Gangotri Temple Char Dham Temples Himalayas

Gangotri Temple, situated at an elevation of 3200 m above sea level, is second of the four Char Dham Temples in the Chardham Yatra in Himalayas or Chardham Pilgrimage in Uttarakhand. 

Gangotri Temple Char Dham Temples in Himalayas

Dedicated to Goddess Ganga, the holy shrine of Gangotri was constructed on the banks of Bhagirathi in the 18th century. This Char Dham Temple of Gangotri is located at a 20-feet high structure of white granite, and is around 300 years old. Similar to other Char Dham temples, Gangotri Temple will remain open for only 6 months in a year and remain closed for the other 6 months due to heavy snowfall. For Char Dham Yatra, the Gangotri Temple opens on the auspicious Akshaya Tritiya Day. Gangotri Temple will open for 6 months from this date.

Gangotri Temple is located opposite to Yamunotri Temple in Uttarakhand, which is the first shrine to be visited on the Char Dham Yatra.

Gangotri Temple in Chardham Yatra

About Gangotri

Gangotri is located about 250 km from Rishikesh and 230 km from Yamunotri. It is situated in the northern part of Uttaranchal and is very close to the Indo-Tibetan border. Situated in the hills, this is a picturesque location for trekking. It is at Gangotri where the Kedar Ganga merges with the Bhagirathi. There is a falls called Sahasradhara which is about 100 yards below this confluence.

Temple and Pooja Timings

Gangotri Temple usually opens during the last week of April or the first week of May, on the Akshya Thiritiya Day. It is preceded by a special Puja of Ganga both inside the temple as well as on the river bank. The temple closes on the day of Diwali Festival, followed by a formal closing ceremony.

In summer, Gangotri Temple is opened from 6:15 Am to 2 Pm and 3 Pm to 9:30 Pm and as winter approaches the temple is opened from 6:45 am to 2 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm.

Mangalaarti is done by priests at 6 Am behind the closed doors and it is not open for public. Sandhya Aarti is conducted at 7:45 pm during summer and at 7 pm during winter. Special pooja are performed during festivals like Janmashtami, Diwali, and Vijaya Dasami.

Getting There

Nearest airport is Jolly Grant, 17 km from Rishikesh and 24 km from Dehradun, 275 km from Gangotri. Nearest railheads are at Rishikesh (248 kms), Haridwar and Dehradun.

For those planning for Chardham Yatra can choose Nishnai Holidays. They offer the best Chardham Yatra packages at affordable prices. 

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See Also

Kedarnath Shiva Temple
Badrinath Vishnu Temple

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