Gangotri Dham Yatra 2022 - Gangotri Temple Information
Undoubtedly, all the tour packages to Uttaranchal actually refresh and rejuvenate your mind and body, but the spiritual tour package that has the ability to proffer complete peace of mind, rejuvenating your body, mind and spirit together is the spiritual tour packages that cover all the crucial and famous Hindu pilgrim centers of the district like Gangotri Temple and others.
The sacred shrine of Gangotri is beautifully nestled at an altitude of 3200 meters above sea level in the midst of slender glacier surrounded by Cider and Pine forest. Exploring this holy temple during a Chotta Char Dham Tour is one of the important things for the Hindu pilgrims. According to Hinduism, it is crucial for them to touch the lips of a dying Hindu with the holy water of this sacred river, which is referred as Ganga Jal, once in their lifetime.
Today, Ganga is considered to be the most sacred river for Hinduism which transcends across India to absolve the sins done by humans. This is why Gangotri Temple and its basin bear lots of importance today. Since it is the first place of origin of Ganga River, Gangotri is considered to be the most crucial and sacred place for Hindu Devotees. The Gangotri Temple is reckoned as Shri Gangotri Dham where the deity Ganga is worshipped today by pilgrims. This by-gone era temple was constructed by white granite and the height of the structure is around 20 feet that truly attracts thousands of pilgrims every year as it guarantees to offer the sacred sights of deity of power, the Holy Goddess Ganges.
So, enjoying the Gangotri Temple Yatra is truly an exceptional experience for all Hindu pilgrims and you can explore the temple during May to June and September to October every year.
History & Legends
Gangotri is the small town in Uttarakhand where the sacred Gangotri Temple is situated and it is dedicated to deity Ganga, who is considered to be the mother of all pious Hindus, and hence visited and worshipped by thousands of devotees every year.
Gangotri Temple is nestled beautifully at very high altitude and hence it is reckoned to be the highest of all temples dedicated to Mother Ganges. There is a small town surrounding the temple. The temple is located on the river banks of Bhagirathi River, which is also called as Ganga River. This mesmerizing sacred place of pilgrimage is situated on the hinterlands of Himalaya range and it is the most holy place for Hindus from where Ganges first touched the earth. This is the reason why it bears so much importance in Hinduism. Hindu mythology reveals that Goddess Ganga actually descended into earth in the form of river so as to absolve all the sins of human beings, especially the sins of King Bhagiratha’s forerunner.
Legends
In response to the serious penance and meditation of King Bhagirath, Goddess Ganga decided to descend onto earth in the form of river and according to legends she was the daughter of heaven. King Bhagirath actually performed such a severe penance so as to help his forerunners get “Moksha”. In a hope to expand the empire and to build royal supremacy, King Sagar, the grandfather of King Bhagirath performed Ashwamedha Yagya. During the Yagya the horse was set free to roam across the empires. Unfortunately, the agents of the king failed to look after the horse and hence it got lost. The 60,000 sons of King started finding the horse which they eventually located near meditating Kapil. The sons of king stormed the ashram of sage Kapil and accused him for stealing the horse. Due to disrupting the meditation of sage Kapil he got angered and hence turned all the 60,000 sons into ashes with his powerful wrathful glance. He also said that all these souls will only get moksha when their ashes will contact with the holy water of sacred river, Ganga. This is why King Bhagirath performed such a severe meditation and penance for over thousands of years to free the souls of his 60,000 uncles by pleasing Goddess Ganga to come down to the earth. Goddess Ganga got pleased and satisfied with his severe penance and hence she descended onto the earth.
According to another legend, Goddess Ganga was a beautiful young woman and was the creation of Lord Brahma’s Kamandalu, the water vessel. Actually, there were two different versions of her birth. Firstly, it is believed that Brahma washed the feet of Lord Vishnu after he made the universe free from demon Bali and collected the water in his Kamandalu. Secondly, some legends believe that Goddess Ganga came down to earth in the form of beautiful woman and got married to King Shantanu, who was ancestor of Pandavas and gave birth to seven children whom she thrown into the river in mysterious way. But, the 8th son, Bheeshma was saved by King Shantanu who played very crucial role in epic battle Mahabharata.
How to Reach at Gangotri
Gangotri is a small town surrounding the holy temple of Gangotri and it is situated at an altitude of 3048 meters above sea level in Himalaya Range of Uttarakhand. It is nestled in the northern region of Uttarkashi district and it is close to Indo-Tibetan border.
Gangotri is believed to be the most crucial Hindu Pilgrim destination and one of the Char Dhams which is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year during Dham Yatra season. It is reckoned as the mythological source from where holy river Ganga originates. It is the spot where King Bhagirath meditated and worshipped Lord Shiva and Mother Ganga to descend onto the earth. It is believed that Lord Shiva received Mother Ganga into his matted lock at Gangotri from where it is originated.
