Gangotri (Hindi: गंगोत्री) is a town and a Nagar Panchayat (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi. It is on the Greater Himalayan Range, at a height of 3,415 m.
Gangotri is located at 30°59′N 78°56′E / 30.98°N 78.93°E / 30.98; 78.93.[1] It has an average elevation of 3,753 metre (12,313 feet).
Gangotri, the origin of the River Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga (Ganges) from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. Gangotri can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims than Yamunotri.
This small town is centered around a temple of the goddess Ganga, which was built by the Nepalese General, Amar Singh Thapa in the early 18th century.[2] The temple is closed on Diwali day every year and is reopened in May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village, near Harsil.
Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganges. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 18 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the river Ganges.
Bhagirathi River at Gangotri
For a large number of tourists, Gangotri town serves as the starting point of the Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan and Gangotri-Kedartal trekking routes.
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagiratha's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries.
Submerged Shivlingam
According to this legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamedha Yajna 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 Asamanja born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yagya' (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 Sagara searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagara stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, the 60,000 sons had all perished, by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagiratha, the grandson of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to please Goddess Ganga enough to cleanse the ashes of his ancestors, and liberate their souls, granting them salvation or Moksha.
Legend of Gangotri
The picturesque pilgrimage of Gangotri in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most sacred spot where Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for the first time.
According to mythology, goddess Ganga - Brahma's daughter manifested herself in the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagirath's predecessors, following his severe penance of many years. To minimize the immense impact of her fall Lord Shiva received Ganga into his matted locks. She came to be called Bhagirathi at her legendary source.
According to another legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage an Ashwamedh 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 'Yagya' 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, all the 60,000 sons 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 to the sixty thousand sons into life.
Along the right bank of Bhagirathi stands the shrine of Gangotri dedicated to the Goddess. Perched at a height of 3,042 mts., it was constructed in the early 18th century by a Gorkha Commander,Amar Singh Thapa.
The Gangotri temple is visited by roughly 3 lakh devotees annually. It opens on the auspicious day of "Akshay-Trtiya", generally in the month of April or May. By November, Gangotri is covered by snow. The temple is closed on the Diwali day every year and is reopened in April or May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village, near Harsil her winter abode (12 kms. downstream, home to the main Pandas of Gangotri).
The other places of pilgrimage are Surya Kund, Vishnu Kund and Brahma Kund located in the vicinity of Gangotri.
Gangotri is located at 30°59′N 78°56′E / 30.98°N 78.93°E / 30.98; 78.93.[1] It has an average elevation of 3,753 metre (12,313 feet).
Gangotri, the origin of the River Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga (Ganges) from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. Gangotri can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims than Yamunotri.
This small town is centered around a temple of the goddess Ganga, which was built by the Nepalese General, Amar Singh Thapa in the early 18th century.[2] The temple is closed on Diwali day every year and is reopened in May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village, near Harsil.
Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganges. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 18 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the river Ganges.
Bhagirathi River at Gangotri
For a large number of tourists, Gangotri town serves as the starting point of the Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan and Gangotri-Kedartal trekking routes.
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagiratha's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries.
Submerged Shivlingam
According to this legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamedha Yajna 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 Asamanja born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yagya' (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 Sagara searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagara stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, the 60,000 sons had all perished, by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagiratha, the grandson of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to please Goddess Ganga enough to cleanse the ashes of his ancestors, and liberate their souls, granting them salvation or Moksha.
Legend of Gangotri
The picturesque pilgrimage of Gangotri in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most sacred spot where Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for the first time.
According to mythology, goddess Ganga - Brahma's daughter manifested herself in the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagirath's predecessors, following his severe penance of many years. To minimize the immense impact of her fall Lord Shiva received Ganga into his matted locks. She came to be called Bhagirathi at her legendary source.
According to another legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage an Ashwamedh 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 'Yagya' 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, all the 60,000 sons 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 to the sixty thousand sons into life.
Along the right bank of Bhagirathi stands the shrine of Gangotri dedicated to the Goddess. Perched at a height of 3,042 mts., it was constructed in the early 18th century by a Gorkha Commander,Amar Singh Thapa.
The Gangotri temple is visited by roughly 3 lakh devotees annually. It opens on the auspicious day of "Akshay-Trtiya", generally in the month of April or May. By November, Gangotri is covered by snow. The temple is closed on the Diwali day every year and is reopened in April or May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village, near Harsil her winter abode (12 kms. downstream, home to the main Pandas of Gangotri).
The other places of pilgrimage are Surya Kund, Vishnu Kund and Brahma Kund located in the vicinity of Gangotri.
I just came back from Gangotri-Gomukh about 10 days ago.
ReplyDeleteIn 2003 April-May, when I went to Gomukh, the view was spectacular. I went very close to the Glacier, within 100 feet. Numerous 10-15 feet wide pillars of solid ice hung 80-100 feet from the Glacier. And from the gaps and holes(between the pillars), mother Ganga was dripping out. I felt it to be one of the holiest places on earth. I could relate to those giant pillars as the matted locks "Jata-Kalapa" of Maheshwara Shiva... and river Ganga flowing out of them!
Now in 2012, the glacier has receded, melted away about 500 feet to the back. The size is much smaller (1/3 of 2003). Also, Gomukh used to be milk white, made of pure rock solid ice. Now, in July 2012, its covered in a dark brown dust, which under the harsh sun is melting away very fast.