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Nepal JyotishTraditional Science
Water Names

Surmasarovar

The story of how the lake where Queen Surma performed penance after abandoning the leprous Shiva became Surmasarovar.

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Surmasarovar

Lord Shiva's youngest queen, Surma, was exceedingly beautiful, delicate, and fond of cleanliness by nature. The moment she saw foul smells or filth she would wrinkle her nose. Seeing Shiva's special affection for his youngest queen, the other co-wives were jealous and envious of Surma.

Once, to test his queen's devotion and the sincerity of her heart, Shiva made his body that of a terrible leper. Seeing the festering sores, pus and stench all over the body, Surma could not bear it, and turning away in disgust, she kept her distance.

The other co-wives seized upon this very weakness of Surma and carried tales to Shiva. Out of self-reproach and detachment, Surma abandoned the palace and, in the guise of a Tharu woman, set off towards a lonely Himalayan mountain.

As she walked on, she came to a charming lake nestled in the lap of a Himalayan peak at Bajhang in the far west. As she stepped down to the shore of the lake, her foot slipped and she rolled over, and that spot came to be called 'Lotani'.

Sitting on the shore of that lovely lake, Surma repented of her mistake and performed severe penance, attaining samadhi and liberation. That sacred Himalayan lake, where Queen Surma performed penance and attained immortality, is today called 'Surmasarovar'.

Note: These are traditional Nepali folk tales (kimbadanti), passed down orally through generations. They may or may not reflect actual historical events, but they are told and believed as part of Nepal's cultural heritage.

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