How to Reach Gangotri?
The valley of Gangotri can be visited easily by air, rail and road. There are proper public transportation facilities available that help commuters to access Gangotri during Yatra seasons.
By Air – Jolly Grant is the closest airport which is only 26 km away from actual valley of Rishikesh. From the airport public transports are available like buses, private taxis and luxury buses that will take to the tourists to the Gangotri valley by road.
By Rail – The closest rail station is at Rishikesh which is around 249 KM away from Gangotri. After reaching Rishikesh by rail, tourists can hire private taxis or luxury buses to reach Gangotri Temple. Unfortunately, Rishikesh is not well connected with express trains and there are very few trains available for Kotdwar and Rishikesh. If you want to visit Gangotri, you can take train for Haridwar for which many express and fast trains are available and Haridwar is well connected with rest of India by fastest train.
By Road – Gangotri can be easily reached by road as it is well connected by road to some of the major cities of Delhi/NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. From Delhi it is 452 KM away and from Rishikesh it is only 229 KM away by road which can be covered with one day drive only.
Road Connectivity of Gangotri
Gangotri valley is well connected to major towns and cities by road including, Janki Chatti, Hanuman Chatti, Barkot, Tehri, Chamba, Roorkee, Kotdwar, Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar. Bus services are also available round the year and special bus services are made available during Yatra seasons.
Opening and Closing Date of Gangotri
The pilgrimage trip to the most famous Gangotri Temple is considered to be the important holy temple trip according to the Hindu mythology. According to the authorities of the temple, Gangotri Temple opens during the last week of April or the first week of May when Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated.
Every year an opening ceremony is conducted before opening the gates of the temple and a special Pooja of Ganges both on river bank and inside the temple is performed by the priests. According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that Goddess Ganga retreats to Mukhwa, which is her winter dwelling.
Every year the opening and closing date of Gangotri Temple is announced by the priests of the temple. This year the Gangotri Temple will open on 3rd May, 2022 & will close like every year after the holy festival of Diwali.
Gangotri Dham in Winter
Gangotri Temple remains closed for the public during winter on Vijayadashami. This indicates that it is the beginning of the closure of Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand for winters.
During the winters, the deity of Goddess Ganga is taken to the village of Mukhba by the priests where she is worshipped by the devotees throughout the winter season, until the reopening of the shrine. The actual shrine of Goddess Ganga located at higher altitude gets closed during winter and reopen to public in the month of April-May every year because the place remains snow-banned during winters which makes it impossible for pilgrims to access the shrine.
Weather of Gangotri
Gangotri is the most famous Hindu pilgrim destination that is visited by thousands of pilgrims during their Char Dham Yatra. The best time to explore this destination is between April and November. The temperature during these months remains stable and considered to be best for visiting this destination.
Gangotri in summer – The summer season at Gangotri always remains quite cold with frequent rains in the months of May and June. The gate of the temple basically gets open during the starting of summer season because the weather remains pleasant with a maximum temperature of 20 degree Celsius during summer and nights are very cold. For sightseeing trip and pilgrimage tour the summer season is considered best.
Gangotri in Monsoons – Monsoon season in Gangotri valley basically gets started from late July and remains till end of August and during this season it becomes quite difficult for tourists to visit Gangotri as landslides occur in various regions. So, pilgrims and tourists are suggested not to visit Gangotri during Monsoons.
Gangotri in winters – At Gangotri valley, the winter seasons actually start from middle of November to April and during the winters it is quite freezing cold during day time with heavy snowfall. The temple remains closed during the winter season. This place is only visited by mountaineers and professional trekkers for their trekking expedition near Gangotri valley during winters.
Which is Best Time to Visit?
The best time when tourists and pilgrims can visit Gangotri is from April to June and September to November. During these months the Gangotri temple is kept open. The gate of temple actually gets open from last week of April and gets closed in the second week of November. Tourists and pilgrims are requested to visit the temple during these months only when they can worship and explore the attractions of the valley to the fullest.
Places to Around in Gangotri Dham
Tourists can extent their trip to Gangotri Temple in sake of exploring all the amazing places situated close to this holy pilgrim place.
The Char Dham Yatra is designed to reconcile and rejuvenate your spiritual self and moral. This tour package is meant to address the spiritual urges of the pilgrims from across the world and rejuvenate their soul and mind. Gangotri, the Hindu pilgrim town is the most important place from where the sacred River Ganges is originated and it attracts thousands of pilgrims round the year. Close to this holy temple, there are many attractions and places of tourist interest which can be visited during their Gangotri Dham tour.
