Yamunotri Temple

The Yamunotri Temple sits at 3,293 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas at the symbolic source of the Yamuna river — though the actual physical source, the Yamunotri glacier (Champasar), is another 1 km uphill from the temple. The temple was originally built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century; it has been damaged by avalanches and rebuilt several times. The presiding deity is Goddess Yamuna, depicted in a black marble idol seated on a tortoise. The temple is reached by a 6-km trek from Janki Chatti, the road head. The signature feature is the Surya Kund — a thermal hot spring beside the temple where the water reaches 88°C. Devotees place rice and potatoes wrapped in cloth into the kund; the water cooks the rice within minutes, and the cooked rice is eaten as prasadam. Pilgrims also bathe at the Divya Shila, a sacred slab beside the kund. Like the other Char Dham temples, Yamunotri opens on Akshay Tritiya (May) and closes on Yama Dwitiya (November).