Have you ever wondered about the origin of the most famous and holy river Ganga? Many of you might not be aware that the river is not named Ganga when it originates. Have you visited any temples dedicated to Goddess Ganga? You think about it. In the meantime, we will be taking you all on a day trip to the holy place called Gangotri.
In case you don’t know who we are………
We call ourselves Travel Freaks………
Okay, before taking you all on this wonderful journey to Gangotri, let’s begin with a common query…….
Table of Contents
1. What is so special about Gangotri?
Gangotri is one of the famous Char Dham, and as a result, its popularity can be understood among the Hindu Pilgrimage. Moreover, Gangotri is surrounded by the snow-capped Himalayas and the lush green environment, making it a must-visit spot, especially for travellers visiting the Garhwal Region.
In our case, it was also a must-visit spot. Now many curious souls might wonder…….
2. How are we planning to visit Gangotri?
After a fantastic trip to Yamunotri Temple, we returned by close to noon at Hanuman Chatti, where our stay was. Grabbed a quick light lunch and departed by two o’ clock.
In case you have read any of our Char Dham blogs, checkout to know our experiences. You will be able to plan your itinerary. If you have any difficulty, you can always reach out to us.
Coming back to our story, we were heading to Uttarkashi on our bus. It was close to 120 km from Hanuman Chatti, which took us five hours to reach. We will be travelling to Gangotri from Uttarkashi and returning the next day. On the way to Uttarkashi, we stopped twice to have tea. Honestly speaking, having tea with a mountain view is a heavenly feeling.
You can also opt to stay at Gangotri. There are luxury hotels, guest houses and ashrams available. We had planned to explore Uttarkashi, due to which we stayed on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri Highway. It was about seven o’ clock in the evening when we reached.
It was indeed a hectic day; in the morning, we were at Yamunotri Temple, and by late evening at Uttarkashi.
Now as you have understood how we were planning to visit Gangotri, many of you might be curious about………
3. What is the best way to reach Gangotri?
It’s a little bit challenging to answer. The answer can vary depending on your choice and the route that you are following. You have got an idea about our route.
If you wish to reach Gangotri directly by air, the nearest airport is the Dehradun Airport, i.e., Jolly Grant Airport, which is close to 250 km away. The closest railway station is Rishikesh, which is also close to 250 km. Now, you need to plan accordingly, depending on your itinerary and budget.
The most important thing to know is that you need a proper permit to visit all the Char Dham. Please click here and register yourself before planning your Char Dham Trip. Travellers can also opt for offline permission in Rishikesh.
Let’s come back to our story; soon after we checked into our hotel, we thought of exploring the local market in Uttarkashi. Unfortunately, there was light drizzle that forced us to return to our stay as we needed to stay fit for the rest of the trip.
We had an early dinner and had a good sound sleep for the next day’s trip to Gangotri.
You are now excited about………..
4. How was the journey from Uttarkashi to Gangotri?
We were to depart by sharp six o clock in the morning. As per our schedule, we were ready by 5:30. There was a light drizzle when our bus departed.
The highway was well-maintained as the distance of close to 100 km was covered in 3 hours. There were sharp turns that were common while travelling in the mountains. We would suggest our readers be careful if you have a vomiting tendency while travelling in the mountains.
We enjoyed the picturesque views while travelling, as it was difficult to capture the beauty through our camera lens.
It was close to 9:30 when we got off the bus. To our utter surprise, there was a long queue of vehicles parked along both sides of the road. It was totally shocking to see hundreds of buses parked.
We walked for close to half an hour when we could get a glimpse of the temple premises. The public washrooms were too unhygienic in that place. We would suggest our readers plan their journey as early as possible, in case you are opting for a day trip to Gangotri like us.
Your curiosity might have increased about……….
5. How was the experience at the Gangotri Temple?
After walking for almost an hour, from where we got off our bus, we reached the temple premises. There were souvenir shops on both sides of the road leading to the temple gate. We felt like visiting every shop; however, due to time constraints, we had to move faster to get inside the temple gate.
As we entered the temple gate, we could see a huge crowd queuing to enter the main temple. Honestly speaking, despite such a crowd, it was so peaceful to look at the surrounding mountains. After standing in the queue for close to half an hour, we entered the Gangotri Temple, which was dedicated to Goddess Ganga. It was a memorable experience for us.
