Gangotri
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Gangotri.JPG Gangotri is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi, in the Indian state of Uttaranchal. It is on the Greater Himalayan Range, at a height of 10,100 ft.
This small town is centered around a temple of the goddess Ganga, which was built by the Gurkha General Amar Singh Thapa in the 18th century. It is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The Gangotri temple can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims than Yamunotri.
Several guesthouses and restaurants in the town serves the pilgrim community. Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganga. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 17 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the Ganga.
The temple is closed on the Diwali day every year and is reopened in May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village, near Harsil
For a large number tourists, Gangotri town serves as the starting point of the Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan and Gangotri-Kedartal trekking routes.
Gangotri is also the name of a series of 3 mountain peaks around 6,600 m AMSL in the region between the Gangotri Glacier and the Khatling Glacier in Uttaranchal, India.