Origin from 1804
Gangotri is a Hindu temple town in Uttarakhand, India, set beside the Bhagirathi River at about 3,100 metres in the Garhwal Himalaya. The temple marks the traditional source region of the Ganges, revered in Hinduism as the goddess Ganga descending to earth, though the physical glacial source, Gaumukh, lies further upriver and is reached on foot from the town. The present temple was built in the early nineteenth century by the Gorkha commander Amar Singh Thapa. Gangotri is one of the Chota Char Dham, the four smaller Himalayan pilgrimage sites paired with the older, larger Char Dham circuit, and draws large numbers of pilgrims each year during the months the shrine is open before winter snow closes the route.
Facts
Site
Type of SiteSacred river, lake, spring or sea 1 Type of Site DetailA temple beside the Bhagirathi River marking the traditional descent point of the Ganges; the physical glacial source, Gaumukh, lies further upstream. 1 PilgrimageMajor pilgrimage destination today 1 Origins
Origin Period RegionUttarakhand, in the Garhwal Himalaya 1 Status
Status TodayIn active religious use 1 Location
Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)Encyclopaedia Britannica editors
Contained In
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)Encyclopaedia Britannica editors
Originated In
India, Regions Source Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)Encyclopaedia Britannica editors
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)Encyclopaedia Britannica editors
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Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2024- latitude fact
- longitude fact
- Gangotri entry, geography and pilgrimage significance
- Originated In: Uttarakhand, Stored region property on this entity, cited to this source: Uttarakhand, in the Garhwal Himalaya
- Originated In: India, Stored country property on this entity, cited to this source: India
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