Yamunotri

Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna, is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage.

Yamunotri temple

The Yamunotri temple is located in Uttarakhand, India, a full day's journey from Uttaranchal's main towns — Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The actual temple is only accessible by a six kilometer walk from the town of Hanuman Chatti and a four kilometer walk from Janki Chatti; 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. The original temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century. The current temple is of recent origin as past iterations have been destroyed by the weather and elements. Lodging at the temple itself is limited to a few small ashrams and guest-houses. Ritual duties such as the making and distribution of "prasad" (sanctified offerings) and the supervision of "pujas" (ritual venerations) are performed by the Uniyal family of "pujaris" (priests). Unique aspects of ritual practice at the site include hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into "prasad". It is located at an altitude of 3,235 metres approximately. A little ahead is the actual source of the river Yamuna which is at an altitude of about 4,421 metres approximately. Hot springs are also present offering relief to tired hikers.

There seems to be a confusion about who built the temple of Yamunotri. According to the website [uttarkashi.nic.in/Yamunotri.htm] , the temple was originally constructed by Maharaj Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal.

External links

* [http://www.yamunotri.org/ www.yamunotri.org]
* [http://sss.vn.ua/india/uttarakhand/yamunotri/indexen.htm Photos of Yamunotri]
* [http://www.chardhamyatra.org/yamunotri/ Yamunotri]
* [http://www.chardham.org/ River Yamunotri]