The cluster of seven lakes known as Sahasratal, near the Khatling glacier. As high as 4,572 meters (14,950 feet), these secluded water bodies are the center of an annual pilgrimage for nearby villagers, who take their ritual dip in the freezing waters. The fortunate are rewarded by the sighting of the Bramhakamal - the exotic Himalayan Lotus - by the water's brink. Perhaps the most mysterious, and the least accessible, is Roopkund (4,778 meters, or 15,624 feet). Only about 150 meters in circumference and quite shallow, this glacial pool thaws during the summer for few weeks. What draws most people to the high-altitude location is not just the trek through the picturesque meadows but it's grisly past.