I’AliT i.] 
hall: Oa He Origin of the Knmann Lakex. 
175 
This series of Tals or lakes is included in the Chhakata pargana of Kumaund 
They are by no means all of equal size or importance. They seem, however, to 
fall naturally into three classes, the members of each class having certain features 
mutually in common. So aiTanged, they would stand as follows :— 
Class I.—Naini, Bhim, Malwa. 
„ II.—Naukachia, Sat. 
,, III.—Kurpa, Dhobie, Saria, Sukha, Khoorea, &c. 
Naini Tal. —This lake, so called after a Hindu goddess, is situated about 
10 miles in from the southern slope of the hills. It lies at the bottom of a valley, 
which runs about north-west south-east, and is surrounded on all sides, except 
at the outfall on the south-east, by lofty ridges, which sei've to give an unusual 
amount of definition to the limits of the catchment area. 
The greatest length of the lake it.self is 4,703 feet, the maximum breadth 
1,518 feet,* and the elevation of the surface at high water about 6,409 feet above 
the sea. The principal peaks on the encircling ridges are Luria Kanta, 8,144 
feet; Sher-ki-danda; Ulma; China, 8,568®; Deopathar, 7,989; larpathar, 7,721. 
The China (Chcena) portion of the ridge at the head or north-west end of the 
valley is steeply scarped above, with an underclilf much concealed by talus brought 
down by landslips. It consi.sts chiefly of shales, with which there are some quart¬ 
zites, and, towards the crest, thei-e are limestones, which, so far as is clearly seen, 
may partake either of the nature of beds or veins. Passing hence round by north 
to south-east the ridge is mainly formed of shales and argillaceous schists, which 
are much contorted and broken ; but the prevailing dip is probably to south-w'est, 
the beds striking with the direction of the ridge. An obscurely seen trap-dyke 
seems to observe the same course. To these two facts, the dip of the beds and 
the existence of the rigid trap axis, the present form of the slope is, I believe, 
under the influence of subaerial denudation, to be attributed; and not to the 
“ friction of a glacier,” as has been suggested by Mr. H. Blanford (7. c.). 
It is true that there are no “ subordinate ridges and spurs,” but such is not 
uncommonly found to be the case where valleys run with the strike between hard 
beds bounding softer ones, which have been eroded to form the valleys. 
Towards the end of the ridge, overhanging the Depot, limestones, which 
are clearly seen in section to occur as irregular lenticular ma.sses, not as beds, 
become somewhat abundant. I shall have to refer to them again presently. The 
range, on the south-west of the valley of -which larpathar and Deopathar are 
the culminating peaks, is formed of massive limestones, the bedding of -ndiich 
is generally very obscure. There is also some trap, the combined rocks giving a 
very rigid and steep outline to the range, which contrasts most strikingly with that 
on the north. 
' Excepting Malwa Tal, which is just outside the boundary. 
2 These figures are taken from a small table in the N.-W. Provinces Gazetteer, Article 
“ Kumaun.” 
2 The highest point is somewhat in excess of this elevation, which is that of the peak nearest 
to the lake. 
