DELHI - UTTARKASHI - GANGOTRI - GOMUKH
In the hinterlands of the Himalayas is Gangotri where, it is believed, Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for the first time. At the legendary source of the river, Goddess Ganga is worshipped in the form of deity. Gomukh, the identified source of the river Ganga, is 18 kms further uphill. The trek to Gomukh is gradual, and several pilgrims undertake the journey to pay homage to the river at its known source.
This is what a website claimed and we set off on a ambitious trip to see the Originating point of River Ganges .Gangotri is 500 Kms from Delhi ( 250 kms to Rishikesh + 150 kms to Uttarkashi + 100 Kms to Gangotri).Since it was a long weekend ( Memorial Day in the US and hence a holiday for me here in India !), we set off on Friday evening in two Tata Indicas.The night drive turned out to be a very exhausting one and we halted at Rishikesh & Uttarkashi before finally reaching Gangotri by Saturday afternoon.The Drive from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi and from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is absolutely beautiful with deep valleys and the river ganges flowing parallel to the steep,curvy roads.
We Checked in at the GMVN Guest House ( State owned , a rather decent one but with unfriendly rude staff).We visited the Gangamaa temple which was a 0.5 km trek from the Hotel.Its a rather small temple built for goddess ganga where the deity is revered by the locals and the harathi in the evening is a crowded festive occasion.The temple has a small market place with a lot of Dhabas & shops selling religious merchandise.
We headed back early to the hotel in anticipation of the big day ahead of us.The next day we had planned to do the 18 Km Trek ( 36 Kms both ways) from Gangotri to Gomukh Glacier ( The icy cave where Ganges actually originates).On retrospection , I feel at that moment we had not fully comprehended the arduous journey , a blunder I would regret the next day. We Started at 6.30 am . The Trail starts right behind the Gangamaa temple . The initial 1 km is very steep ( Probably a marketing strategy to make people feel weary so that they take the ponies waiting at the end of the stretch).The trek gets slightly even after that although it is still quite steep intermittently. At the end of 10 kms we were thoroughly exhausted and some how managed to drag ourselves near Gomukh.I was totally exhausted and fell on top of a rock and slept on it for almost an hour towards the end of the 18km trek.Gomukh is a icy cave where the crystal clear blue waters of Ganga originate.The view of the Mountains is stupendous and the icy winds try to blow you off your feet.For a moment, you forget all the agony.
We rested for a while and started the trek back to Gangotri.We were totally exhausted and some even fell down unable to move an inch further.Somehow I miraculously dragged myself back through the 18 kms and when I fell on the bed I realized that I had 206 bones and that my leg had become a persona non grata in my body. On the Hindsight it was foolish of us to have attempted to do 40 Kms of steep trek in a day but since we were pressed for time we didn't have much choice.
We started for Uttarkashi the next day morning.The Viswanath temple at Uttarkashi is a very auspicious temple and has a nice facade on a crowded,dusty market place.The temple is a scenic place amidst the tall mountain ranges which encompass it.We returned to Delhi well past midnight and were glad to be back home after a grueling trip.But now at the end of it,all the pain has vanished with wonderful memories of Ganga and the scenic valley.
TRAVEL TIPS : The Best time to travel to Gangotri is during the Summer. Uttarkashi is the nearest connecting hub for all the Char Dhams(Gangotri,Yamunotri,Badrinath,Kedarnath).The best way to trek from Gangotri to Gomukh is to take a halt at the GMVN guest house at Bhojbasa ( Which is 4 kms before Gomukh on the trail)and continue the trek the next day.Hard core trekers could even continue till Tapovan which is 7 kms from Gomukh.The food and water is very expensive on the way ( We paid Rs.30 for 10 rupee Kinley bottle at Bhojbasa) and hence be prepared for that.Never eat much on the day of trek and carry plenty of medicines with you. The icy winds are very powerful and hence wear thick woollen wear and overcoats.More than anything , cultivate an habit of regular walking before trying anything as ambitious as this.
In the hinterlands of the Himalayas is Gangotri where, it is believed, Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for the first time. At the legendary source of the river, Goddess Ganga is worshipped in the form of deity. Gomukh, the identified source of the river Ganga, is 18 kms further uphill. The trek to Gomukh is gradual, and several pilgrims undertake the journey to pay homage to the river at its known source.
