Friends, as soon as the name of Uttarakhand is mentioned, the beauty of its litigants comes into front of the eyes. Everyone knows Uttarakhand’s natural beauty; the litigants’ beauty fascinates everyone.
If we talk about Vedic Puranas, I want to tell you that there is evidence of Uttarakhand in that, too; not only this but Uttarakhand has also been depicted in our Hindu scriptures. For your information, let me tell you that Uttarakhand is also addressed by the name of Devbhoomi because there are shrines of all the gods and goddesses of Hinduism. For these reasons, it is considered one of the sacred religious places.
Every year lakhs of tourists and devotees reach here only to see the natural litigants here and to see God. Not only this, the valleys here are so beautiful that the shooting of films also takes place here.
Uttarakhand’s hill stations like Nainital, Almora, National Park, Mussoorie, and Bhimtal attract a maximum number of tourists from every corner of India. Also, the people of this place believe that worshiping once in the temples here leads to salvation. It is because Lord Shiva resides in the holy land of Uttarakhand, and Uttarakhand is the origin of the sacred river Ganges.
So friends, today we take you on a tour of the famous temples of Uttarakhand and tell you about the critical information related to them. Tourists from all over the world visit these holy temples.
Yamunotri Temple
The Yamunotri temple is situated on the Kalind mountain in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The black marble statue of Yamuna Devi in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple enshrines life. The main attraction of Yamunotri Dham is the temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna and Janki Chatti. This temple is known as ‘Mata Yamunotri Ka Mandir.’ According to the scriptures, Mata Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun God, and Dharmaraj is the younger sister of Yamraj. In this temple, Yama, the god of death, is seated with his younger sister Yamuna.
Historians believe Maharaja Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal built the Yamunotri temple. However, this Dham was rebuilt by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur in the 19th century.
Gangotri Temple
“Gangotri Temple” is located 100 km away from the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. According to mythic beliefs, the place where Mother Ganga descended on earth is “Gangotri Tirtha.” Gangotri, located in the form of Uttarakhand, is believed to be the origin of the river Ganga.
Gangotri Temple is a holy pilgrimage place for Hindus. Gangotri temple is situated on the banks of river Bhagirathi.
The temple is situated on the Greater Himalayan Range at 3,100 m (10,200 ft). This place is the origin of the river Ganges. Gangotri Temple is the most prominent temple in India.
The origin of the Ganges at Gangotri is estimated to be at an altitude of 4,225 meters in the Gangotri Glacier, about 24 km from here.
The temple of Ganga and the holy places of Surya, Vishnu, Brahmakund, etc., are located here.
Badrinath Temple
Badrinath Temple is a famous Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located in Badrinath city of Uttarakhand in India.
Badrinath Temple is one of the Chardham and Chhota Chardham pilgrimage sites. It is on the bank of the Alaknanda River between two mountain ranges named Nar and Narayan. This is one Badri out of Panch-Badri. Panchbadri, Panch Kedar, and Panch Prayag in Uttarakhand are essential from the mythological point of view and the point of view of the Hindu religion. This temple is dedicated to Badrinath in the form of Lord Vishnu. It is situated at a distance of 214 km from Rishikesh in the north direction. Badrinath Temple is the main attraction of the city. This temple of Lord Vishnu, built in ancient style, is vast. Its height is about 15 meters. According to legend, Lord Shankar discovered the image of Badrinarayan on a black stone above the Shaligram stone in the Alaknanda river. It was initially built in a cave near Tapt Kund Hot Springs.
Kedarnath Temple
Kedarnath Temple is situated in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state of India.
The Kedarnath Temple in the lap of the Himalayan Mountains in Uttarakhand is included in the twelve Jyotirlingas and is also one of the Char Dham and Panch Kedar.
This is the largest Shiva temple in Uttarakhand, built by joining huge boulders of cut stones. These boulders are brown. The temple is built on a platform about 6 feet high. Its sanctum sanctorum is ancient and is believed to be around the 80th century.
Mountains on three sides surround Kedarnath Dham and the temples. On one side, there is about 22 thousand feet high Kedarnath; on the other side, there is 21 thousand 600 feet tall Kharchkund,; on the third side, there is 22 thousand 700 feet high Bharatkund.
