Gangotri Temple

Significance

Gangotri is one of the four Chota Char Dham and the seat of the goddess Ganga. It stands at about 3,200 metres on the Bhagirathi river, which rises from the Gangotri Glacier; after it meets the Alaknanda at Devprayag, the river is called the Ganga.

History and legend

Legend holds that King Bhagiratha did penance here so that Ganga would descend to earth and free the souls of his ancestors, and that Shiva caught the mighty river in his matted hair to soften her fall. A stone near the river marks where Bhagiratha is said to have meditated.

Hindus believe that ancestral rites performed on the banks of the Bhagirathi here free the spirit of the departed from the cycle of rebirth.

Before you go

• Register for the yatra before you travel; registration is checked on the route.
• The temple closes at Diwali and reopens on Akshaya Tritiya.
• Gaumukh, the snout of the Gangotri Glacier, is a long trek beyond the town and needs a permit.
• Nights are cold even in summer; carry warm layers.