This is what a website claimed and we set off on a ambitious trip to see the Originating point of River Ganges .Gangotri is 500 Kms from Delhi ( 250 kms to Rishikesh + 150 kms to Uttarkashi + 100 Kms to Gangotri).Since it was a long weekend ( Memorial Day in the US and hence a holiday for me here in India !), we set off on Friday evening in two Tata Indicas.The night drive turned out to be a very exhausting one and we halted at Rishikesh & Uttarkashi before finally reaching Gangotri by Saturday afternoon.The Drive from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi and from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is absolutely beautiful with deep valleys and the river ganges flowing parallel to the steep,curvy roads.
We Checked in at the GMVN Guest House ( State owned , a rather decent one but with unfriendly rude staff).We visited the Gangamaa temple which was a 0.5 km trek from the Hotel.Its a rather small temple built for goddess ganga where the deity is revered by the locals and the harathi in the evening is a crowded festive occasion.The temple has a small market place with a lot of Dhabas & shops selling religious merchandise.
We headed back early to the hotel in anticipation of the big day ahead of us.The next day we had planned to do the 18 Km Trek ( 36 Kms both ways) from Gangotri to Gomukh Glacier ( The icy cave where Ganges actually originates).On retrospection , I feel at that moment we had not fully comprehended the arduous journey , a blunder I would regret the next day. We Started at 6.30 am . The Trail starts right behind the Gangamaa temple . The initial 1 km is very steep ( Probably a marketing strategy to make people feel weary so that they take the ponies waiting at the end of the stretch).The trek gets slightly even after that although it is still quite steep intermittently. At the end of 10 kms we were thoroughly exhausted and some how managed to drag ourselves near Gomukh.I was totally exhausted and fell on top of a rock and slept on it for almost an hour towards the end of the 18km trek.Gomukh is a icy cave where the crystal clear blue waters of Ganga originate.The view of the Mountains is stupendous and the icy winds try to blow you off your feet.For a moment, you forget all the agony.
We rested for a while and started the trek back to Gangotri.We were totally exhausted and some even fell down unable to move an inch further.Somehow I miraculously dragged myself back through the 18 kms and when I fell on the bed I realized that I had 206 bones and that my leg had become a persona non grata in my body. On the Hindsight it was foolish of us to have attempted to do 40 Kms of steep trek in a day but since we were pressed for time we didn't have much choice.
We started for Uttarkashi the next day morning.The Viswanath temple at Uttarkashi is a very auspicious temple and has a nice facade on a crowded,dusty market place.The temple is a scenic place amidst the tall mountain ranges which encompass it.We returned to Delhi well past midnight and were glad to be back home after a grueling trip.But now at the end of it,all the pain has vanished with wonderful memories of Ganga and the scenic valley.
TRAVEL TIPS : The Best time to travel to Gangotri is during the Summer. Uttarkashi is the nearest connecting hub for all the Char Dhams(Gangotri,Yamunotri,Badrinath,Kedarnath).The best way to trek from Gangotri to Gomukh is to take a halt at the GMVN guest house at Bhojbasa ( Which is 4 kms before Gomukh on the trail)and continue the trek the next day.Hard core trekers could even continue till Tapovan which is 7 kms from Gomukh.The food and water is very expensive on the way ( We paid Rs.30 for 10 rupee Kinley bottle at Bhojbasa) and hence be prepared for that.Never eat much on the day of trek and carry plenty of medicines with you. The icy winds are very powerful and hence wear thick woollen wear and overcoats.More than anything , cultivate an habit of regular walking before trying anything as ambitious as this.
posted by Cogito at
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
2 Comments:
cool man - getting envious about you - will have to plan on something like this soon
By
Srihari SN, at 1:20 AM
Hi yvsvrkc , Thanks for your comments. I think you just ended up a bit late (I had been travelling all over North India in the last one Year).Actually I would shortly be moving out of Delhi in pursuit of my MBA to Singapore.I am here only for the next two weeks ( In one of those wkends I am going to Mumbai and the other wkend to wind up my Delhi relocation) . Sorry & ironical that you approached me towards the fag end of my Delhi Sojourn.
By
Cogito, at 10:30 PM
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