GANGOTRI

GANGOTRI

The picturesque   pilgrimage in the  hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most   sacred   spot where Ganga,  the stream of life, touched earth fro the first  time. According to mythology,  Goddess  Ganga, the daughter of heaven,  manifested herself in the form a river  to  absolve the sins of king Bhagirath's  predecessors, following his   severe  penance of 5500 years. Lord  Shiva  received  into  his   matted  locks  to  minimize the impact of  her fall. The river itself  begins  at   Gangotri  which   literally means  Ganga  Uttari or  Ganga  descending   She  came to  be called Bhagirathi  at  her   legendary source. The Shrine of  Gangotri   situated at an elevation of 3200 m above sea level amidst captivating surroundings along the right bank of Bhagirathi is 100  km from Uttarkashi. The Shrine of Gangotri opens during the last week of April  or  the first week of May, on the auspicious day od Akshaya Tritiya. The temple was constructed in the early 18th century by a Gorkha Commander Amar Sigh Thapa. The existing temple is said to be the one reconstructed by the Jaipur dynasty. Every year thousands of pilgrims through the sacred shrine between May & October. The Pujaris & Brahmins are from the village of Mukhwa. The water from Gangotri is carried to offer to Lord Shiva. It is believed that this water has amrit (nectar) in it and will soothe the throat of Shiva who gulp the poison.

           

According to mythology King Sagar after slaying the demons on earth staged an Aswamedh Yagna to proclaim his supremacy. The King's 60,000 sons born of Queen Sumati and one son Asamanjas of Queen Kesani were to accompany the horse. Lord Indra fearing loss of his supremacy stole the horse and tied it to the ashram of ancient sage Kapil who was then deep into meditation. On their search for horse, the 60,000 sons stormed the ashram of Kapil and just before the attack on him the sage opened his eyes and reduced all the 60,000 sons of King Sagar except Asamanjas to ashes. King Sagar's grandson Anshuman was successful in recovering the horse from Kapil and was told that those 60,000 burnt will attain heavenly adobe if Ganga is brought down from heaven & their ashes were cleaned by its water. Then the great task of bringing Ganga to earth started. Anshuman failed and so did his son Dilip but his grandson Bhagirath succeeded

Special Puja of Ganga both inside the temple as well as on the river bank. The temple's closes on the day of Diwali followed by a formal closing ceremony amidst a row  of oil lamps. It is believed that the Goddess retreats to Mukhwa, her winter abode (12 km downstream)

Gangotri Temple: As the legend goes, King Bhagirath used to worship Lord Shiva at the sacred stone, near which this 18th century temple is located. The slab on which King Bhagirath is believed to have meditated is called Bhagirathi Shila. The mother Ganga is worshipped as Goddess and the holy river in the temple. Before performing the Puja rituals, a holy dip in the Ganga flowing nearby the temple is a must. The Pujari's (priest) belong to Brahmin community from Mukhwa village. Ten of them are selected by rotation every year to perform all the functions covering the temple and they also perform the duties of pandas. 

1. Submerged Shivling

2. Kedar Ganga Sangam

3. Kedar Tal

4. Dayara Bugyal

5. Sat-Ta

6. Gaumukh