|
|
| Home » Gangotri » Pilgrimage and Tourist Sites » Gaumukh |
| |
Gaumukh
|
|
|
Gaumukh is the source of the river Ganga. The shape of the ice formation over here is like cow's mouth, for which it is named as Gaumukh, as in Bengali, 'Gaumukh' means the mouth of a cow. River Ganges originates from the depths of Gangotri glacier, a must visit place of the pilgrims going to Gangotri. The Gangotri glacier is one of the biggest glaciers of the Himalayas. Gaumukh is the exact place from where the river Bhagirothi is flowing out of Gangotri.
|
The route towards Gaumukh is not very easy. It is situated at 10 kilometers from from the nearest settlement, and people has to go by car. Gaumukh is at 3 kilometer above the sea level, at a cave. The road to to the cave is far and it is very difficult for those, who are not completely physically fit. However, persons can hire donkey,to reach Gaumukh, which nearly costs Rs. 600.
The way to Gaumukh, the road looks like an abandoned place and is very less active. Some of the portions become impossible to go even if a person rides on a donkey and there are also ups and downs on the road. The elevation of the roads change to 800 meters. But, the journey gives worth a meaning as you can view the breathtaking beauty of Ganga, the river Ganges. On the middle of the way, you can see the Shivlinga mountains and river Bhagirathi.
The road towards Gaumukh takes approximately 7 to 8 hours, which depends on the physical endurance and the motivation of the person traveling. There are availability of primitive foods on the way in the small, village like settlements. There is a small hotel located on the way where you can charge you cameras for taking pictures as you will find electricity. But, the charge is nearly Rs 2000, for charging the cameras.
You can also see small streams of melting glacier, near the cave. Combining all this, though the journey is tedious, it is compensated by these beauties of nature.
To know more about pilgrimage and tourist destinations at Gangotri, keep browsing gangotri-chardham.com
|
|
