Yamunotri is a town in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. The place is famous for the Yamunotri temple. It’s imortance has immesnly increased after it has been added to the Chota Char Dham Yatra. It is actually the origination point of the second holiest river in Hinduism, the river Yamuna. Yamunotri Temple is the highest temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. It is located on the foothills of Mount Kalind and beside Mount Bandar Poonch.
Along with Yamunotri, there are 3 other sites in this Chota Char Dham Yatra, started by the Uttarakhand Goverment. They are namely; Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gangotri. Thousands of pilgrims visit these sites every year. These sites are famous not only for pilgrimage, but also due to the natural beauty and peace in the air. There are many sites near to Yamunotri which people visit to find peace and also do meditation.
Origin and History the Temple
The temple was constructed by Naresh Sudarshan Shah, The king of Tehri, in 1839. The temple was damaged due to an earthquake and hence it was reconstructed by Gularia Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur in the 19th century.
People believe that taking a dip in river Yamuna relieves one from untimely death. Goddess Yamuna is the sister of Lord Yama (the God of death). There are two deities inside the sanctum sanctorium of the temple. One is of Goddess Yamuna which is made up of black marble and is very beautiful. The other one beside it is of Goddess Ganga which is made of white stone and is equally magnificent.
How to reach the Yamunotri?
The temple is accessible after trekking for almost 6 kms to 13 kms. There are two trek routes –
• Hanuman Chatti – It is a 13 km long route. This route has a scenic view and a number of waterfalls fall on the way to Yamunotri.
The route from the right side of the bank goes through the Markandeya Tirtha (the place where Sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana).
The route from the left side of the bank goes through Kharsali.
• Janki Chatti – It is a 6 km long route. Being the shortest route, this is preferable by most of the tourists.
You do not have to worry as horses and palanquins are available for rent especially for senior citizens and those who cannot go through the trek.
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