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Gangotri Temple :
Near a sacred stone where King Bhagiratha worshiped Lord Shiva is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Ganga. According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga assumed the shape of a river to atone for the misdeeds of King Bhagiratha’s forefathers after he had endured a long period of penance.
King Bhagiratha used the holy slab known as Bhagiratha Shila to meditate. It is believed that the Ganga arrived at the earth at this point. Another legend holds that the Pandavas conducted the enormous “Deva Yagna” here in order to atone for the deaths of their relatives during the Mahabharata’s epic conflict.
Hindus believe that performing ancestral rituals on the banks of the Bhagirathi River frees the ancestor’s spirit from the cycle of rebirth and that taking a holy bath in the river’s waters atones for sins committed in this life as well as previous ones.
The Gangotri temple is open from Akshaya Tritiya, an auspicious day that happens in the month of May, till Yama Dwitiya or Bhai Dooj, which falls in the month of November. For the remaining six months, the Gangotri temple is shut. During the winter, the Goddess relocates to the village of Mukhba. The day of Ganga’s birth, Ganga Dussehra, is commemorated in May with much ceremony.
Gangotri Dham, which is located in the Uttarkashi area of Uttarakhand at a height of roughly 3,100 meters on the Himalayan range, holds a particularly important place in the hearts of Hindus. It is one of the four respected and important pilgrimage destinations in the Chota Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand. Among all the natural charm and beauty that the region’s mountains and altitude provide, Gangotri’s connections to the River Ganga (the Ganges) make it one of the holiest places.
Hindus believe that Ganga Maa, a goddess who is widely revered, is responsible for the Gangotri glacier, which is located at Gaumukh, some 18 kilometers from Gangotri town. Legend has it that Goddess Ganga came to earth to atone for the sins committed by King Bhagirathi’s ancestors. The Ganga River has been cherished as a source of humanity’s purity from ancient tales to the present. Traveling to Gangotri for religious purposes is not only a religious duty but also a spiritual calling.
LEGEND BEHIND THE GANGOTRI
PENANCE OF BHAGIRATH :
According to mythology, King Sagara, King Bhagirath’s great-grandfather, killed the demons on Earth. He made the decision to do an Ashwamedha Yagna in order to declare his supremacy. An unbroken trip between empires was expected to be undertaken by a horse during the yagna. Indra, the ultimate monarch, began to worry that, if the yagna were to end, he may lose his position on the celestial throne.
He seized the horse and tied it in the ashram of Sage Kapila, who was meditating, using his celestial abilities.
The 60,000 sons of King Sagara were given the responsibility of locating the horse as soon as his agents realized they had lost track of it. The king’s sons came and found Sage Kapila’s meditation site while searching for the missing horse.
In a fit of rage, they attacked the ashram and claimed the guru had stolen the horse after discovering the horse tied next to him. When Sage Kapila’s meditation was disturbed, he became enraged, and with a single, mighty glance, he reduced all 60,000 of his sons to ashes. Additionally, he forbade them from achieving Moksha until their ashes were washed in the sacred waters of the River Ganga, which at the time flowed through heaven.
According to legend, Bhagirath, the grandson of King Sagara, endured severe penance for a thousand years in order to convince Ganga to descend to earth so that he may release his forefathers. Finally, his perseverance paid off, and River Ganga was happy with his dedication and prepared to come to Earth.
TALE OF RIVER GANGA :
Another tradition claims that if the world had been completely drowned under Ganga’s waters when it consented to come to earth in response to Bhagirath’s prayers, the Ganga would not have agreed to do so. Lord Shiva grabbed the Ganga in his locks to prevent the destruction of the earth.
Bhagirath once more meditated for a very long time to appease Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva saw Bhagirath’s fervent devotion, he was pleased and released River Ganga in three streams, one of which arrived on earth and became known as the Bhagirathi River. The 60,000 sons rose from eternal rest as soon as Ganga’s water touched the ashes of Bhagirath’s ancestors. The Bhagirath Shila, which is situated adjacent to the Gangotri Temple, is the rock on which Bhagirath is thought to have pondered.