HISTORY OF GANGOTRI DHAM TEMPLE

HISTORY OF GANGOTRI DHAM TEMPLE

Gangotri is a small town situated in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand State. Gangotri is placed by the bank of the river Bhagirathi. Gangotri is known for the origin of the river Ganga.

We all have read in books that River Ganga is the longest river in India but only a few know about the history of the river Ganga.

River Ganga originates from the Glacier named Gomukh and terminates in the Bay of Bengal. Gangotri is one of the major Chardham. Gangotri is not only a place of worship, it is full of adventures and treks. Trek to Gomukh Glacier starts from Gangotri. The length of trek is 18 kilometers long. Gaumukh is one of the largest Glaciers in the Himalayas. The total length of the river Ganga is approximately 2,525 kilometers, the majority of the Ganga river length lies in Uttar Pradesh.

Gangotri Temple:

With humongous snow-covered peaks of Himalayas in the background, Gangotri temple shines like the sun. The temple remains open for six months and is closed during late winters during heavy snowfalls.
It is believed that the Gangotri Temple is about 200 years old. The temple of Gangotri was built in the 18th century by Gorkha commander Amar Singh Thapa.

According to Hindu mythology:-

• For centuries River Ganga is much more acknowledged compared to other rivers. In Vedas, Puranas, Ramayan, Mahabharat river Ganga is denoted as Ganga Devi.

• When king Sagar organized Ashwamedha yajna, Indradev feared that if this Yagya succeeded he might lose his throne so he took away the horse of the king and tied it in the ashram of Kapil muni, who was into deep meditation.
  The sons of king Sagar started the search of the horse and found it in Kapil muni’s ashram. All the 60,000 sons of king Sagar started distracting the ashram. When Kapil muni opened his eyes all the 60,000 sons lost their lives by the curse of muni. King Bhagiratha, known as the grandson of king Sagar, is said to have meditated to please ganga devi to clean all the ashes of his ancestors and giving them salvation. According to the history of Gangotri Dham Ganga first appeared here.

• Some other beliefs are that according to Puranas lord shiva released this river from the locks of his hair.
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