Famous Temples in India

GANGOTRI TEMPLE

Gangotri, Uttarakhand, India

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Goddess

Goddess Ganga is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi.

Interesting Facts

  • Gangotri is the origin of the River Ganges and one of the four sites in the Chota Char Dham.

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit the temple is Summer season. The best months to visit are May to June and September to October.

Weather

Highest - April to June (21°C during day and 19°C during night)Average - May (24°C during the day and 20°C during night)Lowest - December to February (14°C during day and 8°C during night)Monsoon season - August to October

Dress Code

  • For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
  • For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
  • Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
  • The weather is cold throughout the year. Rainfalls and snowfalls often occur there. one should wear proper winter clothes with mufflers and gloves. An umbrella is also a must to carry.

Do's & Dont's

  • Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
  • Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.
  • Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
  • Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.

transport connections

Name Distance Contact Number
Gangotri Bus Stand
1 KM 01374-222154
Dehradun Railway Station
241 KM 139
Indira Gandhi International Airport
501 KM 0124-3376000

Architecture

The architecture of Gangotri temple is quite simple and follows the Katyuri style with five small shikhars (pinnacles) of 20 feet height. The holy shrine faces east so that the first rays of sun falls on it. The temple is constructed out of white marble stone and the sanctum sanctorum is built on a raised platform. The glistening white temple of Gangotri is a humble looking and simple Hindu temple which looks like it has been constructed easily. It is a stunning contrast to its impeccably breathtaking blue-green backdrop and is extremely eye-catching due to a charm of its own. The Gurkha general Amar Singh Thapa is responsible for having built this temple in a traditional North Indian architectural style and design during the 18th century. Unlike its other counterpart temples that bear fine engravings and carvings this 20 feet high temple is simple in its making and is created entirely out of gleaming white granite. The temple is topped off with three main cupolas which bear golden spires along with a few tiny ones. Although this temple is not exquisitely or stylishly created but its significance is enough to draw people from all over the world to experience its strong sense of spirituality.

GAUMUKH AND TAPOVAN - To witness the holy birth of River Ganges at Gaumukh, one can take up a picturesque and exciting trek surrounded with peaks and soaring peaks. One can further trek to Tapovan which is about 4 km from Gaumukh. Tapovan has meadows, beautiful flowers, streams and incredible views of surrounding Himalayan Peaks such as Shivling and Bhagirathi. Tapovan is also a base camp initiating a number of mountaineering tours. Bairon Nath Temple in Bhairon Ghati.

BHAIRON NATH TEMPLE IN BHAIRON GHATI - Some 10 km downstream from Gangotri, near the point where Jadh Ganga (also called Jhanvi River) merges with Bhagirathi, lies the temple of Bhairon Nath. As per a legend, Bhairon Nath was chosen by Lord Shiva as the protector of the region. And every visit to the Gangotri temple should be followed by a visit to the temple of Bhairon. Moving about 3 km from Bhairon Ghati one can reach Lanka Chatti to witness one of the highest river bridges of the region, the bridge over River Jhanvi is quite a spectacle in its own right.

UNDERWATER SHIVLING - Jalmagna Shivling, which remains immersed in water during summer, is one of the major attractions of Gangotri. This natural Shivling located near the Gangotri Temple is visible only during the winter, when the water level goes down. It is said to be the place Lord Shiva sat on while he tied Ganga in his matted hair. Dividing it into 7 streams, Shiva saved earth from the massive force of Devi Ganga. Around 2.50 lakh Hindu pilgrims visit Gangotri temple every year. The temple opens on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya which falls in the month of May and closes down on Diwali which falls in October/November. Gangotri temple remains closed for the remaining period and the deity is worshipped at Mukhyamath Temple in Mukhba village, near Harsil.

