Char Dham Yatra 2023: Enjoy Gangotri And The Beautiful Landscape Around It

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Gangotri is located in Uttarakashi that lies 3750 m above ocean level in the mighty Himalayas, on the lap of Bhagirathi. Gangotri is bound to feature in your list of either Char dham or do dham package tour.

Bhagiratha Shila

While you will be thrilled to locate the Bhagirathi rock or shila which is a slab stone found near the temple of Gangotri, close to the Ganga River, you will feel enlightened to know this is where King Bhagirath is believed to have done his Tapasya to bring Goddess Ganga down to the earth. Ganga cascaded down to earth while her torrential waters washed away the ashes and sins of the ancestors of Bhagiratha by just flowing over them, in order to provide them Sadgati.

Lord Shiva absorbed the waters of Ganga in his matted locks as the force of the torrents was unstoppable. As if to prove it, a natural rock shivlinga was found in river Ganges and this area was where Lord Shiva absorbed Ganga in his tangled locks. The origin of Ganga is named as Bhagirathi.The initiating point or the origin of Ganga is Gaumukha which is 19 km away from Gangotri.

Pandava Gufa

The Pandava Gufa , an ancient natural cave, and a historical wonder, is located 1.5 km away from Gangotri. It requires about 1.5 km of trek to reach it. On their way to Kailash, after the Mahabharata war concluded, Pandavas stayed in this site for some time to meditate on Lord Shiva in order to wash away their sins incurred due to killing their kith and kin and then to reach Lord's Feet. Way to Pandava gufa is lush green, hilly and paradisical.

Kedartal

Kedartal which is at a distance of 17 km from Gangotri is Lord Shiva's contribution to the Bhagirathi River. This lake is known to be a gift of Lord Shiva to Ganga for reaching the earth promptly upon request and prayers. It was the way Lord Shiva blessed her. Kedar tal was created when the Kedar glacier melted and merged with the Kedar ganga river. Kedar Tal is an important tributary to the Bhagirathi River loocated in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. It is very justifiably called 'Lord Shiva's Lake" and located at a high altitude of 4,750 metres above sea level. This lake is very difficult to reach due to the rocky terrains and high altitude.

The fragrance and the rich landscape is such that, for a moment, you begin to wonder if Lord Shiva is sitting right up there on Kailasa peak and looking down below to see how you are doing.

Gaumukh Tapovan Trek

Situated 19 km away from Gangotri, Gaumukh is the source of Bhagirathi River which is an important tributary of the Ganges. Gomukh is situated near the base of Shivling; Gaumukh is safe to trek, and you are required to trek from Bhagirathi River to Gaumukh. Gaumukh Tapovan trek is the most popular trek and an adventure that you should not avoid. This trek also leads you to Tapovan, which is home to our ancient sadhus and saints who meditate all their way to Kailas. Gaumukh trek takes you to originating point of Ganga The trek to Gaumukh is deemed as moderately difficult by the experts.

Uttarkashi

Also known as 'Soumya Kashi' and 'Shivnagari', the Uttarkashi is home to the Vishwanath temple which has a copper trident or trishul with a 1 metre circumference. The charming town of Uttarkashi is popular amongst the adventure enthusiasts as it offers several opportunities for trekking, and adventure sports. Not only this, it is also known for a wide variety of Fir, Pine, Deodar, medicinal herbs.

Uttarkashi has several temples which you will see on the way, including those of Hanuman, Durga, Parshuram, Dattatreya, Bhairav, Annapurna, etc. You can see and experience several hot springs here as when winter approaches, it gets enveloped with snow.

Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.