Gangotri - Char Dham Yatra, Uttaranchal

Gangotri Temple

The holy shrine of Gangotri (3,140 m) situated in the high Himalayas, is dedicated to goddess Ganga. According to legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamegh Yagya as a proclamation of his supremacy. The horse which was to be taken on an uninterrupted journey around the earth was to be accompanied by the King's 60,000 sons born to Queen Sumati and one son Asmanjas born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yogya' (worship with fire) succeeded and then took away the horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil, who was then in deep meditation. The sons of the King Sagar searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagar stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, 60,000 sons had perished by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagirath, grand son of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to bring down the Ganga which brought back sixty thousand sons into life. The Bhagirathi, 'Shila' is located near the temple of Ganga where the holy Ganga first descended on earth trom heaven. Hence the place is known as Gangotri. The temple of Bhagirathi was erected by the Gorkha General, Amar Singh Thapa in 18th Century at the source of Ganga.

The other places of pilgrimage are Surya Kund, Vishnu Kund and Brahma Kund located in the vicinity of Gangotri. Bhaironghati (2743 m) is a halting place if one wants to reach upto the height of Gangotri. Gangotri glaciers (4238.6 m) starts trom Chaukhamba cluster of snowpeak and extends upto Gaumukh which is connected by a track trom Gangotri. Whether one believes in these legends or not, the properties of Ganga water are well known all over the world. The water of Ganga contains no impurities and remains uncontaminated even after being kept over several years. Scientists attribute this to secretion of herbs, geologists to its mineral content and the Hindus to its holiness.