Gangotri Temple

The Gangotri Temple, dedicated to Goddess Ganga, sits at 3,100 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas, on the banks of the Bhagirathi river. The temple was built by Gorkha general Amar Singh Thapa in the 18th century and is dedicated to the goddess at the symbolic source of the Ganga. The actual physical source — the Gaumukh ('cow's mouth') glacier snout — lies 18 km uphill from Gangotri and requires a multi-day permitted trek. The legend attached to the site is from the Ramayana: King Bhagiratha did intense tapas here for many lifetimes to bring the Ganga down from the heavens to purify his ancestors' ashes — Shiva caught the descending river in his matted locks to break the fall, and the Bhagirathi (the upper Ganga) is named after Bhagiratha. Like the other Char Dham temples, Gangotri is closed in winter (November-April); the deity is moved to Mukhba village for the winter months. Bathing in the Bhagirathi at the Surya Kund cascade beside the temple is part of the pilgrim routine.