Gangotrī

Goddess Gaṅgā · Bhāgīrathī valley, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Gangotrī is the shrine of Goddess Gaṅgā on the Bhāgīrathī, the main headstream of the Gaṅgā. Unlike the other three, it can be reached by road. The actual glacier source, Gaumukh, lies further up the valley and needs a permit and a day’s trek.

Pilgrims bathe in the icy river, offer prayers at the white granite temple and collect Gaṅgājal to take home. Bhagīratha Śilā, the rock where the king is said to have meditated, is near the temple. In winter the goddess is taken to Mukhbā village.

Tradition says King Bhagīratha performed long penance to bring the heavenly Gaṅgā to earth so that the ashes of his ancestors, the sons of Sagara, could be freed. Gaṅgā’s fall would have shattered the earth, so Śiva caught her in his matted hair and released her gently. That is why the river here is called Bhāgīrathī.

Uttarakhand · Bhāgīrathī river · Gaumukh glacier · Gaṅgā Daśaharā

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