Things to know about Karnaprayag
Karnaprayag is one of the five confluences of Alaknanda River and located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar River. The five prayags existing are known to as Vishnuprayag, Nandprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag. Karnaprayag is believed to be the place where Karna of Mahabharata worshipped the lord surya. Karnaprayag is situated at an elevation of 1451 m above the sea level in the district Chamoli of Uttarakhand. Karnaprayag is known to be the place where Swami Vivekananda meditated for eighteen days with Guru Turianand ji and Akharanand ji. This religious place is backed by an interesting tale of Karna from Mahabharat who was gifted with Kavach and Kundal by his father Lord Surya to provide safety to him during the war. It is said that Karna meditated at karnaprayag for many years to acquire the impregnable shield, which made him a formidable warrior in the battlefield. This is the place where Lord Krishna did the cremation of Karna. When Arjuna used the Anjalika Astra on weaponless Karna, when he was trying to lift the sunken chariot wheel. Lord Krishna saw that he was still alive and seriously wounded. Lord Krishna saw that Dharma-devata, the goddess responsible for protecting righteousness, is guarding Karna against death and stopping each and every arrow sent by Arjuna. Krishna and Arjuna got to know that it was impossible to kill Karna as the goddess was protecting him personally. Lord Krishna explained Arjuna that the Dharma-devata herself was protecting Karna from death because of the massive good merit he earned by doing good karma during his lifetime and it was impossible even for Lord Shiva to kill him. Krishna said wherever Dharma is present, there is victory, and Dharma was with Karna. Lord Krishna went down from his chariot and appeared as a Brahmin and he asked for Karna’s merit to him as charity. He gave his entire merits as charity to the Brahmin in the form of his blood, once he gifted his life’s merit to him, Krishna rewarded him with the view of Krishna’s Vishwaroopa. Lord Krishna told that this was the only way to kill Karna & when he gave away his life’s merit to Krishna, Dharma-devata disappeared. Karna asked Krishna to cremate him in a land where nobody else was present. Krishna went back and asked Arjuna to take the shot and kill Karna. Krishna did the cremation of Karna at Karnaprayag.
Best Time and Season to visit Karnaprayag
Summer: Summer season in Karnaprayag stays from March to June with the temperature varying from 12°C to 29°C. Tourists visiting during the summers can enjoy the pleasant weather and this weather also allows tourists to indulge in activities like adventure sports and camping. But when the temperature is on the higher side some people find it unpleasant.
Monsoon: Monsoon from July to September is the time of the year which is considered to be the pilgrim’s season when large numbers of devotees come here to celebrate various festivals. The heavy rains for consecutive days can lead to landslide & stoppage of roadway transport. The temperature during this season ranges from 22°C to 27°C.
Winter: Winter season is known to be the best season to visit Karnaprayag. The beauty of this place gets enhanced with the greenery all around and the mountains hidden behind the fog looks stunning as the morning view. The temperature during this season ranges from 0°C to 15°C.
Best Places to visit in Karnaprayag
CHANDIKA DEVI SIMLI: Also known as Sri Raj Rajeshwari Chandika Mata Mandir is a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali– the destroyer of all evil forces. It is Located in the petit village of Simili in Karnaprayag, which is frequently visited by many tantriks and sages and other pilgrims, who visit here to worship the Goddess Kali and also the other famous regional deities like Raj Rajeshwari Mata, Gol, Gunsai, and Govind.
ADI BADRI: Adi Badri is a part of the famous Panch Badri Temple. It contains a number of sixteen temples which belong to the Gupta period and among them one of the temples is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his black stone idol which is three feet high is enshrined. This temple resides around 20 km away from Karnaprayag and is within the Badrikshetra and because Badrinath is the name of Vishnu, hence the temple is known as Adi Badri and it also carries immense religious significance among Hindus.
NAUTI VILLAGE: At an altitude of around 369 m, this village is blessed with delightful and beautiful scenes. Nauti village is considered as the pious hermitage of Goddess Nanda and is known as the starting point of the Nanda Raj Jat Yatra. The village is situated at Chamoli district 24 km away from Karnaprayag.
KARNA TEMPLE: Another temple which is situated in karnaprayag, karna temple is an ancient sacred temple located on the confluence of Alaknanda and Pindar River and has got immense popularity in Hindu religion, hence visited by many devotees during their visit of Karnaprayag.
UMA DEVI TEMPLE: This sacred temple is dedicated to Goddess Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas. This is the place where her self-manifested idol was consecrated many ages ago and is now worshipped as one of the Shaktipeethas. The temple is located near the holy confluence of Alaknanda and Pindar River and is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.
Accommodation facilities in Karnaprayag
Filled with budget friendly hotels this tourist place also comes with the option of hotels that provide the best of the facilities with comfort and quality staying experience. There are many lodges and dharamshalas available in Karnaprayag. However there are very few luxury properties in Karnaprayag, but there are many great hotels and dharamshalas for every budget, so the visitors will have a great experience staying there; just make sure to check the reviews before finalizing a hotel.
How to Reach Karnaprayag?
Air: The nearest airport to Karnaprayag is Jolly Grant airport near Dehradun, which is around 213 km away. Flights are available from Delhi to Dehradun. After reaching the airport public and private transport facilities will be available to take you to Karnaprayag.
Railway: The nearest railway station is situated at Rishikesh. Rishikesh is a small railway station not connected by many fast trains. Haridwar railway junction 24 km farther from Rishikesh, has train connections to most of the cities in India and is the railhead for Karnaprayag.
Road: Karnaprayag lies on the NH 58 national highway that establishes a connection between Haridwar and Delhi with Badrinath and Mana Pass in Uttarakhand near Indo-Tibet border. So all the buses and vehicles carry pilgrims from New Delhi to Badrinath via Haridwar and Rishikesh in the pilgrim season of summer months pass through Karnaprayag on the way to Joshimath and further north.
