Gangotri
For more extensive information, please visit www.gangotri.org
Gangotri, the source of the Ganga (Ganges) River and seat of the goddess  Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit.
At an altitude of 3,042 m, a Gorkha Commander, Amar Singh Thapa, constructed the temple in the early 18th century AD.
The Gangotri temple can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims than Yamunotri.
A small village of guesthouses and restaurants serves the pilgrim community.
Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The Aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganga. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 17 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the Ganga.
Gangotri is also the name of a series of 3 mountain peaks around 6,600 m AMSL in the region between the Gangotri Glacier and the Khatling Glacier.
The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga from Devprayag onwards where it meets Alaknanda.
Gangotri remains close from November to April due to heavy snowfall and the Goddess retreats 12 km downstream to her winter abode to Mukhba.
The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, which is further 18 km trek along the Gangotri glacier.
 According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga - the daughter of heaven, took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagirath's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries. Lord Shiva received Ganga into his matted locks to minimize the impact of her fall.
According to aother legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamegh Yagya as a proclamation of his supremacy. The horse which was to be taken on an uninterrupted journey around the earth was to be accompanied by the King's 60,000 sons born to Queen Sumati and one son Asmanjas born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yogya' (worship with fire) succeeded and then took away the horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil, who was then in deep meditation. The sons of the King Sagar searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagar stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, 60,000 sons had perished by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagirath, grand son of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to bring down the Ganga which brought back sixty thousand sons into life. The Bhagirathi 'Shila' is located near the temple of Ganga where the holy Ganga first descended on earth from heaven.
Submerged Shivling
Submerged in the river, this natural rock shivling is the place where,  according to mythology, Lord Shiva sat when he received the Ganga in his matted locks. It is visible in winter months when water level decreases
The other places of pilgrimage are Surya Kund, Vishnu Kund and Brahma Kundlocated in the vicinity of Gangotri. Bhaironghati (2743 m) is a halting place if one wants to reach upto the height of Gangotri. Gangotri glaciers (4238.6 m) starts trom Chaukhamba cluster of snowpeak and extends upto Gaumukh which is connected by a track trom Gangotri. Whether one believes in these legends or not, the properties of Ganga water are well known all over the world. The water of Ganga contains no impurities and remains uncontaminated even after being kept over several years. Scientists attribute this to secretion of herbs, geologists to its mineral content and the Hindus to its holiness.
Bhavishya Badri Temple
Dense forests near Tapovan surround the Bhavishya Badri. The Bhavishya Badri is at a distance of about 17 Km. east of Joshimath. Pilgrims trek beyond Tapovan up the Dhauliganga River to reach this holy spot. The idol of narsingha (the god with the head of lion) is enshrined here. Traditionally, it is believed that a day will come when the present route to the Badrinath will be inaccessible and the Lord Badrinath will be worshipped here and this is why the place is called Bhavishya Badri.
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