Destination
Gangotri Dham Uttarakhand
Gangotri is a glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. It is the biggest glacier in Uttarakhand and one of the country’s major glaciers. Gangotri Glacier is the origin of the River Ganga. It falls in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
Ganga is the purest river ever mentioned in Hindu religious books and mythology. In the Hindu religion, she is personified as a beautiful woman and the daughter of King Himalaya. Goddess Ganga is believed to relieve humans from their sins.
A legend says that King Bhaghirath brought the river Ganga to earth for the salvation of his ancestors. It is said that the goddess Ganga originates from the foot of Bhagwaan Vishnu and has remained in the sacred water vessel of Bhagwaan Bharma for ages. When King Bhaghirath prayed for the river Ganga to descend from heaven, Bhagwaan Shankar rested the river Ganga on his hairlocks to manage the flow of the river. Since then, the river has been worshipped as a Holy River in Hindu practices.
The holy dip in the waters of the River Ganga is recognised as the path to ultimate salvation. In Hindu religion, many after-death rituals are performed by a person’s family members in the River Ganga.
Gangotri Shrine is part of Char Dham of Uttarakhand. It is the second shrine after Yamunotri temple and is around 100 km away from Uttarkashi town. The Gangotri Dham priests are from the Semwal family.
Due to extreme weather, Gangotri Dham closes for winter in October or November every year. The opening ceremony is held on Akshaya Tritiya, which falls in April or May every year.
The holy journey of Gangotri Dham starts from Haridwar via Mussoorie and Uttarkashi. The best time to visit the Gangotri Dham is from April to November (except July and August as per monsoons).
