“The Gangotri” – Char Dham Yatra: The Four Abodes of God (Chapter 2)

Hello readers! Hope are all are doing well. Today, we are going to continue with our series Char Dham Yatra: The Four Abodes of God where we are going to cover the second Dham “The Gangotri”. Before we begin, I would like to congratulate all the Indians for the successful Chandrayan mission that was only possible due to the sheer hard work and determination of our brilliant scientists. Also, in few days we are going to celebrate Raksha Bandhan, Happy Raksha Bandhan to all!

So, now coming back to our topic - The Gangotri. This shrine is second prominent Dham of the Char Dhams and has a very important place in the culture of India. The Gangotri Dham is in Utarkshi, Uttarakhand and is set among the tall and beautiful Garhwal Himalayan mountains.

The shrine gets its name from River Ganga, also known as Goddess Ganga. From Yamunotri, the best and quickest way to reach this place is by road which will take approximately four hours.

The Gangotri Dham, like the other Dhams holds great religious and spiritual significance for people all around the world. It is known to be the one of the most prominent temples in India. River Ganga as it originates from the Gangotri Glacier is called as Bhagirathi. The water present in the Gangotri is believed to have been offered to Lord Shiva due to its nectar like property that soothed Shiva’s throat after he swallowed the poison that emerged from the great Samudra manthan (I will look to cover this story in of my future blogs).

As we all know, “History is the link of the future. If you know the history, you’ll know the future.”, so let’s now dive into the history of this temple. River Ganga, which is the most sacred river in India, was said to have touched earth for the first time in the Himalayas. According to ancient Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga once assumed the form of a river to compensate for the misdeeds of King Bhagiratha’s forefathers after his centuries-long penance. Lord Shiva let her in his “Jatha“ (his hair) to soften the blow of the flow and then she was given the name “Bhagirathi”. There are many legends associated with the history of Gangotri. So, who must have built the Gangotri Dham? Let us find out. Well, it is believed that a Nepalese general named Amar Singh Thapa built the temple in the early 18th CE. Amar Singh Thapa was a military general, governor and warlord in the Kingdom of Nepal. He was also the authoritative ruler of Garhwal and is also known as the Living Tiger of Nepal. He built many forts and temples across Nepal and India including the Gangotri Dham.

Another reason for the shrine’s major attraction is its intricate and mesmerizing architectural design. So, let’s dive straight into it. The temple’s exterior’s beauty is as captivating and beautiful as its religious importance. Covered with glistening white graphite and an extremely eye-catching blue and green backdrop, it surely is a treat to ones’ eyes.

As Gangotri Dham is situated between the high Garhwal mountains and forests, pilgrims visiting the Dham witness the amazing beauty of the surrounding nature. The temple is intricately carved and engraved and consists of three main domes with golden spires. The interior of the temple is also elegant and attractive and as you enter the temple would see a huge assembly hall also known as the ‘Sabha Griha’. Walking through the hall would take you to the inner sanctum of the temple where the idol of Goddess Ganga is placed. The idol of Goddess Ganga sits on a crocodile along with the idols of Goddesses Saraswati and Yamuna next to it. It is believed that the shrine is built with the idols facing east so that sun’s first rays fall on them.

Another important part of the Temple is the ‘Surya Kund’ where devotees from all around the world come to cleanse their souls and attain salvation by taking a dip in the holy Ganga River.

The important daily poojas taking place in the Gangotri Dham are:

1. Utthan and Shringar pooja at 4 am regularly.

2. Mangalarti at 6am.

3. Sandhya arti at 7 pm

4. Special poojas are also held during festivals like Janmashtami, Vijay Dashami, Diwali, and Dussehra.

The Gangotri Dham is a prominent religious place that is visited by huge number of devotees all year-round seeking blessings of Goddess Ganga. Hope you enjoyed reading this blog and once again congratulations each one of you for the successful Chandrayaan 3 mission and Happy Raksha Bandhan to one and all!

Credits

eUttaranchal, Wikipedia and Uttarakhand Tourism's resources of information for the blog.

Thank you!