Srinagar, Dec. 5 -- I return to Manasbal the way people return to a story that refuses to settle. Kashmir travel guide

The lake has followed me through childhood and adulthood, appearing in moments when I least expect it.

I see it first through memory, then through the window of the car as Safapora approaches.

The road winds past small shops and willow groves, until the hills open and the lake comes into view. It lies there with a calm that feels almost deliberate, as if it knows how long people have been watching.

Manasbal is often called the deepest lake in Kashmir. The phrase sounds like a statistic, though once you stand beside it the depth feels emotional.

The lake's surface holds a stillness that feels as if it has been thin...