Gangotri The Ganga then flows on to Gangotri, where the river is worshipped at the Gangotri temple. Sweeping westwards from its source, the Bhagirathi turns south, and cuts through the Great Himalayas in deep gorges. While flowing through the Lesser Himalayas, it receives another principal affluent, the Alaknanda, at Devprayag. The confluence at Devaprayag is considered to be the second most holy confluence in Hinduism after the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna at Varanasi in the Indian plains. It is from Devaprayag that the river starts taking the name Ganga.

Sadhu at Gaumukh Credit: Unknown

Flowing south for 70 km and cutting through two ranges, the Nagtibba and the Shivalik, the Ganga descends to the plains at Hardwar.

The Gangotri-Gaumukh route lies on the ancient Hindu pilgrim routes. It is one of the "char dhams" -- four major Himalayan shrines -- along with Badrinath, Kedarnath and Yamunotri.

Gaumukh
Gaumukh (cow's mouth), the ice cave, lies at a distance of 18-19 km from Gangotri. It is a lovely trek offering magnificent views of the peaks in the region. However, environmental degradation is setting in due to the incredible numbers of pilgrims that visit the area every year. Modern transportation has made access to the region easy and as a result, the numbers that visit the region are far in excess of what it can accommodate.