Located on the banks of the river Bhagirathi and origin of the holy Ganga river, Gangotri is a major pilgrimage centre of Uttarakhand. Situated at a height of 3,100 metres, the town attracts thousands of devotees annually from every corner of India
Located on the banks of the river Bhagirathi and origin of the holy Ganga river, Gangotri is a major pilgrimage centre of Uttarakhand. Image credit: Tilak Soni
A trip to Gangotri during winters presents a picture postcard like setting of the pilgrimage centre. Snow on house roofs, temples, trees, mountains, etc. With no pilgrims and presence of less than a handful of people, the beauty of Gangotri casts its spell on the daredevil visitors, who undertake the challenging 98 km long journey from district headquarter Uttarkashi. The Gangotri temple remains closed in winters and reopens in summer for the annual pilgrimage.
Explorer and photographer Tilak Soni visits Gangotri in winters every year. Soni was at the pilgrimage earlier this month with a small group of adventure lovers on 2 February. As the bikers and jeep/suv riders passed through the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway the sight of the Border Road Organisation staff, clearing snow from the road in freezing condition, left the tourists amazed. They pass on greetings with the BRO staff to appreciate the efforts being made and to motivate them.
The 98 km journey from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is normal till Sukki Top. From Sukki Top to Gangotri, a distance of 35 kms, offers a challenging situation. The slippery conditions demand high driving skills.
Explorer Tilak Soni said, “We first train the participants snow biking. As we move on snow hit roads, we keep slow speed. It demands high patience and concentration. The speed is between 10 to12 km per hour.”
Located on the banks of the river Bhagirathi and origin of the holy Ganga river, Gangotri is a major pilgrimage centre of Uttarakhand. Situated on the lofty Himalayas, at a height of 3,100 metres, the town attracts thousands of devotees annually from every nook and corner of India. According to Hindu legends, Ganga descended from heaven to earth at Gangotri- when Lord Shiva released the mighty river from his locks.
In winters, Gangotri offers an out of the world experience. The peaks, the temple roof, campus and river bank is covered with snow. The freezing temperature with little or no habitat takes the guests to a totally different place. Leaving a dozen staff of the forest department, one-two cops, one temple committee staff and a few monks, the pilgrimage centre is completely deserted.
Harsh weather conditions forces the local residents to devote most of the time in their residential complexes and not to venture outside. They are engaged in socializing only on a clear day. This year the locals in Gangotri will enjoy mobile network connectivity.
Most of the water sources in the valley, leaving river Bhagirathi, freeze in sub zero temperature. The situation forced the wild animals living in the proximity of the temple township to come to the river bank to quench their thirst. The visit of guests from the forest amuses the Gangotri residents.
Most of the water sources in the valley, leaving river Bhagirathi, freeze in sub zero temperature. Image credit: Tilak Soni
Surya Prakash Chauhan, a staff of the Gangotri temple committee, said, “We get a chance to see the Blue Sheep coming to the river bank for drinking water. Very recently I was walking near the Kankhu forest barrier and saw a snow leopard. Before I could take out my mobile to photograph, the elusive snow leopard disappeared in the forest. I do meditation daily and consider myself fortunate to live in Gangotri during winters.”
Staying in Gangotri during winter is not easy. The Surya Kund, located near the shrine, freezes. During a clear day, the sun appears for less than two hours (from 11.30 am to 1 pm). The sunshine injects new zeal among the residents and it is no less than a festival.
The Gangotri residents are presently waiting for the polling parties to arrive in the pilgrimage centre, for conducting voting for the Gangotri assembly constituency. The polling team will be visiting and staying in Gangotri for a couple of days. The residents will enjoy the company of the polling team and security staff. The election related activities will provide some engagement to the local people.
The forest department deploys a team on rotation basis in Gangotri in winters. A new team replaces the old every ten days. Rang Nath Pandey, Deputy Director of Gangotri National Park, said, “There is no threat of any theft due to low movement. Our staff monitors the camera traps and conducts light patrols there.”
Reaching Gangotri and that too after the snowfall is risky. The slippery road and cold condition makes driving difficult. Team leader Tilak Soni and his team opted to travel from Uttarkashi to Harsil on day one and cover Harsil to Gangotri and back to Uttarkashi on day two.
The Border Road Organization deploys machinery at Bhaironghati and Sukki Top to clear snow and make the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway fully functional round the year. Till Harsil, the visitors find some movement. Local jeeps, BRO and army vehicles ply on the road. But, after Harsil one rarely encounters any human movement on the road.
Harsil, which is also called as mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand, shares a special bond with the Indian film industry. The place came into the limelight after famous Bollywood director Raj Kapoor shot a major portion of his blockbuster Ram Teri Ganga Maili in this village in the mid 80s. Film actress Mandakini became a household name through the film and her sizzling bathing scene created big controversy. The place where the actress was filmed is presently known as Mandakini ghat.
The winter beauty of Harsil is unparalleled. The environs force the guests to spend more time there. After crossing Harsil, the riders need to take extra precaution in the 14 km patch between Jhala to Jangla. “The patch is in a shady area. Generally the snow accumulation is high,” Soni adds.
The Gangotri temple was closed for winter break last year on 5 November and the portals of the shrine will reopen for the devotees on coming 4 May. Routine prayer of goddess Ganga is conducted in winters at village Mukhwa.
With the advent of summer, local administration, temple committee and people associated with the tourism industry become active. They start visiting Gangotri to prepare for the pilgrimage season. The movement breaks the monotony and life turns normal in Gangotri. The start of the pilgrimage season turns the religious town into a hub of vibrant activities.
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