Gangotri is one of holy sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river Ganga originates from Gangotri and Gangotri is worshipped as the place where Mata Ganga resides. The Holy River originates from Gaumukh in Gangotri glacier which is 19 Km from Gangotri. At the source River Ganga is called Bhagirathi and acquires its name from Devyprayag onwards after it meets river Alaknanda.
According to the legend associated with Gangotri, Mata Ganga took the form of a river to resolve the sins of King
Bhagirath’s dynasty. The demons on earth were slayed by King Sagar and to proclaim his supremacy he organised an
Ashwamedha Yajna. King further organised a journey around the earth. The journey was to be completed by King’s 60,000 sons born to queen Sumati and son Asamanja born to queen Kesani. God Indra was in fear of losing his throne if the Yajna completed, in order to hinder the Yajna, he took the horse away and tied it to the Sage Kapil Ashram. Sage Kapil was in deep Meditation when the angry sons of King Sagar reached and stormed the ashram. On realisation of this incident, he cursed all 60,000 sons of King Sagar. Later, the grandson of King Sagar, Bhagirath mediated to please Mata Ganga to cleanse the ashes of his dynasty and allow them to gain Moksha.
The Bhavishya Badri Temple is located at a distance of 17 Km from Joshimath and surrounded with dense forest near Tapovan. The temple features an idol of Narsingha. According to the myth, it is believed that in future the present route to Badrinath will get inaccessible and Lord Badrinath will be worshipped here. Hence the name Bhavishya Badri is attributed to the temple.
If you are planning to visit Gangotri Dham, the following destinations might be of your interest
