Char Dham Yatra: Gangotri

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Next day morning we started our journey toward Gongotri around 7:30. Earlier we were planning to stay in Gangotri, but on the day in Yamunotri and our drive towards Uttarkashi it was raining. We also heard about heavy rains in Gangotri so decided not to stay there but return back to Uttarkashi.

Our first stop was at Ganganani. Where there are hotwater springs called (Rishikund). People stop here to take dip in this hotwater springs.

Here there are few shops where you can get some woollen items like shawls, socks and head scarfs etc. available at reasonable price.

You can see Ganga flowing down as you drive through the mountains. Greenish white river flowing in between the stretches of white pebbles and sand. Among other conifers you can see the Deodar trees. We collected one/two twigs as Souvenir. It has few medicinal properties and finds mention in ancient and classical literature. Deodar has religious importance; it is one of the five trees whose twigs are used as Samidha for Yagnya.

Along the way approximately 10 km from Gangotri town is Bhaironghati. There is a Bhairav Nath Temple well surrounded by dense forests at Bhairon Ghati. It is said that visiting this temple is a must.

About 3 km after Bhaironghati is another small town called Lanka Chatti, which boasts of Asia’s highest bridge over the Ganga River at an elevation of 2789 meters above the sea level. You are not allowed to stop or take any photographs on this bridge.

Unlike Yamunotri, motor-able road extends quite close to Gangotri temple. The entire area is under BSF and is well maintained.

Around one km walk from the parking takes you to Gangotri temple. There are few shops and only vegetarian restaurants on both sides of the road. From Gangnani onwards you will not find Onion and Garlic in the food.

Temple is white in colour and appears to be of modern age. It is open between 8AM-3PM. We reached there around 11:30. It was bright and sunny day. There was a long queue which could take at least 2-3 hours for darshan. We were anxious about the weather in later part of the day, we also wanted to complete darshan and roam on the river side before 3 PM. We came to know that we can buy a ticket of Rs. 500 for abhishek and can go directly inside the temple . We quickly bought a ticket and had a nice darshan of Ganga-maiya. After the darshan we visited Bhagiratha Sheela, Ganesh temple and spme other shrines in the campus and made way to the other riverside. Ganga river flows on the right side of the temple complex. There are well maintained paid toilets and changing rooms. The cans can be purchased for carrying Ganga water home. Do check the quality of the lid for leakage. We were prepared and had carried our own water bottles. There is lot of rush on the river near the temple with people taking baths and filling water. So we crossed over to the other side of the river using a foot bridge and decided to walk few metres upstream on the other side of the river. We can see snow clad mountains at the upstream end, probably Gangotri glacier. The river bed is full small and large white rocks . Water is clean, ice-cold and the Ganga flows with considerable force in her full majesty. The water keeps hitting the rocks on the side as well as in the path making it look sparking white. Water is so cold that your hands freeze even if you dip them for few seconds. We are never used to seeing such clean water in our daily lives. We drank that mystic cold water to our full. The taste of water is amazing (After returning back home, we tested the TDS of the water and it was just 20ppm)

The surroundings are mesmerizing and out of the world. The purity of the place is incredible and relatively untouched by man. We sat on the rocks as close to the water as possible with eyes open for some time and closed for some time trying to dissolve in the sanctity and uniqueness of the place. We chanted the Gangashtak stotra written by Maharshi Valmiki. I chanted Gayatri mantra. Recalled in the mind all the stories and praises about Ganga-maiyaa found in Ramyana, Mahabharat and various puranas. This is the most sacred river for Hindu’s, arising from the toe of Vishnu in Vaikuntha and received by Lord Shiva in his Jata (matted hair) and brought to the earth after doing severe penance by Bhagirath and his ancestors. Bhagiratha’s ancestors were cursed by Kapil muni and only way to liberate them was to bring the ganga from the Swarg-loka to Prithvi-Loka (earth). Three successive generations did great penance to bring Ganga to earth. Finally Bhagirath was successful. Hence the river is also called as Bhagirathi. She passes through all the three Lokas (Swarg-loka, Prithvi-Loka and Patala-Loka) so she is also called Tripathaga. She is elder daughter of Himalaya so also named as Shailasuta. While Bhagirath was taking her to the place where his ancestors (Sagarputra) were killed, her water flooded the Yagna bhoomi of Rajashree Jahnu, so he comsumed her. On Bhagiratha’s request he let her out from his ears and so is also called as Jahnavi.

From Gangotri an arduous trek of ~18km takes you to Gomukh, the origin of Ganga from Gagotri glacier. We reserved this trek for next visit and started our return journey. We had our lunch in one of the restaurant near the campus. The food was reasonable and good.

We were very lucky that whole time it was very bright, sunny with blue sky. The weather at Gangotri is very un-predictable and it can rain anytime even on a very sunny day. If you are not planning to stay then it is a good idea to start back early. There are few Ashrams and lodges are available but accommodation is basic. It was almost 3PM when we started our return journey for Uttarkashi. On the way we stopped at couple of places to take some snaps. It started raining on the way, we reached Uttarkashi around 6PM and visited Kashi-vishwanath temple and returned back to our Dharmashala.

Next day morning, we started around 7AM. We decided to go to Rishikesh via Chourangi Khal to visit Nachiketa Tal. We reached the Nachiketa Tal around 9AM. This is the place where Lord Yama (god of Death) revealed the secret of release from the birth death cycle to Nachiketa. The incident is described in Katha Upanishad

We registered at forest check-post at the foothill and paid the nominal charges of Rs 20. The trek is ~5Kms uphill. On the way there is no human presence, no mobile network, no signage or directions available so do not stray from this path. A narrow path through dense forest takes you to the top of the hill. There is a 200 mtr long lake called as Nachiketa Tal . There are many fishes in the lake, but the water is not clear as leaves and branches from the trees surrounding the lake keep falling in the waters making it muddy. The place is however extremely quiet with bird’s chirping and occasional sound of vehicle horns coming from the road far below. A family of an ascetic takes care of the lake premises. It is customary to carry some food items (tea,sugar,or rice etc.) for this family. They are very hospitable and offer you tea and tell you the story of Nachiketa and also show you around the area. Little away from the lake is open land where we saw some sheep grazing. Here is also the tunnel where the actual discourse of Yama took place. It’s a very nice place to enjoy dense vegetation and quite solitude. You can see distant snow peaked mountains all around. We roamed nearby the lake for some time and then returned back to our vehicle around 1PM. We had quick lunch in a nearby dhaba (road-side restaurant) and started our return journey.

On the way back to Rishikesh we stopped at couple of places to view the backwaters of the Tehri dam. It is the highest dam in India.

We reached back to Rishikesh around 5PM with fond memories of Ganga-maiya.

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