Gangotri Temple, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

Gangotri Temple

Gangotri temple is one of the ancient temple of Hindu religion and the origin of holy river Bhagirathi. It was built by the Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa in 18th Century. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name “Ganga” from Devprayag where it meets Alaknanda. The origin of this holy river is at Gomukh which is 19 km trek from Gangotri. It is located in Nagar Panchayat Gangotri in District of Uttarkashi of State Uttarakhand. The best time to visit here is from May to October.

The temple is very near to Bhagirath Shila (stone - rock) where the king Bhagirath worshipped Lord Shiva. The holy water of Gangotri is carried to offer Lord Shiva in Rameshwaram (the Sothern temple of Lord Shiva). It is believed that this water soothe the throat of Lord Shiva and keep cool the burning sensation of poison. The temple is made of white granite. 

Temple Timings are as follows:

Morning – 6:15 am to 2:00 pm (IST)

Evening – 3:00 pm to 9:30 pm (IST)

The holy river Ganga is associated with the Hindu religion through all the stages of life from birth to death. It is believed that a dip in Ganga River washes away all the sins. The birth of Ganga is believed to be from the toe of Lord Vishnu and it comes on the earth through milky way on the sky and then through the JATA (entangled hair) of Lord Shiva. The temple is situated at height of 3415 meter (11204 ft) above the sea level. 

The doors of temple open on Akshay Tritiya in Vaisakh month of Hindu Calender (around last days of month April) and closes on Dipawali (in November usually)

History

The story behind the origin of the temple – There was a king Sagar who killed the demons on the earth and decided to stage Ashwamesgh Yagya. After the completion of Yagya, a horse is left free to move. The horse which was moving interrupted, was stolen by Lord Indra, the king of Devlok. He tied the horse near the ashram of Sage Kapil who was in meditation there. While searching the horse by 60000 sons of King Sagar, they thought that Sage Kapil has done this. They started insulting the Sage Kapil. In the mean time, the sage opened his eyes with anger and the sons of King Sagar perished and burnt into ashes. 

For the salvation of these souls the grandson of King Sagar named Bhagirath meditated to please the GOD Brahma. Seeing the tough and hard meditation by King Bhagirath, Brahma agreed to ask Ganga to come to the earth. Now the major issue was that who will control the huge velocity of Ganga on earth. Subsequently the King Bhagirath prayed Lord Shiva. Being pleased from the prayer, the Lord Shiva controlled the huge velocity and drift of Ganga through his entangled hair (JATA) and open one of them to flow Ganga on the earth. In this way, the sons of King Sagar got Salvation.

Other places to Visit

Gomukh: The origin of the holy river at Gomukh glacier. It is at 19km trek from Gangotri. It is a plane where you can see the nature’s beauty at it best.

Gomukh &Track route

Tapovan: This place is 6 km trek north of Gomukh here one can see the amazing view of Shivalik peak.

Tapovan

Kedar Tal: It is a beautiful natural Lake situated 18 km trek from Gangotri. There is no facility available here. So one must accompanied with food packets and other materials of daily needs.

Kedar Tal

How to Reach

The nearest airport is Dehradun 226 km away and the nearest rail head is Rishikesh. From here one can move through buses, taxi or by own car.

Where to Stay

One can stay at Gangotri where so many Dharmshala and guest house is available. If you want to visit only Gangotri, you can stay at Uttarkashi, where hotels of all budget are available. In one day journey, you may come back from Gangotri.

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