A Trip to the Bhagirathi River Valley
The Himalayas, my passion, stretches out west to east guarding Indian border on north, covering almost 2500 kms. It is a home of hundreds of large and small rivers, which come out from the glaciers, namely, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Indus, the Yamuna, among others. The river which is wrapped under controversial dams in the state of Uttarakhand is the Ganges. The source of this river at a height of 13, 700 ft. (4150 mts approximately) is the famous Gangotri glacier. The river onsets its journey from here under the name of Bhagirathi, which descends down about 2500 kms. to meet the Bay of Bengal. After a quick 18 kms. descent, on the river side there is a town called Gangotri. This is here where I had a trip this summer, when the heat wave of north India reached at its peak. Location Canninghill Piers Showflat
I started my journey from Rishikesh, a town on the river bank, invaded by ashrams and yoga centers, and lots of temples and shrines, which is the gateway to our four major pilgrimage sites. I took a taxi from here to 180 kms. away, Uttarkashi to take a break. After a long journey through mountain roads one needs a shower and rest for few hours to be perfectly fit for the next day. Uttarkashi is a district town of Uttarakhand, but devoid of public amenities due to government negligence. Lots of tourist hotels and lodges are there in affordable prices with a view to the river valley and the mountains. One can experience a trek to Dodital, a visit to Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and a few other places either by jeeps or share taxis.
Next morning, I started early to avoid traffic on Gangotri highway as it was already infested with ongoing project work for dams. The journey was awesome with a beautiful scenarios around; road alongside the Bhagirathi river, sometimes undulating, and narrow; but with a cautious driver one can always enjoy the surroundings. I passed through Bhatwari, Gangnani, Harsil, Lanka and reached at Bhaironghati at 11. 15. This place is only 9 kms. before Gangotri but very peaceful with just one tourist rest house run by GMVN, Uttarakhand Tourism, near the bus stand, apart from an army hospital and an old Shiva temple. The whole area is covered under coniferous forest, the roaring river can be heard from the nearby gorge. Just 1 km. downhill, the river Jadganga can be visible, meeting the Bhagirathi, from the top of the bridge built over it. One can take a short break over in Bhaironghati or a night halt at TRH.
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