Devprayag is a holy place located in the Tehri district of Uttarakhand situated at the height of 830m above sea level. It is made up of two Sanskrit words “Dev” which means “God” and “Prayag” which means “confluence” since the two major river merge here. It is one of the “Panch Prayag” amongst the Vishnuprayag, Nandprayad, Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag. Here river Bhagirathi meets with river Alaknanda and mythical Saraswati river (believed to be flowing underground) to form the divine and most revered Ganges. It is surrounded by 3 peaks Narsinghancal Parvat. , Dashrathanchal Parvat and Giddhanchal Parvat. It is said that Dashrathanchal parvat was after the name of Lord Ram father Raja Dashrath who did penance on the mountain. The town was totally obliterated by a massive earthquake in 1803 but was later rebuilt by the help of Daulat Rao Sindhia.
Image 1 – Confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi
Main Highlights:
- Latitude- 1459° N
- Longitude- 78.5993° E
- Elevation – 830m (2,723ft)
- Best Time to visit – All-round the year
- Nearest Airport – Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun
- Popular for – Pilgrimage, River Alaknanda, River Ganga, River Bhagirathi, Panch Prayag, Raghunathji Temple
- Nearby Places – Mussoorie, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Dehradun
History:
Devprayag got its name from Sage Dev Sharma who has led his life as ascetic and devoted to God.
It has many legend associated with its different places. The ancient name of the place was “Sudarshankshetra”.
Raghunathji temple is one such which is dedicated to the Shri Ram. It is said around thousand years when Adi Shankaracharya came Badrikashram, many brahmins from South India followed him. Impressed with the knowledge of these brahmins, the king assigned them to worship Lord Ram of Raghunath Temple.
Ram Kunda – The place believed to be the place where Lord Ram footprints are present.
How to reach Devprayag:
By Air: Board the plane from your nearby Airport to the Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun. Take the bus or cab till Rishikesh from airport, and again for Devprayag.
By Train: You can take the train till Rishikesh railway station. From there you have to take a vehicle or hire a cab to reach the destination.
By Road: To reach through road you have to take NH58 as it connects Delhi to Badrinath. The route will pass through Haridwar and Rishikesh.
Famous places to visit in Devprayag:
- Raghunathji Temple – The temple has connection with Lord Ram who did penance here to relieve himself from the sin of killing Ravana, the devotee of Lord Shiva. It was established by Adi Shankracharya in 8th century and is built of massive uncemented stone.
Image 2 – Raghunath Temple - Mata Bhuvneshwari Temple – The temple is associated to the Maa Bhuvneshwari, one of the form of Goddess Parvati.
- Danda Nagaraja (Lord of Snakes) temple – This temple is situated on a hill top at a distance of about 49km from the Devprayag. According to the legend, it is believed that Shri krishna took the form of snake when came to this hill first time. Every year “Danda Nagaraja Fair” is organised on 13-14 April which is attended by a large crowd of devotees.
Image 3 – Danda Nagaraja Temple - Chandrabadni temple – This holy temple is dedicated to Goddess Sati and is one of the shaktipeeth. According to the legend, when Lord Shiva in grief, was carrying the burnt body of Devi Sati, her torso fell here. One can even see large number of iron trishuls and old statues in the temple premises.
Image 4 – Chandrabadni Temple - Nakshatra Vedh Shala – This observatory was established by Pt. Chakradhar Joshi who was a scholar of Astrology & Astronomy in 1946 at a mountain called Dashrathanchal.
Hotels in Devprayag:
- Riverside Resort
- Banyan by the Ganges
- V-Resort
- Ramkund Resort
- Dhaneshwar Resort
Things to do in Devprayag:
Rafting, camping and trekking are the some of the activities that usually lure people. Since the town is located amidst the beautiful mountain ranges, people can feel a close bond to nature and the unusual trail for trekking and beautiful camping site make a memorable moment.
Best time to visit Devprayag:
One can visit all round the year to experience the serenity of the place. Summers are the best time as the skies are clear, temperature is favourable and one can enjoy all the sports activities.
