Gangotri Temple

Shrine of Goddess Ganga where the Bhagirathi flows — second Char Dham stop after Yamunotri.

दर्शन महत्व: Gaumukh glacier trek and the living belief that Ganga descended for Bhagiratha’s penance.

यात्रा का सर्वश्रेष्ठ समय: May–June, Sept–Oct

History

Gangotri on the Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi is the second Char Dham, dedicated to Goddess Ganga. The white-granite temple is associated with the 18th-century patronage of Gorkha general Amar Singh Thapa and later Garhwal kings. The actual glacial source at Gaumukh lies a trek further up the valley.

Legends

• King Bhagiratha’s tapasya brought Ganga from heaven to earth to redeem the sons of Sagara; Shiva caught her fall in his jata at this Himalayan kshetra.
• Ganga is worshipped as both river and mother — a dip here is said to wash lifetimes of papa, as at Haridwar and Kashi downstream.