Gangotri 3rd best dham of shiva

dham of shiva 3rd Gangotri (abode of goddess Ganga)

Gangotri

Gangotri is the place where the river Ganga first meets India. Here is the temple of Gangotri. Ganga is also called Bhagirathi because Bhagiratha brought the Ganges to the land after doing penance. This temple is on the right bank of the river Bhagirathi. Its height is 3410 meters. This temple belongs to the Gurkha regiment of the army. Built by officer Amar Singh Thapa. This place can be seen from April to November. in other time here full of snow.It is believed that during this winter, the goddess goes to the place ‘Mukhwa’, 12 km south. The real source of the Ganga is at the place ‘Gurumukh’, 19 km north of Gangotri. The nearest railway station is Hrishikesh. 242km is the distance.

Accommodation

Tourist Resthouse, PWD Bungalow, or Forest Department Bungalow. There are also many Ashrams here. Main and nearby other places. There are two legends about this place Gangotri. Legend has it that after the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas performed two sacrifices here to appease the dead.

Jalmay Shiv Mandir

This temple is built at a height of 20 feet granite. There is a Shivlinga submerged in the river nearby. Shankar was sitting there and he wanted the river to come to his head. This Shivlinga is visible only at the beginning of winter when the water in the river is deep.

Uttarkashi

It is a religious area at an altitude of 1150 meters.it is bhagirithi river. There are Vishwanath temple, Rudra temple, Dnyaneshwar temple, Kuteri Devi temple, and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is nearby. A fair is held every Makar Sankranti. This place is 99 from Gangotri. KM distance is southwest. Kedartal is 18 km away from this place. The height of the lake here is 4425 meters. Gomukh is 18 km away from this place. The water of river Bhagirathi falls from it. This place is at a distance of 10 km from Bhairavaghati. There is a temple of Bhairavanatha. There is a dense forest on the side.

Picturesque Gangotri

The vast expanse of the Himalayas has various forms. The Himalayas in Leh-Ladakh and the Himalayas in Sikkim are completely different. As the geographical beauty of the place changes according to the department, the history of Sobtila, the standard of living of the people also changes. One such interesting and picturesque area in the Himalayas is Gangotri in the Garhwal Himalayas.

Also, Read Yamunotri 4th Best Dham Of Shiva (bloggerguest.com)

The Gangotri area, the source of the Ganga River, is the home of the Garhwali people. The main center of the Char Dham Yatra, which is considered sacred in Hinduism, is also around this area, so along with the historical and geographical importance, the Gangotri area is also religiously important. There is a temple of Mother Ganga at Gangotri at an altitude of 3042 meters above sea level. There is a road leading to the temple of Gangamate, which is religiously important and one of the four Dhams. Hence devotees throng here in large numbers.

The story of the creation of this temple is also equally interesting. Until the 17th century, the Semwal priests worshiped the flow of the Ganges. In the 18th century, when Amarsingh Thapa, the Gurkha general of the Garhwal Himalayas, visited the Gangotri area from Nepal, he built a temple of Mother Ganga at the insistence of the local priests. This temple was built on the same spot where Bhagiratha sat and performed penance to bring the Ganges to earth. This temple has special importance among Hindus. Gomukh, however, is 18 kilometers away from Gangotri and one has to trek to reach there.

The source of the Ganges is known as Gomukh, at the mouth of the Gangotri glacier. Gangotri Glacier is one of the major Himalayan glaciers and is 30 km long and 2 to 4 km wide. The density of this glacier is more than 27 cubic kilometers. The Gangotri glacier area is dynamic and constantly changing.

Now the direction of this glacier is also changing. Due to this, trekking through this glacier becomes dangerous. Gangotri glacier has to be supported to reach the base of many snow peaks in this area. However, due to changes in glaciers, the route to the base of the peaks is becoming dangerous.

Gangotri

River Ganges originating from Gomukh is known as Bhagirathi River in its early stages. Further, the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers meet at Devprayag and henceforth this river is called Ganga. Bhagirathi river bed is wide and the river flows downwards through the mountains at great speed. The nature around this river is worth experiencing. The saptatal trek here is worth the blink of an eye. Shinoli village located in this area has Panchmukhi Mahadev temple, which is the only Panchmukhi Mahadev temple in the entire state of Uttarakhand. Badrinathji, Kedarnathji, Yamunotri, and Gangotri are important Hindu temples in the area of ​​the Garhwal Himalayas.

All these temples are situated at a height, close to the mountains. These temples are closed during winter days from November to May due to heavy snowfall during winter days. Puja is performed in all these temples on Diwali and it is believed that the gods here come and stay in the lower part for the next few months.

Again on Akshaya Tritiya, these temples are officially opened for devotees. Between Diwali and Akshaya Tritiya, Kedarnathji stays at Joshi Math, Yamunotri at Kharsali, Gangotri at Mukhwa, and Badrinathji at Ukhi Math. At this place, all these gods are worshiped as usual and in summer these gods once again sit in their original place.

Nelong Valley in the Gangotri area is a tourist attraction. Nelong Valley was opened for tourism in 2015, before which the general public was not allowed to visit the area for almost 60 years. Even today, foreign nationals are not allowed to visit Nelong Valley. This area is just 40 km from the Tibetan border.

As this area is sensitive in terms of security, prior permission is required to visit it. Nelong Valley can be accessed after 20-22 km from the Indian Army post at Bhairavaghati. From the valley situated at 11,000 feet, one can see the beautiful and vast Tibetan Plateau very clearly. In ancient times, trade between Tibet and India was carried out from Gartang Gali located in this area. Traces of this trade route can still be seen here after one and a half hundred years.

I visited this ancient trade route in the last week of August this year. The ancient wooden path has now been revived at this place. Fortunately, the route was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat, a day before I reached there.

Conclusion

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