Religious Significance

PENANCE OF BHAGIRATH - Going by the legends, it is said that King Sagara, the great grandfather of King Bhagirath slayed the demons on earth. In order to proclaim his supremacy, he decided to stage an Ashwamedha Yagna. During the yagna, a horse was supposed to be let loose to go on an uninterrupted journey across empires. In the course of events, Indra the supreme ruler feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if at all the yagna got complete. Using his celestial powers, he took away the horse and privately tied it in the ashram of Sage Kapila, who was seated in deep meditation. As soon as King Sagara's agents realized that they had lost track of the horse, King allotted his 60,000 sons the task of tracing the horse. While the king's sons were on a hunt for the lost horse, they came across the spot where Sage Kapila was meditating. They found the horse tied next to him, out of fierce anger they stormed the ashram and accused the sage for stealing the hoarse. Sage Kapila's meditation got disrupted and out of fury he turned all the 60,000 sons into ashes just with his powerful glance. He also cursed that their souls would attain Moksha, only if their ashes get washed by the holy waters of River Ganga, which was then a river, seated in heaven. It is said that Bhagirath, the grandson of King Sagara in order to free his ancestors performed rigorous penance for a 1000 long years to please Ganga to come down to the earth. Finally his efforts bore fruit and River Ganga was pleased by his devotion and was ready to descend to earth.

TALE OF RIVER GANGA - Another legendary tale states that when River Ganga agreed to descend to earth in response to Bhagirath's prayers, its intensity was such that the entire earth would have got submerged under its waters. To save the planet earth from such demolition, Lord Shiva caught River Ganga in his locks. To please Lord Shiva, Bhagirath again meditated for a very long time. On seeing Bhagirath's immense devotion, Lord Shiva being pleased released River Ganga in the form of three streams one of which came on earth and came to be known as the Bhagirathi River. As soon as Ganga's water touched the ashes of the Bhagirath's ancestors, the 60,000 sons rose from eternal rest. The stone on which Bhagirath is believed to have meditated is known as the Bhagirath Shila which is located fairly close to the Gangotri Temple.

MYTHOLOGIES BEHIND THE BIRTH OF RIVER GANGA - It is said in one of the mythological tales that Ganga, was a vivacious beautiful woman who was born out of Lord Brahma's Kamandalu (water vessel). There are two accounts of her birth. One proclaims that Lord Brahma while washing Lord Vishnu's feet had collected this water in his Kamandalu after Lord Vishnu had freed the universe from demon Bali in his rebirth as Vaman.

Another legend states that Ganga came down to earth in the form of a human and married an ancestor of the Pandavs of the Mahabharat, King Shantanu. She is believed to have yielded seven sons who were thrown into the river by her and the reasons behind this are unexplained. Her eighth child, Bheeshma, was spared due to the intervention of King Shantanu. Ganga left him. Bheeshma is the one who later played a very crucial role throughout Mahabharata, the grand epic.

History

The original Gangotri Temple was built by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa in early 18th century. In 20th century, Maharaja of Jaipur rebuilt the temple.

Temple Timings

Day Timings
All Days 06:30 AM - 02:00 PM 03:00 PM - 09:30 PM

Pooja

Gangotri Mangal Aarti
All Days
06:00
Sandhya Aarti
All Days
19:00 - 19:45
Ganga Devi Pooja
All Days

Tours










Airports

Airport Name Distance
Shamshabad 40 KM
Lorem Ipsum 12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name Distance
Secunderabad 10 KM
Nampally 12 KM
Begumpet 6 KM
Lingampally 20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name Distance
MGBS 35 KM
CBS 28 KM
kukatpally 20 KM
Lingampally 30 KM
Uppal 35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name Distance Contact Number
Private Transport 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757
Private Transport1 8 KM 9546858757

Local Transports

Transport Name Distance Contact Number
Local Transport 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757
Local Transport1 5 KM 9546858757

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Distance:25.7 KM
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  Nelang, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

The valley offers a panoramic view of the Tibetan plateau

Distance:33.1 KM
Trekking DAYARA BUGYAL TREKKING
  Dayara, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

This trek takes at an elevation of 10,000-12,500 feet

Distance:97.2 KM

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GANGOTRI TEMPLE

Gangotri, Uttarakhand, India

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