As the name would suggest, Gomukh resembles an open mouth of a cow. Cow symbolises Mother in Hinduism, Gomukh is also associated with Mother’s role giving life in form of water and nourishment in form of fertility. In the entire stretch of the Ganga (Bhagirathi), the river comes out of the Bhagirath Range of glaciers which meets the Shivling in the Himalayas. Gomukh is geologically a part of the range, which itself is an extended part of the Gangotri Glacier. To keep facts straight, Gangotri is the second longest Glaciers of the Himalayas after the Siachen. No wonder, Gomukh would naturally attract religiosity.
A righteous mind would feel much of symbolism involved with the source of river Ganga which flows down from Gomukh. The source is naturally created over 4,255 metres altitude in the wonderful Himalayas. At a distance of 19 kms from Gangotri the entire stretch is covered under snow. It is not a great distance, but what is easy on plains is differently arduous on hills. These 19 kms of the stretch from Gangotri are indeed broken twice at Chirbasa and Bhojbasa, for rest and night shelter, before the final trek of 3 kms for the Gomukh point is undertaken.
One can only traverse with careful difficulty, either on foot or pony-backs, though local porters are only eager to lend their helping hands. A road was constructed sometime in 1962 to make the journey from Gongotri to Gomukh easy for the adventurous. And as the strange things happen when it is most unexpected, the potable and usable water is a scarce commidity there. Water has to be carried right from Gangotri from where most pilgrims, save the brave-hearts, return.
At about 10 kms, there are shanty stalls at Chirbasa (3600m) and to cater tea and warm foods. The spot is named after tall gigantic Chir timber trees, which abound in that region more than anywhere in those hills where pine trees grow. One can even take a little rest at Chirbasa before the onward 9 kms of the remaining stretch. After the 6-kilometre point one reaches Bhojbasa (3792m), where is available a makeshift rest house with accommodations like two-beds each, reasonably priced warm foods, hot teas and cooked breakfast chruned out of its ovens (which burn for some fixed timings), blankets etc for night shelter. Ice here is often melt in ovens heat to get usable water. There is an appreciable amount of dicsipline by which they serve the travellers, expeditionists, mountaineers and the brave-heart pilgrims.
The impounding fortress of ice-rocks on and around the glacier hills would charm the travellers’ eyes and minds when the sun rises with all its resplendence. But remember, the ice-rocks are not stone rocks, these are treacherous, one has to use his or her head more than the heart. For never you know when the ice-rocks would cut down from atop the hills and roll ferociously down and on which directions.
The trek for the rest 3-kilometre stretch is more arduous than the past 6 kms traversed to reach Bhojbasa, and even harder than the 10 kilometers traversed before to arrive at Chirbasa. It is also more time-consuming. From Bhojbasa, it is now over 11 hours of uphill trekking for 3 kilkometres upto Gomukh which is covered by thick volumes of snow turned into ice-rocks.
The entire 24-metre long 4-metre wide Gangotri Glacier can be seen having extended to Gomukh Cave of the Glacier from where is gushing out trubulent Ganga. It is also called Bhagirathi for its ferocity. The dare-devil or even the braveheart can of course manage to enter the cave and even risk a bath or two only after thoroughly assured of not being swept away in the current in the gush.
The Ganga trickles down slowly later when dropped on the plains and in two directions meet Alakananda at Badrinath and Mandakini at Kedarnath. The entire range is called Bhagirath Range opf Glaciers having two impounding peaks Manda and Shivling, both are connected to Gomukh stretch. According to unconfirmed reports, these peaks are yet to be challeneged by any mountaineering brave-hearts. There are a number of equally exquisite sharp dazzling ice-peaks, surrounding the Gomukh Glacier, such as Jogin, Kedar Dome, Bhagirathi, Sudarshan, Manda-2 (6528m). Attempts to approach the Gomukh and Bhagirath range of Glacier from east side, that means from Bhrigupanth Glacier, have always been riden with trecherous nature, because of fiecre and fearsome icefalls. Nature is ferociouslyt hostile in this side of the glacier range.
PILGRIMS MUST REMEMBER
● One must not venture to approach Gomukh without more than necessary warm clothes.
● Water at least for drinking must be carried from Gangotri. For this porters can be hired at Gangotri itself.
● Ponies also can be available.
● Never risk untrodden paths, take the help and guidance of the local people, sherpas and porters. Ice-rocks may fall fiercely from any direction. Even splinters of ice-rocks can travel long distance and can wound one mortally if the icerocks fall in huge sizes at a distance.
● It’s a high altitude trekking, so one has to be strong at heart, be able to withstand low pressure of air/oxygen. A small oxygen cylinder may be useful.
● Do not stay the night at Chirbasa, though one may take a rest there for an hour or two. Spend the night at Bhojbasa and start only in the morning, when the nature opens up placid.
● Do not stay longer than necessary for one’s queries at the Gomukh point of the glacier, as that is ridden with sudden change of weather.
● Even the brave-heart should return to Bhojbasa as early as possible, because the stretch down from Gomukh to Bhojbasa is likely to take longer than spent for trekking up to that 3-kilometre stretch.
HOW TO VISIT THERE
● From Gangotri to Gomukh by road thriough bus, taxi, private cars
● By helicopter
● By pony-rides, or on foot by trekking
● Distance from Gangotri to Gomukh is 19 kms
● Stay at Chirbasa after 10 kms from Gangotri
● Night stay at Bhojbasa, a 6-kilometre stretch from Chirbasa
● From Bhojbasa to Gomukh a 3-kilometre stretch of trekking, which takes at lkeast 11 hours to reach and even more to return to Bhojbasa.
