Gangotri

Nestling amidst deodar forests is the shrine of Gangotri, worshipped by Hindus as the source of their most sacred river Ganga. At a distance of 105 kms from the town of Uttarkashi , Gangotri is the spiritual source of the river, while its actual source is the ice cave of Gomukh , 18 kms up the Gangotri glacier. Here, Ganga is known as Bhagirathi, named after the ancient king Bhagirath who prayed to bring her down from the heavens. The other major tributary, Alaknanda, emerges from glacial waters near Badrinath and joins the Bhagirathi further down at Devprayag to become the magnificent Ganga. Considered the most sacred of all rivers, this great life-giver of India continues to be worshipped as a goddess. Bathing in her waters brings deliverance from sins committed in the present and all past births. This explains why numerous devotees have been undertaking the Gangotri pilgrimage over the years.

A Gorkha Commander Amar Singh Thapa constructed the temple in Pahari style architecture in the 18th century. The temple is located near the sacred stone where King Bhagiratha worshipped Lord Shiva. Ganga is said to have touched this stone. During winters as the area is snowbound the Goddess retreats to Mukhba 12 kms downstream from Gangotri. The shrine of Gangotri is set amidst rugged mountains and overlooks the thundering river at 3,048 metres. Made of white stone, the temple is decorated with a gilded roof crowned with a central spire. Near the temple is the Bhagirath shila , a stone slab where king Bhagirath used to meditate. On reaching the shrine, pilgrims offer prayers at the temple and go down to the main bathing ghat next to the river. Dev ghat , set amidst tall trees, is the confluence of Bhagirathi with the Kedar Ganga. At Gaurikund, magnificent waterfalls create a pool, which is reached through forest paths along the Gangotri gorge and over a rope bridge across the mighty river.

The Gangotri Temple is visited by roughly 2.5 lakh Hindus annually. It opens on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya (an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar), generally in the last week of April, when the doli (palanquin) of Goddess Ganga is brought back to Gangotri from Mukhyamath temple in Mukhba village, her winter home, located 20 kilometres downstream. The doli is accompanied by a procession and every ritual and tradition in the observance of this rite continues as it has for centuries. When the temple closes on Diwali every year, the doli is taken, with pomp and ritual, back to Mukhba, home to the main pandas of Gangotri.

The Gangotri Temple is a simple, spartan structure. The 20-feet high, white stone temple is built on a platform. In the sanctum sanctorum are placed the idols of Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. A little below this are placed idols of Laxmi, Saraswati, Annapurna, Bhagirath and Adi Shankracharya as well as Lord Shiv and Ganesh. Nearby is a small Bhairon Mandir dedicated to Lord Shiv and Bhairon. Fifteen Brahmin pujaris -- Semwal Brahmins from Mukhba -- are selected in rotation to take charge of all the functions of the temple every year. A local committee, including the tehsildar and the heads of the villages of Mukhba and Dharali as well as two sanyasis of Gangotri, manages the administration of the temple and the town.

Aarti
The spectacular aarti at this temple is held at 8 pm every evening

Getting to Gangotri
Gangotri Temple is easily accessible by road. Route is Haridwar-Rishikesh-Uttarkashi-Harsil-Dharali-Gangotri