About Do Dham Yatra
Char Dham Yatra is a 10 to 14 days tour and it gets difficult to get leaves from work for such a long period. So the pilgrims cover the Char Dhams in Do Dham Yatra or Ek Dham Yatra. Do dham yatra makes it easier for the pilgrims to cover all four Dhams by dividing the Char Dham Yatra into two phases. Do Dham Yatra are in the form of Yamunotri-Gangotri or Badrinath-Kedarnath with time duration of 5 to 7 days.
About Yamunotri
The first part of Do Dham Yatra is Yamunotri. It (also known as Jamnotri) is also a part of Char Dham and is said to be the source of river Yamuna. It is on the western side of himalayas located 150 Kilometers North of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. It is about 3,293 metres above the sea level. It is the place where pilgrims seek the blessings of Goddess Yamuna, who is the sister of Yama, the God of death and it is also her birthplace, hence it is called yamunotri.
Yamunotri Temple
The main place of attraction at Yamunotri is the temple devoted to the Goddess Yamuna. The Yamunotri temple is closed during the winters — it closes on the day of Diwali and reopens on the day of Akshaya-Tritiya (April/May) every year. In the year 1839, Tehri Naresh and King Sudarshan Shah created the Yamunotri temple in honour of god Yamuna. That temple was broken by an earthquake but the Jaipur Maharani Guleria took the responsibility to rebuild and renovate the temple and therefore the new and present Yamunotri temple came into being within the latter a part of the nineteenth century. The place is famous for its thermal springs and glaciers. According to a Hindu manuscript, Asit Muni, a sage used to reside here. The Yamunotri Yatra is not complete without preparing rice and potato in the hot spring of Surya Kund near the holy shrine. Pilgrims who visit this place offer those foods in the temple and take the cooked rice home in the form of Prasad.
Yamuna River
The Yamuna River Originates from Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres on the southwestern slopes of Banderpooch peaks of the Lower Himalaya. It is the second-largest affluent river of the Ganga by discharge and the longest affluent in India. It travels a total of about 1,376 kilometres and has a drainage system of around 366,223 square kilometres, 40.2% of the entire Ganga Basin. It merges with the Ganga River at Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, which is a site of a Hindu festival called Kumbh Mela which is held every 12 years.
Best Time to Visit Yamunotri
Due to its high altitude location, Yamunotri Dham remains open for a short period of around six months. the end of April or starting of may is chosen for the opening of the portals because the snow melts and the weather becomes normal.
The temple closes shortly after the famous festival of Diwali and its deity is moved to Kharsali Village to be idolized for successive six months of the winter season.
The best time to visit Yamunotri is during & between April and November amidst April to mid-June & Oct to mid-November being the most ideal time.
About Gangotri
The second part of do dham and char dham yatra is Gangotri. It is a town in the state of Uttarakhand. It is 99 km from the main district of Uttarkashi. It is a Hindu pilgrimage town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi. It is the origin of river Ganga and the birthplace of Goddess Ganga, hence it is called Gangotri. The town is located near the Shivaling Peak in the Himalayas at a height of around 3,100 metres. According to popular Hindu legend, it was here that Goddess Ganga descended when Lord Shiva released the river from the locks of his hair.
Gangotri Glacier
Gangotri Glacier is one of the primary sources of the river Ganga and it is one of the largest in the Himalayas. The glacier is about 30 kilometres long and 2 to 4 km wide and it is surrounded by the mountain peaks of the Gangotri group which peaks such as shivling, Chaukhamba, Meru etc. Religious Hindus consider bathing in the icy waters near Gangotri town to be a holy ritual.
Best Places to Stay in Gangotri
There are a few high range hotels in Gangotri, dharamshalas managed by the government are plenty and they provide good accommodation for the visitors. Most of the hotels in Gangotri offer good facilities for a pleasant and lovely stay. It is advisable to book your accommodation in advance because due to the high population of visitors getting rooms can get tough.
Best Places for Tourists in & Near Gangotri
The Gangotri temple and its surroundings provide a great view of the Himalayas and the beautiful River Ganga. There are many tourist places near Gangotri Dham, few of them are high altitude lakes, glaciers and trekking destinations. Trekkers can trek to places like Tapovan, Kedar Tal and Gaumukh and for sightseeing you need to visit the nearby places of Gangotri like Harsil, Maneri Dodital, Tehri etc.
Gangotri temple
The Ganga River symbolizes purity. It is believed that bathing in this river washes away all the sins. It is compared to a mother goddess which presides through all the stages of life that is from birth to death. The river is born out of Lord Vishnu’s big toe. The Ganga legend tells about King Sagar’s 60,000 sons who were reduced to ashes and about King Bhagirath’s tapasya to Lord Shiva who brought them back to life.The stone slab on which King Bhagirath meditated is called the Bhagirath Shila and it is located near the Ganga Temple which was built by Amar Singh Thapa. It is linked by a good road. The distance is around 248 kilometres from Rishikesh. A number of Ashrams are located on the other side and few of them provide accommodation for the visitors.