Submerged Shivling
It is one of the crucial destinations to visit during your Gangotri Dham trip. This Shivling has greater significance for Hindu pilgrims because of its natural presence and it is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year during their Gangotri Dham tour. It is the natural Shivling which is worshipped by devotees and it is clearly visible only during winters when the level of river water is declining.
Gangotri Glacier
Gangotri glacier is the real source of holy river Ganges and this place is visited by thousands of devotees every year, especially during the Char Dham Yatra season. Visitors get the chance to explore the natural beauty of the place which is rare to find elsewhere. Apart from experiencing the exceptional glimpse of the natural world, the tourists also get the chance to ascertain their own inner self in the midst of this spiritual land.
Tapovan
It is basically a camping base which is located at the elevation of 4460 meters above sea-level and it is considered to be the perfect destination for trekking. It is the place where most of the adventurous activities can be enjoyed. From the peak of Tapovan tourists can even enjoy the exceptional glimpse of natural Shivling and the surrounding vegetation. Gaumukh Tapovan Trek is the one of the best adventure activity during Gangotri yatra.
Gangnani
This place is actually famous of the thermal springs and it offers the panoramic glimpse of snow capped Himalaya ranges. This destination is packed with locals and tourists during the winter months as it offers them the mesmerizing glimpse of Mother Nature from wide and far.
Gomukh
It is the most sacred place from where the holy river Ganga actually originates. This place offers calm environs to the pilgrims and devotees that make this place a sought-after destination to explore during your Gangotri Dham tour.
Pandav Gufa
This is another awe-inspiring destination to visit during your tour to Gangotri valley. This place has a sacred shrine known as Bhagirath Shila, it is the place where Bhagirath meditated. Pandav Gufa is considered to be the place where dreams come true and this is why most of the pilgrims visit this place during their visit to Gangotri Dham.
These were some of the attractions that tourists must visit during their Gangotri Dham tour and make their trip memorable to cherish for lifetime.
Hotels (Places to Stay)
Check few of the
Hotels listed below
Gangotri is one of the important parts of Char Dhams located in Uttarakhand and it is known for its religious significance. According to Hinduism, Gangotri is the place from where the sacred river Ganges is originated and Lord Shiva sat down to lock the flow of Ganga with his matted lock. This place is visited by thousands of pilgrims and tourists from across the world to worship the shrine of goddess Ganga.
So, if you are also planning to explore this sacred place in your next religious vacation then it is requested to book your place for accommodation in advance to grab the best deal possible and avoid last minute rush. This place is surrounded mesmerizing attractions which you can explore by staying at one of these hotels. There are many luxurious, cheap and budget friendly hotels located close to the Gangotri temple. However, it is important to book the best hotel deal prior to your visit to Gangotri. Some of the hotels that you may consider for accommodation during your Gangotri tour are as follow:
Hotel Mandakini
It is one of the most famous hotels and it is preferred by budget conscious tourists and pilgrims. The hotel guarantees to offer you most comfortable and convenient stay at a budget friendly rate. There are multiple luxury services that guests can enjoy during their stay. The rooms of the hotel is equipped with modern facilities like 24/7 power back-up, hot water for bathing, internet facility, luggage storage, telephone, travel assistance and dining. Moreover, the balcony of the rooms offers you panoramic views of the natural surroundings and tranquil ambiance to maintain complete privacy. Some of the attractions located close to this hotel are Maneri, Dayara Bugyal, Dodi Tal, Gangotri Temple and Vishwanath Temple.
Hotel Bhagirathi Sadan
This hotel is located in close proximity to some of the popular attractions of Gangotri valley, including Gangotri Temple, Bhagirath Shilla, Gaurikund Fall and Devghat. It is strategically situated in the midst of holy Bhagirath River, high mountain peaks and beautiful natural surroundings. Guests are warmly welcome and the hotel guarantees to offer some of the modern facilities to guests to make their stay comfortable and luxurious. Dining facility is also available within the premises of hotel. The hotel promises to offer the guests luxurious and comfortable stay at a rate that everyone can afford.
Ganga Niketan Hotel
Pilgrims and tourists who are visiting Gangotri for a religious tour may book rooms for accommodation at this budget friendly hotel. This hotel not just only offers comfortable accommodation at affordable price, but also allows the guests to explore some of the popular tourist attractions located close to this hotel, including Devghat, Gangotri Temple, Gaurikund Fall, Bhagirath Shilla etc.
GMVN Travelers Lodge
This is a budget accommodation and perfect for those pilgrims and tourists who is looking for budget friendly place to stay during your trip to Gangotri. This lodge is located in close proximity to Gangotri Temple and provide some of the basic amenities and facilities to guests to make their stay comfortable convenient.
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