Travel the Gaurikund and trek to Kedarnath to learn about its significance according to Hindu beliefs.
If you have ever visited the Kedarnath Dham, then you must be familiar with the Gaurikund. But if you haven’t then now through this blog you’ll get familiar. Gaurikund is a small place in Uttarakhand, which is popular among pilgrims. It is mainly known for its strategic location on the path of Kedarnath Dham. Gaurikund is the place from where the Kedarnath trek begins. So all the pilgrims who visit Kedarnath, get to know about this point. It is located at an elevation of more than 6500 feet. it connects Kedarnath with a 16 km pedestrian route. Besides that, the Gaurikund has a linkage also with the Shiva and Parvati story. So here in this blog, we are going to introduce you to this must-to-know place. It is going to help you during your Chota Char Dham trip planning sooner or later.
Gaurikund:
The name itself expresses the Goddess Gauri. The locals sometimes call this place Gauri Lake, the Lake of Sympathy, or the Parvati Sarovar. It’s because of the wholesome connections of the area with the Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. According to Hindus’ sentiments, it is believed to be a holy place for taking a dip in the Gaurikund. The pilgrims who come here take a dip and then head towards the Kedarnath trek with pure mind and devotion.
Gaurikund Religious stories:
We have known the basic information of Gaurikund, now let’s understand the story behind this place. According to Hindu tales, this is that holy spot where Goddess Parvati had done strict penance to get Lord Shiva as her Husband. She had taken a stay here during her period of Meditation and used to take baths here. After years of hard practice, Lord Shiva finally accepted her as wife with all his love and devotion at the same place. Legends say that they got married in the nearby Triyuginarayan temple. This tale is very well known among the Indians. This is why tourists who are Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri followers come to Gaurikund and Triyuginarayan temples. They like to experience the positive energies of these places.
Lord Ganesha Story
Other than this, the local crowd here shares another interesting story. How Parvati Ji assembled the statue of her son Ganesha and how Lord Ganesha got the elephant face. Goddess Parvati created the statue with the soap from her body while cleansing, then breathed life into him by her divine powers. Afterwards, she guided Ganesha to become a guard out of her bathing area. The story turned in another direction when Lord Shiva arrived there after his deep meditation for years. He couldn’t recognize Ganesha and because of a misunderstanding, Lord Shiva cut his head off. As soon as Goddess Parvati realized this, she started regretting and requested Lord Shiva to reapply the head. This is how Lord Ganesh got a new elephant head and has been worshipped in the same mode since then.
These small interesting tales reveal a lot about the historical and religious connections of the place. Now you would have realized the significance of this place for the Hindus. Let’s assume that we have discussed enough tales about the Gaurikund. Now, we must look at the other details of the place that you need to know.
Why should you visit Gaurikund:
As it is already known, the Gaurikund provides a gateway to the Kedarnath trek; so it comes to be a necessary visit to Gaurikund to reach the Kedarnath shrine. Otherwise, there remains only one way to arrive and that is through air mode. However, most of the visitors prefer the trek due to its affordability. We mean to say that trekking is budget-friendly. Apart from the Kedarnath trek, if you keep the desire to explore the local Hindu pilgrimage sites with past linkages. Then you should come here and enjoy the beautiful weather, scenic views and temple darshan.
Why should you opt for Kedarnath Trek?
Along with budget-friendly mode, if you trek for the Kedarnath, you’ll get the silver chance to visualize the rare breathtaking beauty of the Himalayas. Especially, if you are a peace lover and photography holic person, then you will enjoy trekking a lot.
In a nutshell, trekking presents various beautiful scenic views throughout the journey. The Ganga River flows underneath the earth named Vasuki Ganga.
Attractions in Gaurikund
Besides the Gaurikund the other attraction of the place is the temple of the goddess Gauri, which is popular as the Gaurikund Temple. Here devotees come and offer their worship to the goddess.
Gaurikund is also well-known for its hot water springs that make people wonder about how the water is automatically hot in that high elevation which is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and freezing winds.
Gaurikund to Kedarnath:
The prior walking distance from Gaurikund to Kedarnath was 14 km but the flood that came in 2013 made it a hard and long way to reach because of the construction of a new safe and secure path for travelers.
Now, the time taken is highly dependent on the tourists’ fitness and stamina level, approximately it would take around 7-8 hours of your in one climb. The Yatra can also be done in one day or utmost 2 days for those who take halts several times or have low energy. You will also witness the Himalayan Mountains, dense forests, and sacred rivers which is what makes the Yatra more adventurous and moderately challenging.
How to reach Gaurikund:
Gaurikund is a small town that is very well-connected with the major cities of Uttarakhand, we will describe to you what one can take to reach Gaurikund and you can choose accordingly.
From Delhi, it becomes straightforward to travel to Uttarakhand, and also you have a lot of alternatives.
By Train:
You find direct trains to Rishikesh from Delhi station. Once you reach Rishikesh, you can take either taxis and buses or book cabs to the Gaurikund which is available easily.
By Bus:
Not only Rishikesh but other important cities and towns of Uttarakhand such as Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Haridwar, Tehri, Srinagar, and more also provide bus Facilities that are 24*7 functional for visitors.
By flight:
The only Airport of Uttarakhand lies in Dehradun and is located at a distance of 224 km from Gaurikund. Near Jolly Grant Airport also, there are several buses and taxis one can search to Gaurikund town.
Gaurikund Hotels and Food Guide:
Gaurikund is not a very developed place, so you can’t get five-star resorts and villas. However, there are basic homestays and budget-friendly hotels, where you can night stay at very affordable prices. That terrain is critical, that’s why there’s a lack of resources, but you’ll get all of the resources for your basic needs.
Kedarnath Dham is the abode of sacredness and that’s why the surrounding area is influenced by the pilgrimage approach. If you are seeking food in Gaurikund then yes, you will witness a few not so luxury but simple and clean food zones, where you can get vegetarian food and snacks. We would like to advise you to bring some dry snacks for the trek. So that whenever you feel low or hungry, you can eat that. Because there’s not that much availability of hotels in the upper Himalayan topography.
Places to visit around Gaurikund:
People often start their journey from Gaurikund to the trek of Kedarnath Dham, however, sometimes, they halt a day to explore some of its raw beauty.
It is suggested that if you’re trekking in Gaurikund, you must also visit the Triyuginarayan Temple of lord shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati which is 17 km away, and is believed that both got married here.
The next location you can go to is known as the Mini Switzerland Of land and I.e. Chopta which is 70 km away from Gaurikund but it requires at least 2-3 days of yours.
Ukhimath is also situated at a distance of 45 km from Gaurikund which is the winter abode of lord Kedarnath and Madhymaheswar.
Conclusion
Whatever you need to know about Gaurikund is mentioned in the blog. All the aspects including religious, and historical have been described in the above section. We hope that you would have found this blog helpful. If you have any other related queries, you can approach us through our social media page. If you are planning to visit the Chota Char Dham in Uttarakhand then here we are providing our tour operating services. We are a travel Acharya team, working day in and day to make your journey safe and sound. So now what is stopping you from booking the ticket for Uttarakhand and visiting the holy places located there?
FAQs:
Q1) What are Gaurikund to Kedarnath’s horse charges?
A1) Either you can trek to Kedarnath or take a horse ride which would be according to your weight but the approx starting is from 1800-2000 rs one-way.
Q2) What’s Gaurikund temperature update?
A2) From May to June is the perfect weather to visit the Gaurikund or even the temple darshans, because, in winter, it gets chilly and cold, and then the risk of landslides and avalanches increases.
