Gangotri is the place of the origin of the holy River Ganges, drawing thousands of pilgrims every year. Gangotri is the earthly throne of Goddess Ganga and is one of the four sites of the sacred Char Dham circuit. It is situated at an altitude of 3,753 m (about 12,313 ft). The ‘new-born’ river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga from Devprayag onwards, where it meets the Alaknanda River. Ganga originates at Gaumukh in the Gangotri Glacier which is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. Gangotri gives the excitement of conquering nature combined with a person’s spiritual awakening.
Gangotri is a town in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. It is approximately 300 km from Dehradun, 250 km from Rishikesh and 105 km from Uttarkashi.
Gangotri Temple, constructed in the 18th Century, is dedicated to Goddess Ganga. Near the temple is located a sacred stone where King Bhagiratha is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva. Ganga is believed to have touched earth at this spot. The temple is a beautiful 20 ft high structure made of white granite. Gaumukh is about 18 kms is the proboscis of the Gangotri Glacier and is the source of the Bhagirathi River. Pilgrims have to trek upto the sacred spot on foot or they have the option of going on ponies to take a holy dip in the ice-cold water.
The Bhavishya Badri Temple is another must visit in Gangotri. Located in the woodlands, the Bhavishya Badri stands at a distance of approximately 17 km east of Joshimath. The statue of Narasingha (the Lion headed God), an avatar of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped here. Mythically it is said that one day all the routes to the present Badrinath will be unapproachable and then Lord Badrinath will be worshipped at this place and this is why the place is called Bhavishya or Future Badri.
According to an ancient legend, Lord Shiva was very happy with King Bhagiratha’s penance and took Ganga in his matted hair before she came down to earth. This supposedly broke her pride of being a celestial river and instilled a sense of helping humanity in her. It was then negotiated that Goddess Uma or Parvati, Shiva's wife, would have her daily bath in the Ganges and only then would she descend on the earth.
The sanctified stone near the Gangotri temple denotes the place where Ganga first came down to earth. Since it was due to the efforts of Bhagiratha that Ganga came down to earth, she spiritually became his daughter. Hence the river is also called by the name of Bhagirathi (Bhagiratha’s daughter).
How To Reach
By road, one has to take NH 94 from Janaki Chati to Dharasu via Hanuman Chatti, Phool Chatti and Barkot. From Dharasu, Nh 108 leads to Gangotri via Uttarkashi. From Janaki Chatti, Gangotri is about 215 Km. Gangotri is well connected by motorable road with other major destinations of the region like Rishikesh (249 Km), Uttarkashi (100 Km) and so on.