In front of the temple, there was a huge statue of Lord Shiva. After sitting in front of the temple to witness the ambience, we thought to explore the premises and catch a glimpse of the river Ganga.
You might have noticed that in the beginning, we referred that the river is not named Ganga, where it originates; instead, it is named Bhagirathi River. At Devprayag, where River Bhagirathi meets River Alakananda, River Ganga forms.
In fact, if you are planning to visit Gangotri in the month of May and June, you may witness the Ganga Dussehra Festival. You can also opt to taste some local dishes like Kafuli (spinach-based dish), Chainsoo (lentil curry) and Bal Mithai (sweet dish)
Coming back to our story, we felt like taking a dip in the River Bhagirathi as other pilgrims were doing. As we touched the water, it was ice cold that we thought to change our plans.
On the backdrop of the River Bhagirathi, we saw a road that led to Gaumukh, the origin of river Bhagirathi. In the near future, we are planning to trek to Gaumukh.
After hearing the name of Gaumukh, you might be curious about……
6. What are the attractions in Gangotri?
Well, apart from the Gangotri Temple, you can opt to visit the Surya Kund and the Pandava Cave. It is in close proximity to the temple. We had a similar experience in the past and hence skipped it.
For adventure seekers, you can trek to the iconic Gaumukh-Tapovan Glacier. White water rafting and rock climbing are also popular in the region. Better to plan as per your taste and schedule.
For the Gaumukh-Tapovan trek, you need to have prior permission from concerned persons in Uttarkashi or Gangotri.
Let’s come back to our story; after a memorable visit to the Gangotri Temple, we returned to our bus. It was over an hour’s walk. The time was close to noon when we had our packed breakfast.
On our return journey to Uttarkashi, we were still in awe about the temple premises that we witnessed.
It was about three o clocks in the afternoon when we reached our stay at Uttarkashi. All of us were barely hungry as we had breakfast late. For the sake of having lunch, we ate a little rice, lentils and veggies. After lunch, took a rest to explore the locality of Uttarkashi in the evening.
7. How much did we explore Uttarkashi?
After a short nap after returning from Gangotri, this time, we carried umbrellas and left our stay at 4:30 in the evening. This time irrespective of the weather, we decided to explore.
Initially, we dropped a visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva. There were many small temples within the premises that were dedicated to other Gods and Goddesses. The ambience was heavenly.
As we moved out of the temple, we saw a road leading to the main marketplace. One of the locals informed us to drop a visit to the Manikarnika Ghat for the evening worshipping of the River Ganga, i.e., River Bhagirathi. We clarified before you get confused again. It took us a little over half an hour to reach the Manikarnika Ghat.
It was a great time sitting by the Ghat and immersing yourselves in the surroundings—a heavenly feeling.
One interesting thing we heard from the locals was that a mystic person named Babuji Maharaj, who they claimed could heal the sick, foresee future events, and materialize objects out of thin air, was born in Uttarkashi. It was the first time that we heard his name.
It was close to 7 o’ clock when we decided to return to our stay. While returning, we could see shops were getting closed when it was hardly 7:30 in the evening.
Moreover, we had to get a good sleep as we were to depart early the next day to continue on our journey in Char Dham.
You might now think………
8. What are the main tourist attractions in Uttarkashi apart from the ones mentioned?
Uttarkashi is the gateway for many trekking routes in the Himalayas. This is an ideal place for adventure lovers. You can also visit places such as Dodital, Dayara Bugyal, and Nachiketa Tal.
If you are a spiritual person, you can drop a visit to Kuteti Devi and Shakti Temple. There are numerous ashrams in and around Uttarkashi City.
Everything depends on your schedule, budget and, of course, your taste.
Hope you got a glimpse of Gangotri and Uttarkashi too. You can either opt for a day trip or stay at Gangotri. Many options are available.
If anyone wishes to visit Char Dham or anywhere in India or Nepal, they can explore the various itineraries available on their site. They provide affordable budget packages.
We are not signing off without this last question……..
9. What kind of help are we gonna provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will be giving you a glimpse of our journey and also helping you to plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and keep an eye out for the next destination story of Char Dham series. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau