Gangotri Temple Gangotri Uttarakhand

Gangotri Temple is situated in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state. This temple is about 3048 meters above sea level. Gangotri Temple was built by Amar Singh Thapa, Gorkha commander in the 18th century. Gangotri Dham is situated on the banks of the holy Bhagirathi (Ganga) river. This holy temple is dedicated to Goddess Ganga. King Bhagiratha is also worshipped with Goddess Ganga in this temple, as a result of their austerities, the Goddess came upon Ganga earth.

For the salvation of ancestors by the curse given by Kapil Muni, King Bhagirath had done penance to bring Goddess Ganga to the earth. For this reason, the sacred river Ganga was given the name of the river Bhagirathi, which later meets the Alaknanda river in Devprayag, from here it is known as the holy Ganges river.

Gangotri opens in Akshaya Tritiya and closes after the festival of Deepawali. 

The Gangotri Temple opens between April/May each year for devotees to participate in a religious ritual. After Diwali's celebration, the holy shrine is closed, and the shrine's idol is relocated towards Mukhba Village, situated about 20 kilometers downstream of Gangotri.

The deity will be worshipped at Mukhba Village for the next six winter months. The priests announced the opening date for Shri Gangotri Temple on the day of the Basant Panchmi. The year 2022 will be the one to open. Gangotri Temple shall open on the 3rd of May in, 2022.

This temple is very important among the Hindus. Millions of pilgrims visit this holy temple every year.

According to legend, Maharaj Sagar had 60,000 sons. They did an 'Ashwamedha Yagna', where the horse of Ashwamedha Yagna went, 60,000 of them took their places in their possession. From this, King Indra of the gods became worried. They grabbed the horse and tied it to Kapil Muni's ashram. The son of King Sagar saw the horse caught in the ashram of sage Kapil Muni, then the son of King Sagar took it the horse while disrespecting sage Kapil Muni. As a result of anger, Kapil Muni cursed and burned them, by which their soul was deprived of salvation.

After requests of Maharaj Sagar, Kapil Muni told him that the curse cannot be withdrawn, but the remedy can be taken. They told Maharaj Sagar that if the divine river Ganga from the heaven is brought to the earth, then his sons can attain liberation. After this, his three generation continued to do penance on the Himalayas to bring Ganga to the Earth, but they could not bring Ganga to the earth. Then in the same generation, King Bhagirath had done penance of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Goddess Ganga to bring Ganga on the earth. As a result, the Goddess Ganga came to the earth. In order to save the earth from destruction due to the huge velocity of the Ganges, Lord Shiva first put the Ganga in its Jata, then left on the earth. His ancestors received liberation from the water of the holy Ganges.

 
According to Hindu scriptures, river Ganga known as mother Ganga descends beneath the earth at this point & reappears at Gangotri at Sage Markandeya's’sMarkandeya's mediation & prayers.
 
Gangotri Mahasankar Temple is one of the oldest temples in India. This temple holds different significance for people from all sections of society, and it is believed by Hindus that it has been a favorite refuge for gods like Shiva, BajrangBali, Hanuman, and Rama for hundreds of years now.
With such great followership, many pilgrims visit this temple from different parts of the country to offer their prayers. Various sites across India uniquely bring devotees closer to the Indian Gods than Gangotri temple. Few tourists also visit this temple to experience the natural beauty that this region offers during summers when snow on the Himalayas mountains, which only comes once a decade. Then these places become inhabitable due to heavy snowfall and roads blocked due to extreme weather conditions.
 
The Gangotri Temple is located at an elevation of 529 meters. On the bank of the holy river Ganga. It has a shikhara, and this temple was built in the eastern style of the early Mahabharata structures. The temple was built in 1989 and is situated close to Unni Kodi, Rishikesh.
Right now, the temple is known as Annapurna Temple because it also bears a legend that a woman gave milk to an expedition led by Saint Adi Shankaracharya during severe water scarcity.
 
Every Hindu is indebted to the Ganges because it fulfills their wishes. In its banks are the sacred cities of Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Hardwar. Gangotri Dham Temple, located 60 kilometers from Uttarkashi, offers a soothing image to those who want to worship on the banks of the Ganges.
 
Ganga darshan is a five-minute walk from the temple.
This section can be improved with the following combination of edits:
- The Gangotri temple, India's most revered.
- Located in the state Uttarakhand folksiness, Gangotri temple attracts 16 million visits annually and 2000 pilgrimages daily .
- It is also considered the holiest, where more than a 400-year-long tradition as well as 14 pontiffs have referred to this site for initiation into Shiva's cult.

The best time to travel to the Gangotri Dhan is between from the months of September to November and April to Jun. Travelling here in these months is the best and enjoyable. In the winter season, the journey of here is closed for 6 months.