Renuka Ji is a place in Sirmaur District of Himachal Pradesh. It is about 390 kms from Delhi. The place has one of the largest lakes in Entire Himachal. Renukaji was name of Mother of Lord Parasuram. She was the wife of Rishi Jamdagni. It is also the birth place of Lord Parasuram. The place is holy and has history which goes back to the time of Puranas. Every year on Prabhodini Ekadashi a 5 day fair is organised. The lake is itself known by the name of Renuka Ji as is believed that she lives in the lake. I am not covering detailed history here. The same be read from the below link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renuka_Lake

The water of lake is considered sacred. I will cover the place in pictures with some details as the same is beautiful. It is a peaceful place well connected by road and few days can be spent here. The place is pure vegetarian as is holy. It also has temple of Mother Renuka and Lord Parasuram. There is another small adjoining lake which is named as Parasuram Sarovar.

Parasuram Sarovar
Parasuram Sarovar

I had visited the place with my family and enjoyed some peaceful moments here.

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Lake Renuka Ji
The temple Complex
The temple Complex
Locals
Locals

There are two set of temple complex here. One is in front of Parasuram Sarovar, which houses temples of Renuka Ji, Lord Parasuram and another one is besides Renuka Lake. You can enjoy daily evening Aarti here.

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Temple Complex besides Lake Renukaji

Stay Options

There are very limited stay options here. The best one is the Himachal Tourism hotel, right in front of Lake. The hotel is also named after Mother Renukaji. The view from the balcony of the rooms is amazing. The above photograph has been taken from the hotel only. The hotel is not well maintained and service is very slow, but manageable because of its location and stunning views. There are few private resorts which are a bit far away from the local.

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Hotel Renuka
Another view of hotel....
Another view of hotel….

There is nothing much to do here. You can take a morning and evening walk around the lake. The total distance is close to 2 kms. In the mid way you will encounter a small zoo, housing few deer, lions, a leopard and few sloth beers. The view of the lake while walking are stunning. You can enjoy boating in the lake. But wearing shoes is not allowed as the lake is sacred. Another interesting activity that one can do is feeding fish and turtles. The marine life of lake is very rich and there are plenty of cat fish and big fresh water turtles here. Catching fish is strictly prohibited. You will find plenty of small shops selling fish feeds, which you can buy. Beware of monkeys, they are plenty in number and they will snatch any eatable from you hand before you even notice.

Rhesus Macaques
Rhesus Macaques
The walking Path
The walking Path
View while Walking
View while Walking
Lions
Lions
Lion
Lion
Sloth Beer
Sloth Beer
Leopard
Leopard
A big Turtle
A big Turtle
Fish jumping to catch flour balls
Fish jumping to catch flour balls
Local Shop
Local Shop
Local Shop selling Feeds for Fish
Local Shop selling Feeds for Fish
Boating in the lake
Boating in the lake
Fish
Fish
Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish

There is a special place that needs a mention here. While walking around the lake we encountered a small place where water was coming from the mountain. This is called Sahastra Dhara (Thousand Fold Spring) and is considered sacred. It is also called Renuka Mothers Milk. It has mention in Puranas also. It is believed that any one who takes this water along with enjoys every pleasure of life.

Sahastra Dhara - The sacred Water
Sahastra Dhara – The sacred Water

Route

Delhi – Panipat – Karnal – Kurukshetra – Shahbad – Nahan – Renuka Ji