Gangotri & Yamunotri Do Dham
Twin Himalayan shrines marking the sacred sources of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Uttarkashi district.
About this yatra
The Gangotri-Yamunotri Do Dham yatra forms the western arc of the revered Char Dham circuit, drawing pilgrims to the glacial origins of India's two holiest rivers. Yamunotri, perched at 3,293 metres beneath the Bandarpoonch massif, enshrines a black marble Yamuna devi installed by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the nineteenth century; the Surya Kund hot spring lets devotees cook rice prasad before darshan. Gangotri temple, built by Gorkha commander Amar Singh Thapa around 1815, stands in white granite on the banks where Goddess Ganga descended onto Shiva's matted locks to redeem the sons of Sagara. The actual glacial source at Gaumukh lies 18 km further trek upstream. Legend holds that Sage Bhagiratha's millennium of penance compelled the river's earthly descent. The temples open on Akshaya Tritiya and close on Bhai Dooj each year. Our curated package includes Haridwar pickup, Barkot and Harsil overnight stays, palki options for the 6 km Yamunotri ascent, priest-assisted abhishekam, and ganga jal collection rites. Pilgrims experience snow-fed darshan, Vedic chants at dawn aarti, and the unmatched spiritual gravity of standing where two civilisational rivers begin.
Best time to visit
May to June and September to October, before winter closure on Bhai Dooj
How to reach
Fly to Dehradun Jolly Grant (DED), drive to Barkot via Mussoorie; trek 6 km to Yamunotri, motorable till Gangotri.
What to expect
High-altitude trekking, sub-zero dawn aartis, Surya Kund prasad ritual, glacial darshan, palki and pony support, basic dharamshala lodging.