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| The Temple |
You encounter Gangotri on the 2nd
lap of Chardham Yatra. Again a very picturesque locale, it has enroute the
Harsil village where many a Bollywood films were shot (including the infamous
Ram Teri Ganga Mail) and you may definitely get a chance to take a shower is
some of the waterfalls in the neighbourhood
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| Colourful and Avoidable |
The journey is comfortable and
the roads very smooth, the vehicle drops you closeby to the temple and you may
only have to walk a few 100 meters to reach the temple precincts. As in case of
the other 3 shrines, facilities are limited and so is the hygiene here. We met
an Old Drummer who has been here since decades and he shared some interesting
anecdotes on the history of the temple as well as its significance.
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| A closeup view of the Temple |
The original Gangotri Temple was
built by General Amar Singh Thapa. The river is known as Bhagirathi at its
source and acquires the name Ganga from
Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is
at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, which is a 19 km trek from here. A
short distance away you can hire horses and gallop towards the Gaumukh, though
it is considered to be a very bumpy ride and typically for the adventurous.
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| The Old Drummer who shared some interesting anecdotes |
While on the way back you can
think of spending the night at Harsil. It has some good Tent accommodations bang
on the banks of the river and Angling is allowed ……the locale is very pretty
and with luck you can have a sumptuous Trout for Dinner with the local wine
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| Narrow roads can cause traffic chaos on the journey |
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| Tents at Harsil |
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