Temples in Char Dhama
Yamunotri
This temple is dedicated to the goddess Yamuna. It was costructed in 1839 by the Tehri, Naresh Sudarshan Shah. The deity of Yamuna is carved from black stone, and there is also a deity of Gangadevi, who is white. Yamuna is the daughter of Surya (the sun-god) and Sangya. She is the twin sister of Yamunaraja, the "Lord of Death." If you bathe in her waters, you are spared a painful death.
The temple usually opens the last week of April or the first week of May. It closes around the second week of November.
Gangotri Temple
The Gangotri Temple is dedicated to the goddess Ganga. It is erected near a sacred stone, called Bhagiratha Shila, which is about 50 feet to the left of the temple. King Bhagiratha is said to have sat here to worship Siva, so Lord Siva would take the Ganges on his head. Soon after arati to the deities in the temple, an arati is performed to the holy Ganges River. The temple is open from May to early November.
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