Yamunotri – The Sacred Dham and Origin of River Yamuna

This temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, as it is the place of origin of RiverYamuna. It is one of the important and sacred places of worship among Chardhams and positioned on the border of Bandar-Poonch Parvat. This spot known to be the home of an ancient sage named Asit Muni. The view around the temple is surprisingly beautiful and is one of the memorial temples in Uttarakhand as well as in India, located at an altitude of 3293 metre above from sea level.
This is the firstly visited temple, in the yatra of Chardham, as the yatra begins from the west and constructed by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century and reconstructed later. It is famous for its glaciers, thermal springs, etc. visitors have to cover a walking distance of about 8 km from the foot of hill i.e, Hanuman Chatti, to reach the main temple.

The story of Yamunotri

In the temple, Goddess Yamuna is in the form of idol of silver and the dip in the sacred water of Yamuna relieves the devotees from all the pain and pressure in his life. The important and the exciting part of the temple is its kund called Surya Kund i.e., a tank containing boiling water, in which pilgrims dip the raw potatoes and rice tied in a muslin cloth and it is boiled here, These now cooked rice and potatoes are eaten in the form of Prasad. A Shila near the Surya Kund called Divya shila and worshipped before worshipping the main idol of Yamuna. The gate remains open in the month of May, on the day of Akshya Tritiya and close on the day of Yama Dwitiiya at November from 6 am to 8 pm.

Place of Interest

Yamunotri Temple - The main temple of Yamunotri is devoted to Goddess Yamuna and was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the late 19th century and then was rebuilt later.
Surya Kund - The Kund or the tank is famous for its thermal power having a very high temperature of 190°F. Pilgrims cook the uncooked rice and potatoes here and have these in form of Prasad.
DivyaShila - A shilla near Suryakund worshipped before entering the Yamunotri Temple.
Hanumanchatti – The union of Ganga and Yamuna rivers and the point for starting the trip.
Sayanachatti - It situated along the banks of river Yamuna that gives a picturesque effect.