Gangotri
Gangotri,
the epic pilgrimage, is located in district Uttarakashi, India. This is one of
the Char dhams of Uttarakhand. Gangotri, the source of Ganga which is known for
cleansing and purifying the soul of every human being by taking dip in the
river Ganga, is revered by every Hindu. The pilgrims after arriving here at
Gangotri feel spiritually rejuvenated and the soul automatically get cleansed
and purified. Gangotri at an altitude of 3140 mtr. is surrounded by snow clad
mountains which sets a very picturesque view of this place.
As
per our sacred believes and texts, the Ganga name starts from Devprayag. Before
Devprayag, the Ganga is named Bhagirathi and at Devprayag the confluence of
Alaknanda and Bhagirathi gives the origin of Ganga. At Gangotri, the river is
called Ganga as the place has relevance with the name. The temple is at right
bank of the river Ganga.
The
temple is said to have been constructed by Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa. The
existing temple is said to have been reconstructed by Jaipur royal family.
The
origin of the Ganga is Gaumukh, but earlier it used to be Gangotri when the
place was covered by glacier as today the Gaumukh is. With the passage of time,
the glacier receded back to Gaumukh which is 18 km. At the time of
establishment of the temple, the Ganga was emerging from Gangotri itself.
The waters of Ganga is considered to be sacred,
that’s why the Ganga waters is carried by Kanwaris to their respective places.
The waters of Ganga is also carried to Rameshwar to sooth Shiva’s throat after He swallowed down the
poison which emerged out of the churning sea. The waters taken back to Shiva
shrines by Kanwaris also denote the same religious practice.
Puja at
Gangotri temple
River Ganga is worshipped as sacred
river along its course from Devprayag to Allahabad. The other place where the
Ganga is worshipped as goddess is Gangotri. Both worshipping practices denote
different significances in Hindu religion. The river Ganga is a source of
energy, life whereas the Goddess is benevolent and purifies everyone. Many
sacred rituals are performed near the river Ganga as the witness of devotion
and love for the Goddess. All the Pujas are preceded after Ganga Jal bath. The
pujaris of Gangotri are the Brahmins from the village Mukhwa. These pujaries
are selected rotation wise every year and perform all the pujas. Here at
Gangotri, the Rawal has no function in puja and the puja is performed by the
pujaris of Mukhwa.
Pandas
In Gangotri,
the function of the Pandas is also performed by pujaris only. All the functions
from puja to pind are performed by the ten selected pujaris.
Temple
Administration
The temple administration is carried
out by the committee formed of five members. The five members are Tahsildar of
the area, the gram pradhans of villages Mukhwa and Dharali, and the two leading
sanyasis of Gangotri.
Opening
day
The Gangotri shrine opens on
auspicious day of Akshaya – Tritiya every year, which normally falls during
last third week of April or first week of May. The opening ceremony is
performed by the puja of goddess and river Ganga.
Closing
day
The closing date of the temple is
Deepawali. The pujaris perform the closing ceremony and after the closing
rituals the entire temple staff and pilgrims leave Gangotri for next year.
Gaurikund
The river Ganga falls from a height of
100 ft, making it beautiful scene to view. This Gaurikund should not be
mistaken with the Gaurikund of Kedarnath.
Dev Ghat
There
is cluster of peaks across the Bhagirathi, known as Dev Ghat. A small stream
emanates from this cluster of mountains which is called Dev Ganga. These peaks
have been named as Brahma, Ganga Mandir and Shankaracharya.
