Gangotri dham is one of the Char dhams of Uttrakhand and mostly pilgrims come to Gangotri dham after Yamunotri Dham then travel to Kedarnath and at last Badrinath.
Raja Bhagirathi worshiped Shiva to bear the descent of river Ganga and that was the only way to absolve the sins of his predecessors, was to merge their ashes in river Ganga.
The holy river Ganga emerges as a River Bhagirathi from Gaumukh at the foot of the Gangotri Glacier in Uttrakhand which is around 19kms from Gangotri Dham. Bhagirathi river when meets with the Alaknanda at Devprayag, it is called as the Ganga.
In the devotion to the Goddess Ganga , Gangotri Dham was built by Nepalese Gorkha Amar Singh Thapa around 200 years ago at an elevation of 3415 on the banks of river Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi district of Uttrakhand.
The Gangotri temple is made of white stone marble where idols of Ganga, Yamuna , Saraswati , Lakshmi , Annapurna are worshiped. Near Gangotri temple there is shivling of Mahadev under water which can be witnessed when there is low level of water.
It is also believed that Pandavas performed Dev Yagya at Gangotri.
How to reach Gangotri?
Gangotri dham is at the distance of around 99-100 km from Uttarkashi in Uttrakhand. One can drive to Gangotri ji from Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun by cab/taxi/bus. Nearest Airport is Jolly Grant Airport (Dehradun).and nearest railway station is Rishikesh/Haridwar.
As there is no trek to Gangotri dham , the whole journey is connected with road through beautiful valleys of Gharwal, Himalayas. The scenic views of Nature along with the blessings of land of gods the trip itself becomes fulfilling and memorable.
Gangotri dham is opened on Akshaya Tritiya till October/Nov end when the gate closes near Deepawali and the goddess is kept at Mukhba village.
It is essential to register yourself before going to Gangotri dham. It can be done at booking centers of Haridwar / Rishikesh/ Dehradun or online.