There is always a controversy about the exact altitude of Yamunotri, one of the most sought-after destinations which the Hindu pilgrims aspire to reach in their lifetime. Travellers and pilgrims trek uphill on many different routes, and probably that is why there are many figures quoted as the altitude.
According to the official figures of the Uttaranchal Information Centre the figure is 3,235 metres. The origin of Yamuna river, which is believed to be in frozen state all round the year, lies in the western edge of the exquisite Bandarpunchh Mountain peak which itself is 6,315 m above the sea level. Yamunotri falls under the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state of India. The source of the Yamuna river is at 4,421 metres above the temple. The place is a glacial lake named as Saptarishi Kund on a hill, Kalindi Parbat. As it flows down from the glacial mouth, it is named Yamuna, revered as one of the four goddesses of Hinduism along with Ganga. It is considered equally sacred for the very reasons why Ganga is worshipped.
As the mythology has it, Yamuna was the sister of Yama, the god of death, and both are the children of Sun God and Sangya, the Goddess of consciousness. It is believed, if anybody takes a dip at Yamuna, the person is spared of the punishment Yama would inflict after his death for all his sins in this lifetime. Probably that’s why in Hinduism, the dead is bathed preferably in holy water, like that of Ganga and Yamuna, before putting onto a pyre. The glacial region of Yamuna has a temperature below the freezing point.
Despite snowy backdrop, there are a number of thermal springs in the glacial region. One of these, Surya Kund, steam and is hot at 100° F. It is the most important of all there. The worship of Goddess Yamuna is never complete without offerings to her made of rice, potatoes tied loosely in a piece of cloth boiled by putting it in the hot spring water for sometime.
According to the ritual, devotees worship a ‘Shila’ (sacred rock pillar ) called ‘Divya Shila’ (divine sacred rock pillar) before actually worshipping and giving offerings to Goddess Yamuna. Nearby the Surya Kund is another pleasantly warm spring called, Yamuna Bai Kund, where the devotees take ritualistic baths before embarking upon worshipping processes. The priests in the temple have ancestral practice of taking care of the temple as its priests. They are called ‘Panda’ in local term. The ‘Pandas’ would take the devotees round the temple and worshipping processes.
They have been specially instructed by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, which maintains, administers and supervises all religious sites in the region, to strictly observe cleanliness and sanctity of the site. Generally, the ‘Pandas’ are the sons of the soil and hail from a village called Kharsala near a locality, Janki Bai Chatti, on the other side of the bank of the holy river.
The temple is situated in the direction opposite Gangotri. According to a legend, revered ascetic of the time Asit Muni lived in charge of a makeshift temple there. The Yamunotri temple was first constructed by the King of Tehri Maharaja Pratap Shah in 1863 AD off black granite stone. It is said that Jaipur Maharani Guleria constructed the current temple in the 19th century, the Nature’s vagaries and obvious wear and tear. The temple razed to ground also by the ferocious Himalayan earthquake in 1923. It was subsequently reconstructed. The temple was damaged in 1982 once again, for third time ever since the time of Ascetic Asit Muni, but was again rebuilt.
HOW TO REACH YAMUNOTRI
By Rail
● Nearest Railway Stations are Rishikesh, Haridwar and Dehradun.
● From a railway station by taxi or bus or private car up Yamunotri
By Road
● Bus services to Yamunotri from Rishikesh
● Taxi/Private Car services from Dharasu (107 kms), Tehri (213 kms) Rishikesh (213 kms) and Dehradun (172 kms).
● Motorable road stretches upto Phulchatti, 42 km from Barkot. The road meanders through Syana Chatti, Rana Chatti and Hanuman Chatti,
By Air
● The nearest air strip is at Jolly Grant, Dehradun.
OTHER IMPORTANT SPOTS
● From Hanuman Chatti, the trek is for 13 km for Goddess Yamunotri Temple. It is the confluence of the Hanuman Ganga and Yamuna rivers. From here begins the trek for Dodi Tal at a height of 3,307 metres.
● Sayana Chatti is a scenic tourist spot on the bank of river Yamuna at 27 km away from Barkot and 18 km from Yamunotri.
● Chamba at a height of 1,524 metres is a picturesque site offering a panoramic view of the entire Himalayas. Here the road turns for Mussourie, New Tehri and Rishikesh.
● Barkot is the most common destination for reaching the heights of the Yamunotri glacial region. About 334 km away from Delhi, Barkot can be reached by road via Saharanpur, Harbatpur, Nainbagh and Naugaon.
● About 8 km distance is Gangani on the left bank of Yamuna, which is also a pilgrimage site. There is a holy spring called Gangani Kund. It is said the water of Gangani is an important ingredient for worshipping Rishi Jamadagni, an ancient ascetic, who has a temple to his name. Gangani is also reputed to have a roaring waterfall, and offering charming spectacle.
WHAT PILGRIMS MUST KNOW
● Altitude:
3,235 metres
● Weather
Summer is very cool, Winter dips sub zero degree and snow-bound.
● Clothes
Full winter clothes at night. Light winter clothes in daytime
● Trekking
Difficult terrains the hills. Physically strong pilgrims can withstand the hazards.
● Source of Holy water
One kilometre further up at an altitude of 4,421 metres from sea-level. Collecting Holy water is risky due to vagaries of Nature.
● Best time to visit
May to November
● Facilities Available
(i) State Bank of India Branch at Barkot, about 334 km from Delhi.
(ii) STD booths, Taxi stand, Dharmashalas,
(iii) Accommodation at Yamunotri Temple possible if come through some Ashrams and guesthouses. There are pandas who arrange for stay and also there are a number of dharmashalas, forest rest houses, lodges, PWD inspection bungalows and hotels of many standards.
