Richter Scale. It is known as the 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake, a name which is quite ironical, considering the epicentre was neither in Assam nor in Tibet, but in the Mishmi Hills of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. Deemed as the strongest earthquake ever recorded on land, it not only had immense casualties but also resulted in a series of flash flood that lasted for over a month and resulted in the formation of a lake. Today, we know it as Sangetstar Lake or Shonga-tser Lake. It is situated at a whooping elevation of 3708 metres above sea level.
What’s interesting is that, the lake still has the earthquake remains (rocks, boulders, minerals, pine trees etc.) that can be seen at the site, thanks to crystal clear nature of the water. The water in turn comes from Taktsang River nearby, that is in turn a result of Takpo Shiri Glacier. The water of Sangetsar Lake flows southwest into the Nyamjang River.
Prior to 1950, the lake side used to be an open pasture where cowboys from local villages used to bring their flock for grazing. Locals who are primarily Buddhists now treat the area as a site of worship for they believe that this lake saved them from being washed away forever.
Why it is also known as Madhuri Lake?
Not many know but the 1997 Bollywood film Koyla starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles was vastly shot in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. In fact, the song “Saanson Ki Mala Pe” that had Madhuri Dixit perform an amazing dance sequence was shot largely at Sangetsar Lake. Since then, the lake got the nickname Madhuri Lake symbolising that its beauty is as breath-taking as the actor’s.
Interestingly, the lake is off limits for civilian tourists unless they obtain special permit from the Indian Army.