The Ganges
is India's most sacred river. Hindus believe its waters to have flowed
eternally. It's source is said to be the summit of Mt. Meru; the mythical
mountain at the centre of the universe. From there the river descends to
earth via Lord Shiva's matted hair, which cushions it's falls. It is
worshipped by Hindu's as the goddess Ganga and the great cities of
Varanasi, Allahabad and Haridwar on it's banks are amongst the most
important pilgrim places in India. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganges to cleanse
themselves of the Marma of previous and current lives, and so ensure an
auspicious rebirth. The closest temple to the sources of Ganges lies
10,300 feet up in the small mountain village of Gangotri, half days climb
on foot from the town Rishikesh. "Gaumukh" the actual source of
the Ganges is at 13,858 feet; a further days walk ahead to where the
Gangotri glacier meets the Bhagirathi river. Prayer plags and small
shrines mark the source. A good place to meditate in solitude. Beyond the gorge where
the Jadh Ganga meets the Bhagirathi, heralding the approach of the
Gangotri temple, the narrow, Bhagirathi Ravine, dramatic and beautifully
wooded, opens out into a valley flanked by jagged snowy peaks. On
the slopes clothed with birch trees (Bhoj-patra) their trunks wrapped in a
paper like tissue used in ancient days for writing scriptures, are groups
of giant pillars of boulder clay topped by boulders. Over 20 to 30
metres (65 to 100 feet) tall they, as it were stand guard as giant sentinels
of the Valley of the Gods-Demurely at the end of this portion of
the valley stands a simple edifice to the Goddess Ganga built in the
eighteenth century, by Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa, on the same spot
near Shrikanth Parvat where Bhagirath eat and prayed for 5,500 years and
where came the Pandvas to atone for the death of their kinsmen.
Standing on pillars on the right bank of the river at a height of 3,200
metres (10,500 ft) the slopes surrounding the temple indicate the level of
the bed of the past giant glacier, while the tiny village is full of giant
deodars and conifers. Here the river flows north, giving the village
its name Gangotri - Ganga turned North.
General
Information:
Altitude
: 3,200 mt.
Climate Summer
: Cool during the day and cold at night.
Winter
: Snow-bound. Touching sub-zero.
Clothing Summer
: Light woolens.
Winter
: Very heavy woolens.
Languages
: Hindi, Garhwali and English.
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The Ganges
is India's most sacred river. Hindus believe its waters to have flowed
eternally. It's source is said to be the summit of Mt. Meru; the mythical
mountain at the centre of the universe. From there the river descends to
earth via Lord Shiva's matted hair, which cushions it's falls. It is
worshipped by Hindu's as the goddess Ganga and the great cities of
Varanasi, Allahabad and Haridwar on it's banks are amongst the most
important pilgrim places in India. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganges to cleanse
themselves of the Marma of previous and current lives, and so ensure an
auspicious rebirth. The closest temple to the sources of Ganges lies
10,300 feet up in the small mountain village of Gangotri, half days climb
on foot from the town Rishikesh. "Gaumukh" the actual source of
the Ganges is at 13,858 feet; a further days walk ahead to where the
Gangotri glacier meets the Bhagirathi river. Prayer plags and small
shrines mark the source. A good place to meditate in solitude. Beyond the gorge where
the Jadh Ganga meets the Bhagirathi, heralding the approach of the
Gangotri temple, the narrow, Bhagirathi Ravine, dramatic and beautifully
wooded, opens out into a valley flanked by jagged snowy peaks. On
the slopes clothed with birch trees (Bhoj-patra) their trunks wrapped in a
paper like tissue used in ancient days for writing scriptures, are groups
of giant pillars of boulder clay topped by boulders. Over 20 to 30
metres (65 to 100 feet) tall they, as it were stand guard as giant sentinels
of the Valley of 
the Gods-Demurely at the end of this portion of
the valley stands a simple edifice to the Goddess Ganga built in the
eighteenth century, by Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa, on the same spot
near Shrikanth Parvat where Bhagirath eat and prayed for 5,500 years and
where came the Pandvas to atone for the death of their kinsmen.
Standing on pillars on the right bank of the river at a height of 3,200
metres (10,500 ft) the slopes surrounding the temple indicate the level of
the bed of the past giant glacier, while the tiny village is full of giant
deodars and conifers. Here the river flows north, giving the village
its name Gangotri - Ganga turned North.
General
Information: