Lahaul-Spiti, February 2026 — Chandratal Lake, the breathtaking “Moon Lake” of Himachal Pradesh, has long been a crown jewel for trekkers. However, beneath its serene, turquoise surface and the surrounding Himalayan peaks lies a riddle that has baffled the Indian scientific community for over two decades. What happens when the country’s top space scientists witness something that defies the laws of physics?
The ISRO Encounter: Science Meets the Unknown
On September 27, 2004, a specialized team from the Space Application Centre (SAC) and ISRO was stationed near the Samudra Tapu Glacier to study satellite data. What began as a routine research mission turned into a historic anomaly.
At dawn, a porter alerted the team to a figure descending a ridge. Standing roughly four feet tall, the object was neither human nor animal. Senior scientists, including Anil Kulkarni, observed the entity floating inches above the ground. Most baffling was its movement: it exhibited a distinct walking motion despite having no visible legs, appearing like a cylinder with balloon-like attachments.
When the team reached for their cameras, the object became “alert.” It stopped, then performed a silent, vertical ascent up a 70-degree slope—a feat impossible for any known civilian or military drone of that era.
A Sovereign Mystery
The sighting was not dismissed as a mere tall tale. The report circulated through the highest corridors of power, reaching DRDO, the Indian Army, and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
When questioned in Parliament, the Minister of State confirmed the ISRO report but admitted that neither the Army nor India’s premier labs could identify the object. To this day, the 2004 incident remains classified as a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object), with international robotic labs in the US and Germany confirming that no such “unmanned walking-flying vehicle” existed in their inventories at the time.
The Land of Peris and Pandavas
For the local residents of Lahaul-Spiti, the 2004 sighting was simply a modern chapter in a very old book. Folklore suggests Chandratal is a portal between worlds:
- The Chariot of Indra: Ancient texts claim this is where Lord Indra descended in his chariot to take Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, to heaven at the end of the Mahabharata.
- The Lake of Fairies: Locals believe that on full moon nights, Peris (fairies) descend to bathe in the lake.
- The Mermaid’s Guard: Stories persist of a “water fairy” who fell in love with a local shepherd. After he betrayed her trust, she vanished into the depths, and legends say she still reveals herself to unmarried male travelers in the moonlight.
The Modern Haunting
Since the ISRO report, “UFO tourism” has spiked. Trekkers and campers frequently report strange, silent lights gliding along the ridges at night and the unexplained disappearance of small items from their tents. Whether these are atmospheric phenomena, foreign spy craft, or something truly “other” remains a matter of intense debate.
Bottom Line
Chandratal remains a place where the air is thin and the line between reality and myth is thinner. While skeptics point to weather balloons or high-altitude optical illusions, the 2004 ISRO testimony provides a rare, documented bridge between scientific observation and Himalayan mystery. At 14,000 feet, some secrets remain buried in the ice.
