City-information for Gangotri

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Gangotri is at an elevation of 10,500 feet (3140 metres). The actual source the Ganges is Gaumukh, a hard 19 km climb from Gangotri. Bhagiratha is said to have prayed at Gangotri to save his relatives. The Pandavas are said to have visited this place to atone for the sin of killing their relatives during the Kurukshetra war. At this point the Ganges River flows north, giving this village its name, Gangotri, which means "Ganga turned north." Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, "Of flowing rivers I am the Ganges."

Gangotri is a very nice town and fairly popular with foreign tourists, ma who have come to make the trek to Gaumukh, or further. Unlike most of the other towns on the Char Dhama route it is a nice place to stay for a while. The Bhagarathi River rushes by and is extremely loud, giving the place a peacful atmosphere.

Gangotri is located about 250km from Rishikesh and 230 km from Yamunotri. The bus trip via Tehri and Uttarkashi from Rishikesh takes 10 to 12 hours. At Gangotri the Kedar Ganga merges with the Bhagirathi. There is a falls called Sahasradhara about 100 yards below
this confluence. Just before the falls the river squeezes itself into a narrow gorge about one metre wide.