North India · Uttarakhand
Gangotri, Uttarakhand
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
Before you go
Chota Char Dham; the temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya and closes after Diwali. Gaumukh treks need a forest permit.
About Gangotri
- Mountains
- Riverside
Where it is
Gangotri is a temple town on the Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, high in the Garhwal Himalaya above 3,000 m and about 19 km below Gaumukh, the snout of the Gangotri glacier where the river rises.
History
In legend, King Bhagiratha performed penance here to bring the Ganga down from heaven, and the Bhagirathi, as the river is called here, bears his name. The white-stone temple of the goddess Ganga was built by the Gorkha general Amar Singh Thapa, whose forces held Garhwal in the early 19th century, and it has since been restored.
People
Gangotri is a seasonal settlement of priests, sadhus and pilgrim-trade families who speak Garhwali and Hindi and come up from the villages of the Bhagirathi valley. When the temple closes after Diwali, the goddess is carried down to spend the winter at Mukhba village near Harsil.
Known for
- The Gangotri Temple
- Bhagirath Shila
- The trek to Gaumukh
- Gangotri National Park
- Harsil valley
Did you know?
Although it rises at Gaumukh, the river is called the Bhagirathi until it meets the Alaknanda at Devprayag, where it becomes the Ganga.
Shrines and sites
- Gangotri Temple
- Bhagirath Shila
- Gaumukh glacier trek
- Harsil valley
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.