It was evident that the bones were quite old indeed. Flesh, hair, and the bones themselves had been preserved by the dry, cold air, but no one could properly determine exactly when they were from. More than that, they had no idea what had killed over 200 people in this small valley. Many theories were put forth including an epidemic, landslide, and ritual suicide. For decades, no one was able to shed light on the mystery of Skeleton Lake.

However, a 2004 expedition to the site seems to have finally revealed the mystery of what caused those people’s deaths. The answer was stranger than anyone had guessed.

As it turns out, all the bodies date to around 850 AD. DNA evidence indicates that there were two distinct groups of people, one a family or tribe of closely related individuals, and a second smaller, shorter group of locals, likely hired as porters and guides. Rings, spears, leather shoes, and bamboo staves were found, leading experts to believe that the group was comprised of pilgrims heading through the valley with the help of the locals.

All the bodies had died in a similar way, from blows to the head. However, the short deep cracks in the skulls appeared to be the result not of weapons, but rather of something rounded. The bodies also only had wounds on their heads, and shoulders as if the blows had all come from directly above. What had killed them all, porter and pilgrim alike?

Among Himalayan women there is an ancient and traditional folk song. The lyrics describe a goddess so enraged at outsiders who defiled her mountain sanctuary that she rained death upon them by flinging hailstones “hard as iron.” After much research and consideration, the 2004 expedition came to the same conclusion. All 200 people died from a sudden and severe hailstorm.

Trapped in the valley with nowhere to hide or seek shelter, the “hard as iron” cricket ball-sized [about 23 centimeter/9 inches circumference] hailstones came by the thousands, resulting in the travelers’ bizarre sudden death. The remains lay in the lake for 1,200 years until their discovery.

Scientists have concluded that the skeletons discovered near the frozen lake belonged to pilgrims and locals who died due to hail storms. During the 2004 study of these skeletons, scientists collected bone samples and bits of preserved human tissue. They conducted DNA tests, which revealed an astonishing fact: the skeletons belonged to two distinct groups of people, as evidenced by differences in the bone features of their bodies. The skeletons were divided into two groups: family skeletons and shorter skeletons.

Were these two groups related? According to scientists, they were not. A few of these samples contain DNA that is found nowhere else in the world but only in a specific group of people from Maharashtra, while others contain DNA that has characteristics of Himalayan hill people. The researchers concluded that the deaths were caused by a fatal blow to the back of their heads, not by weapons, avalanches, or landslides. The marks on their skulls and shoulders indicated that they had been struck by something round, such as a cricket ball. The lack of injuries to other parts of the body suggested that hard round objects, possibly cricket ball-sized hailstones or ice balls had fallen from above and killed them.

According to a study published in 2019 by a team of Indian and international scientists, the remains belonged not only to Indians but also to people from Southeast Asia and faraway Greece. According to the scientists, they did not die in a single catastrophic event, but rather as a result of a series of incidents that occurred over a thousand years. Kathleen Morrison, chair of the anthropology department at the University of Pennsylvania, questions the Roopkund specimens and where their DNA indicates they originated. She claims that a Hellenic kingdom existed in the Indian subcontinent for approximately 200 years, beginning in 180 B.C. She also warns that radiocarbon dating becomes less accurate as specimens get closer to the present day, so the early-1800s date assigned to the Roopkund specimens with Mediterranean ancestry may not be completely accurate.

The Legend of King Jasdhawal

The locals believe the bones belong to royalty.  Jasdhawal, a king, embarked on a pilgrimage to Nanda Devi. He wanted to honour the goddess because he was about to be blessed with the birth of a child. While local priests warned him not to take a noisy troupe to the sacred site, he ignored their advice. During the journey, the queen gave birth to a child, and the king brought dancers and other luxuries with him. All of this enraged the goddess. She believed that this was corrupting her holy land, so she unleashed a hailstorm. The goddess was enraged by the ostentatious display of festivity and pomp and thus slew them all.

Remains of jewellery and other artefacts, as well as numerous knives and spears, have been discovered among the skeletons, giving credence to this theory. There is also a traditional folk song among Himalayan women, whose lyrics suggest that once a goddess was so enraged with outsiders who tarnished the sanctity of her mountain abode that she showed her rage by hurling hailstones at them that were “hard as iron.” These outsiders in the folk song might have been the King of Kannauj and his troupe.