Gangotri

Gangotri, situated at 3,048 metres in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, is one of the holiest towns in India and the spiritual source of the River Ganges — the most sacred river in Hinduism. The Gangotri Temple, dedicated to Goddess Ganga, marks the spot where Ganga is believed to have descended to Earth at the behest of King Bhagirath, whose centuries of penance moved Lord Shiva to allow the divine river to flow through his matted locks to earth. This mythological event gives the Bhagirathi River its name — the river originating at Gaumukh Glacier that merges with the Alaknanda at Devprayag to form the Ganga.

The physical source of the Ganga is the Gaumukh Glacier, a powerful tongue of ice descending from the Gangotri Glacier at 4,255 metres. The 19km trek from Gangotri to Gaumukh through the Gangotri National Park is one of India's most spectacular wilderness journeys, passing through dense cedar forests, high-altitude meadows, and the dramatic Chirbasa and Bhojbasa campsites. The Gangotri Glacier itself is the largest in the Garhwal Himalaya and the primary source of the Bhagirathi River. For seasoned mountaineers and trekkers, the trek can be extended to Tapovan (4,463m) for stunning views of Shivling peak (6,543m) — one of the most beautiful and technically challenging mountains in India.

Gangotri forms the third stop of the traditional Char Dham circuit (after Yamunotri and Kedarnath, before Badrinath). The town comes alive during the six months the temple remains open, with pilgrims taking ritual dips in the ice-cold Bhagirathi river at Brahm Kund. The surrounding landscape is dramatic — dense forests of deodar, bhoj (birch), and rhododendron give way to stark, rocky terrain near the glacier, with glaciated peaks including Thalaysagar (6,904m), Bhagirathi peaks, and Meru (6,660m) forming a stupendous horizon. The Gangotri National Park, spanning 2,390 sq km, protects this fragile high-altitude ecosystem and requires a trekking permit for access beyond Gangotri.