Gangotri

High in the Garhwal Himalaya, where the Ganga is worshipped at her source: a small stone temple, prayer flags and thin, cold air at the edge of the glaciers. One of Hinduism's holiest pilgrimages, and the trek to Gaumukh, the icy mouth where the river begins.

Highlights

Gangotri Temple (Gangotri Dham)

Gaumukh GlacierThe source of the Ganga itself

Tapovanam Hiranyagarbha Kala Dirgha Gallery

Shree Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Uttarkashi

What to see 19

Gangotri Temple (Gangotri Dham)Details →

Bhagirath ShilaThe myth made physical: the rock that explains why there is a shrine here at allDetails →

Pandav GufaA half-hour walk most pilgrims skip, and a fair first read on how you are handling the altitudeDetails →

Harsil ValleyWhere the Gangotri road slows down: orchards, deodars and the sensible place to sleep before altitudeDetails →

Gangotri National ParkSnow-leopard country that is also the gatekeeper of every trek leaving GangotriDetails →

Gaumukh GlacierThe source of the Ganga itself

Tapovanam Hiranyagarbha Kala Dirgha Gallery

Shree Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Uttarkashi

Bagori VillageHand-spun wool and wooden Bhotiya houses ten minutes off the pilgrim highway

Gartang Gali Wooden StaircaseA rebuilt trade gallery hanging over a gorge, perhaps the most cinematic thing in the valley

Lanka Bridge over the Jadh GangaA two-minute stop on the drive up, and perhaps the most vertical view on the whole road

Bhairavnath Temple, Bhairon GhatiThe valley's gatekeeper deity in a forest gorge where two rivers meet, minutes off the drive

Gangnani Rishikund Hot SpringSteaming water in a glacier valley: the pilgrim's bath before the last climb to Gangotri

Mukhba Ganga Temple (Winter Seat of Ganga)Where Goddess Ganga lives for half the year, and the only Gangotri darshan possible in winter

Kedartal (Shiva's Lake)Thalay Sagar doubled in still water, earned by several days of genuinely hard walking

Nelong Valley and JadungA Tibet-border desert valley open to two dozen Indian visitors a day, an hour from the Gangotri temple

Tapovan MeadowA flowering meadow with Shivling standing straight overhead (permit, guide and glacier crossing included)

Gangotri Temple BazaarOne lane, one hour, and the souvenir that means something here: river water in a sealed copper pot

Surya Kund FallsThe Ganga at its most violent, five minutes from the temple and best at first light

Everything about Gangotri

On the map

18 places · the full map is in the app