page_title: Suraj Tal
section_title: Bhaga Valley
hierarchical_section_title: Suraj Tal / Physical description / Bhaga Valley
caption_attribution_description: English: Clicked this picture of Deepak tal during leh ladakh bike trip in june 2018.
context_page_description: Suraj Tal or Suraj Tal Lake also called Surya taal, is a sacred body of water, literally means the Lake of the Sun God, and lies just below the Bara-lacha-la pass in the Lahaul and Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh state in India and is the third highest lake in India, and the 21st-highest in the world. Suraj Tal Lake is the source of Bhaga River which joins the Chandra River downstream at Tandi to form the Chandrabhaga River in Himachal Pradesh territory, and as it enters Jammu and Kashmir it is renamed as the Chenab River. The Bhaga River originates from Surya taal. The other major tributary of the Chandrabhaga, the Chandra originates from the glacier close to the Chandra Taal lake in the Spiti district.
context_section_description: The Bhaga Valley (Tod or Stod Valley) formed from Suraj Tal up to Tandi, the confluence point with Chandra River, is 64 km (39.8 mi) long. The valley, which is a narrow gorge, is devoid of any vegetation up to Darcha and thereafter it widens up to its confluence with Chandra River at Tandi with terraces between Darcha and Tandi which are under cultivation in the lower slopes, with the middle slopes having  grasslands. Plantation of trees and shrubs to meet fuel wood and fodder requirements have been done on the hill slopes.
caption: Small Deepak Lake en route to Suraj Tal
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