By IANS
Shimla : Devotees visiting a holy lake in Himachal Pradesh have showered the icy waters with almost a tonne of clarified butter in the last three days as part of an annual ritual.
Nestled at an altitude of 3,120 m, Saryolsar lake, about 120 km from here in the Kullu valley, is considered sacred by hill folk living nearby. So, they trek every summer to take ritual rounds of this tiny but scenic Himalayan lake.
At the end of the rounds, they pour ghee into its waters as an offering to the serpent goddess, 'burhi nagin'.
Local media reports said Tuesday that so far at least a tonne of ghee had been poured into the lake and the water had lost its crystal clarity in some parts.
"At least 10,000 devotees, mostly nearby villagers, and a few tourists had visited the lake during the three most auspicious days that ended Monday," Baghe Ram, a priest at the temple at the edge of the lake, was quoted as saying.
The stream of tourists will continue for much of this week as well, said locals.
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