Jageshwar Temple
Jageshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Sadashiv. This Jyotirlinga is considered to be the “eighth” Jyotirlinga. It is also known as “Yogeshwar.” It is mentioned in Rigveda by the name of ‘Nageshan Darukavane.’ It is also described in Mahabharata. According to the history of Jageshwar, there was Katyuriraja in the Kumaon region of the Himalayan hills during the Gupta Empire in North India. Jageshwar temple was also built in the same period.
For this reason, a glimpse of the Gupta Empire is visible in the temples. The temple’s construction period has been divided into three periods by the Archaeological Survey of India “Katyurikal, Uttar Katyurikal, and Chandrakal.” With their unique artwork, these courageous kings have built the Jageshwar temple in the middle of the dense deodar forest and more than 400 temples in the Almora district.
Tungnath Temple
The Tungnath temple of Lord Shiva, situated on a high hill, falls in the Rudraprayag district of Garhwal, Uttarakhand, one of Lord Shiva’s oldest temples. This temple is perched at the height of 3460 meters. In the Tungnath temple, one form of Lord Shankar is worshiped out of the Panch Kedar; here, the heart and arms of Lord Shiva are worshipped.
Also, this temple is the highest temple of Lord Shiva, which is famous not only in India but worldwide. It is believed that when Lord Shiva became angry with the Pandavas, they built the Tungnath temple to please Lord Shiva. Did. If we talk about nature here, the climate and environment here are very attractive, the beautiful plains here fascinate the visitors’ minds, and this is why this Garhwal region of the Himalayas is one of the most beautiful places where tourists from far and wide visit. They come for sightseeing and to have the darshan of Lord Shiva.
Nanda Devi Temple
One of the holy places of the Almora district of Uttarakhand state of Kumaon region, “Nanda Devi Temple,” has special religious significance.
The incarnation of “Goddess Durga” is enshrined in this temple. Situated at 7816 meters above sea level, this temple is dedicated to Mother Nanda Devi, the “Ishta Devi” of the Chand dynasty. Nanda Devi is an incarnation of Maa Durga and the consort of Lord Shankar and is worshiped as the main deity of the mountain region. Nanda Devi is the daughter of King Daksha Prajapati of Garhwal, so all Kumaoni and Garhwali people consider her as the daughter of Parvatanchal. Many Hindus visit this temple as a religious pilgrimage, as Nanda Devi is regarded as the “destroyer of evil” and the nomad of Kumon. Its history is more than 1000 years old. The temple of Nanda Devi is situated on the outer slope of the Shiva temple.
Dhari Devi Temple
Temple dedicated to Goddess Kali. This temple is highly revered in the region. People believe that the idol of Dhari Mata here changes its form three times a day, first a girl, then a woman, and finally an older woman. According to a legend, once a severe flood washed away a temple, Dhari Devi’s idol came to rest against a rock near Dharo village. The villagers heard the sound of lamentation from the model, and the heavenly voice instructed them to install the idol.
Every year on the occasion of Navratras, special worship is done to Goddess Kalisaur. People from far and near have been visiting this sacred place to seek the blessings of Goddess Kali. An ancient cave is also present near the temple. The temple is 15 km from Srinagar on the Delhi-National Highway 55. On the banks of the Alaknanda River, But one km-cement road goes till near the temple.
Chitai Golu Devta Temple
Uttarakhand is also known as Dev Bhoomi because many gods and goddesses reside in Uttarakhand. Which is also called our Ishta Devta, one of whom is Golu Devta.
The temple of Golu Devta, called the God of Justice, is located on the Pithoragarh Highway, eight kilometers from the district headquarters in Almora. It is also known as Chitai Gwal. A few steps away from the road, a grand temple of Golu Devta has been built in a high slap. Inside the temple is a statue of Golu Devta riding a horse and carrying a bow and arrow.
Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is an ancient holy temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the valley of Manikoot mountain, 1 kilometer from Swargashram (Ram Jhula or Shivanand Jhula) of Rishikesh in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is a famous religious center located at the Madhumati (Manibhadra) and Pankaja (Chandrabhadra) rivers in the lap of Manikut mountain. Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is one of the most revered temples of Rishikesh. This temple is located at a height of 1675 meters above sea level. A beautiful Shiva temple has been built in the Neelkanth Mahadev temple, and the story of the sea churning has been made in the carvings outside the temple. The statue of Dwarpalo is made at the main gate of Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. The idol of Kapil Muni and Ganesha is installed on the temple premises.