Yamunotri Temple, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Yamunotri Temple, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Yamunotri Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to river goddess Yamuna, situated in the western region of Garhwal Himalayas at an altitude of 3,291 metres (10,797 ft) in Uttarkashi District in Uttarakhand, India. Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It is located on the backdrop of Bandar Poonch.  It is one of the four sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage. The temple is part of the revered Char Dham pilgrimage circuit.

The River Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri glacier, which rises up to 6,315 meters above sea level, and lies against a steep slope just below the top of the Kalind peak. From here, Yamuna comes down into Saptarishi Kund and from there gushes southwards in a series of waterfalls. To the west of the Kalind Parbat is located Bandar Poonch, which is a dominant mountain in central Himalayan area of Garhwal and divides the watershed of Yamuna from that of the Ganges. Coming out from Kalind Parbat, Yamuna is also known as Kalindi.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/01/yamunotri-temple-uttarkashi-legends.html

History

The original temple was built by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur in the 19^th century. The temple has been destroyed twice by snow and floods before being rebuilt. The current temple is of recent origin as earlier constructions have been destroyed by weather and the elements. There seems to be a confusion as to who built the temple of Yamunotri. However, according to sources, the temple was originally constructed by Maharaja Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/01/yamunotri-temple-uttarkashi-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 06.00 am to 08.00 pm from 1^st week of May till Diwali (October-November).

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 5 Kms from Janki Chatti, 14 Kms from Hanuman Chatti, 77 Kms from Tehri Garhwal, 129 Kms from Uttarkashi, 171 Kms from Dehradun Railway Station, 196 Kms from Dehradun Airport, 215 Kms from Rishikesh, 224 Kms from Haridwar and 431 Kms from Delhi Airport. The Journey to Yamunotri Temple is a full day's journey from Uttarakhand's main towns; Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun. The actual temple is only accessible by a 14 Kms trek from the town of Hanuman Chatti or a 6 Kms trek from Janki Chatti.

For disabled and elder people, horses or palanquins are available for rent. The hike from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri is very picturesque with beautiful views of a number of waterfalls. There are two trekking routes from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri, the one along the right bank proceeds via the Markandeya Tirth, where the sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana, the other route which lies on the left bank of the river goes via Kharsali, from where Yamunotri is a five or six hours climb away.

Location