Yamunotri

Meaning

Climb the steep gorge, and where the milky Yamuna crashes over the rocks a temple stands with a yellow spire. It honors Yamuna, goddess of the river, sister of Yama the god of death — and in a boiling spring beside it, pilgrims lower rice and potatoes to cook, and offer them to the goddess. Here, in the Himalaya, a river first draws breath.

The westernmost and first of the four Char Dham shrines of Uttarakhand, honoring the source of the Yamuna river high in the Himalaya. The temple, at about 3,300 meters, is dedicated to Yamuna — daughter of the sun god Surya and sister of Yama, god of death — and it is said that to bathe and worship here is to be granted a gentle death. The true glacial source, below Mount Kalind, lies higher and hard to reach, so pilgrims worship at the temple. Beside it the Surya Kund is a boiling hot spring where pilgrims cook rice and potatoes wrapped in cloth as prasad, an offering. Before entering, they first honor the rock pillar Divya Shila.

Field notes

Location

Garhwal Himalaya · Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand · N31.0° · E78.5°

Best time

From late spring (Akshaya Tritiya), when the temple opens, until around Diwali; in winter the deity is moved to Kharsali.

Getting there

By road to Janki Chatti in Uttarakhand, then a trek of about 5–6 km on foot; the first shrine of the Char Dham pilgrimage.

Etiquette

A shrine still in worship; keep order at the spring and the cooking place, and keep quiet.

Sources

• · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Yamuna River
• · Wikipedia: Yamunotri

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.