Barkot and Yamunotri Temple
Barkot is known for its scenic natural beauty. Located at the confluence of Yamuna and tons rivers. At an elevation of over 4,000 ft, apple orchards ringed by the Himalayan range. Barkot offers panoramic views of the snowcapped mountains of Bandar Poonch. Barkot is an important stopover en-route to Yamunotri and Gangotri, among the four Char Dham Pilgrimages.
Yamunotri situated about 50 Kms from the Barkot. 43 Kms is accessible and connected by road and the rest 7 kms by foot trek/Horse/Pony/Palki. The original temple was built by the King of Tehri Garhwal – Naresh Sudarshan Shah in 1839
Later Maharani Guleria of Jaipur Rebuilt/Renovated the temple after it was destroyed twice in the present century by Earthquake, snowfall and floods.
Yamunotri, the source of Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna, the Yamunotri Dham is the holy journey at the height of 3293 meters at Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand. The actual source of River Yamuna is further ahead from the temple at an altitude of about 4,421 meters (14,505 ft).
Surya Kund: There are a Number of thermal springs in the vicinity of the temple, which flows into numerous pools. The most important of these is Surya Kund.
At Yamunotri, One can cook rice by packing it in a cloth and dipping it in the hot water of the hot kund. Pilgrims take this cooked rice home as “Prasad”. Here near the temple pooja can be offered to Divya Shila, After taking bath in Gauri Kund warm water.
Uttarkashi and Gangotri Temple
Uttarkashi also known as Somya Kashi (as mentioned in the Skanda Purana) is situated along the banks of the Bhagirathi river, is home to a number of ashrams and temples. The name of the town reflects its similarity to and location (as north of) the city of Kashi (Varanasi) and has a temple dedicated to Shiva (Kashi Vishwanath Temple) in the center of the town.
Vishwanath temple is one of the oldest Shiva temples in Northern India. Re-constructed in 1857 by Maharani Khaneti Devi of Tehri State in the ancient architectural style. It is situated in the heart of the town. A massive iron trident(Trishool), symbolic of divine mother, is erected and worshiped from time immemorial at the temple complex. Ganeshji, Sakshi Gopal, Markandeya Rishi’s small shrines are also part of the temple complex. Akhand Jyoti as well as Akhand Abhishek, special aarti at morning and evening are offered.
Shakti temple – Right in front of the Vishwanath temple is Shakti temple. It has a big ‘Trishul’ of about 6 meters in height and a circumference of 90 cms. at bottom. Though there are different views about the making of this, the upper part of it seems to be made up of iron and the lower one is of copper. As per the epics, This Shakti was thrown on the demons by the Goddess Durga, hence it gets its name. Since then this Shakti is erected over here
Gangotri Temple – Gangotri is one of the four sites in the Himalayan Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. It is also the origin of the Ganges river and seat of the goddess Ganga. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga (the Ganges) from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. The original Gangotri Temple was built by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa.
Submerged Shivling: Submerged in the river, this natural rock Shivling is the place where, according to mythology, Lord Shiva sat when he received Ganga in his matted lock. It is visible in only during the winter months when water level decreases.
Kedarnath
Kedarnath Dham, located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, is one of the most paramount locations for worshipers of Shiva. The air appears to be reverberating with the name of Lord Shiva amid the mighty snow-clad peaks, enchanting meadows and forests of the lower mountain range of Himalayas. Situated in a breathtaking location, near the source of Mandakini River and at the height of 3,584 meters, Kedarnath Dham celebrates the greatness of Lord Shiva.
Accessible from major destinations of Uttarakhand, the motorable road towards Kedarnath temple stretches till Gauri Kund. After that one needs to take a 14 km trek towards Kedarnath temple. Ponies and palanquins (doli) are easily available; one can also avail helicopter shuttle services during the yatra.
The Legend of Kedarnath – The Kedarnath shrine, one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range. Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva, the protector and the destroyer. According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over the Kaurava in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having killed their own brothers and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being followed he dived into the ground, leaving his hump on the surface. The remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places and are worshipped there as his manifestations. The arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madhmaheshwar and his locks (hair) with head at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above-mentioned shrines are treated as PanchKedar.
Badrinath
Badrinath – one of the ‘Four Dhams’ is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage spots of the country and is situated at an elevation of 3,133 meters, guarded on either side by the two mountain ranges known as Nar & Narayan with the towering Neelkanth Peak providing a splendid backdrop. This revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries. Thus the place got the name “Badri van”, meaning “forest of berries”.
The most exemplar value of humanity and mankind, the Badrinath Yatra is simply manifested for the welfare of humanity and for the sake of tremendous devotees to bring salvation and redemption from sufferings.
The ancient mythology depicts the value of the Badrinath Mandir with the legend of meditation of Lord Vishnu for complete 1000 years under a Badri Tree for the welfare of humanity and since then the location is considered sacred by establishing the shrine of Lord Badrinath in the meditative pose; and to spellbound tremendous devotees, there are other captivating images and idols of Lord Vishnu.
The one meter tall Lord Vishnu’s imposing structure lying amidst the Nar Narayan temple with its three sacred sections including the Garbhagriha, Sabha-Mandap and Darshan-Mandap is the reason for the fame of whole the Chamoli district. Along with the shrine of Badrinath temple, there are other fascinations that captivate people for thronging across the holy destination and that include Tapt Kund and Surya Kund and famous Panch Badri.
