Gangotri, the place of origin of the River Ganga, is a small pilgrimage town in Uttar Pradesh, flocked by devout Hindus every year.
Bhagirathi River and Himalayas in Gangotri, Uttarakhand; Image Source: Dhwani Shree
LOCATION
Gangotri is a small Hindu pilgrimage town along the banks of Bhagirathi River, in the Northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is located at a height of 3100 metres in the Greater Himalayan Range. It is located 99 kilometres away from the district headquarters Uttarkashi.
MYTHOLOGY
Gangotri is said to be the place of origin where Goddess Ganga stepped onto Earth when Lord Shiva let out the river from his hair, making it a very sacred place for Hindus. According to the Bhagvad Puran, Lord Vishnu, as Vaman, pierced a hole in the world with his toenail. Through this hole the divine waters fell into Brahmalok, the house of the Gods. Ganga fell with these waters and was held on to by Lord Shiva until the time he went on his journey to Amarnath, during which he let go of the river from his hair at the place where Gangotri is today, which is how Goddess Ganga finally reached the world of the mortals.
SIGNIFICANCE
Gangotri is a part of the four sites that make up the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage. The Gangotri temple was built by Amar Singh Thapa, and is 19 kilometres away from the glacier. The temple is visited by devotees all year round, but the temple is closed for the festival of Diwali.
1.5 kilometres from Gangotri lies the Pandav gufa. This is said to be the cave where the Pandavs sat to meditate on their long and difficult journey to Kailash.
The Bhagirath Shila close to Gangotri is a place of worship and meditation because that rock is said to be the place where King Bhagirath sat to pray to Lord Shiva.
The Gangotri National Park is also located here. It is a park full of conifers and shrubs, and is home to the majestic Snow leopard. The glacier originates from inside this park. The mouth of the glacier is said to resemble the face of a cow, due to which it is called Gaumukh. The Gangotri glacier has about 25 cubic kilometres of ice in volume and is one of the largest glaciers in the Himalayas.
ARCHITECTURE
The Katyuri style of architecture is found all over Uttarakhand. It has temples with a flattened roof and a basement to store the idol of the deity. Gangotri temple follows this style. Its shrine faces eastwards so that the first morning sun rays touch the shrine. Along with Ganga, there are idols of Yamuna, Saraswati, Mahalakshmi, Annapurna and Bhagirath. There are smaller shrines for Lord Shiva, Bhagirathi, Ganesh and Hanuman. Adi Shankracharya also has an idol in this temple.
DEMOGRAPHY
The total population of Gangotri according to the population census of 2011 is only 110 – all Hindus, with 97 males and 13 females. The literacy rate is 99.1%.
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