Introduction:
Gopeshwar, the town in the name of Lord Shiva is located in the middle of the absolute beauty of Mountains. It is surrounded by majestic snow-capped hills, ranges and small water bodies. Additionally, the pleasant weather of the place enriches its natural beauty with peace and stillness in the atmosphere. It is located at the height of 1550 m above the mean sea.
The aesthetics of this heavenly township in the Chamoli district of the Garhwal region draw tourism from all over the country. It is more recognized among tourists for its temples and its religious essence, far from any materialistic activity. So here in this blog, we are going to share with you all the required details about Gopeshwar, Uttarakhand.
Know the Gopeshwar:
- Gopeshwar is recognized as a spiritual and cultural epicentre of the entire Garhwal region.
- The name Gopeshwar was attained by Lord Shiva when he went as a beautiful damsel to deceive Lord Krishna. But as soon as Krishna ji recognised his female guise, he named Shiva Gopeshawar Mahadev.
- In Vrindavan of Uttar Pradesh state, there is another temple of Mahadev named Gopeshwar.
- The ancient Gopinath Temple was built by Katyuri kings in the 12th century AD.
- The recommendable stay in Gopeshwar is 1 day only.
Gopeshwar Real Story:
The whole town in itself is a very pristine adventure. However, the main motive of the growing crowd here is its ancient temple of Lord Shiva. Every year a large number of devotees come to offer their worship and respect to the deity while on their way to the Uttarakhand tour.
The main temple of the town is Gopinath Temple. The story behind this revered shrine dates back to when the Kamadev (God of love) tried to intrude on the meditation of lord shiva so that he could help the Devatas. But consequently, in anger, Shiva used his trident to kill him for disrupting his penance and turned him into ashes. Later, when Kamadev’s wife Rati pleaded and imposed self-punishment on herself then only Shiva made her believe that her husband would come back to life. It is also written in the scripts, that Lord Shiva gave a boon to Rati that her husband would reappear but not in the physical body. It means the Kamdeva had gained his life again but not his body.
That Trident of Lord Shiva is still standing straight in the courtyard of the temple. Besides this, Gopeshwar is also known as the winter abode of Lord Rudranath Ji.
How to reach Gopeshwar?
The Gopesahwar town is situated in the Chamoli district. And once you are in Uttarakhand, then reaching Chamoli is not a tough task. But the confusion comes into the mind of tourists while agreeing on the route as to which to choose. So here we are guiding you to reach Gopeshwar in the most convenient manner.
By Flight:
The Jolly Grant Airport of Uttarakhand in Dehradun is very well connected with continuous flights from Delhi and other corners of the country. Once you arrive at the Jolly Grant airport, you can take a taxi or a van to Gopeshwar. The Airport is hardly 225 km away from Gopeshwar. So if you are the one who wants to save time then you should come through the flight only.
Now when you travel from Jolly Grant Airport to Gopeshwar by road, you’ll witness the towns Rishikesh, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Karnaprayag. It will take approximately 6 hours 30 minutes to travel this distance.
By Train:
The nearest railway station to Gopeshwar is in Rishikesh which is 210 km away. And then again, when you reach Rushikesh by train, you can personally hire a taxi or a van from the railway station to Gopeshwar. It will take about 6 hours to cover this distance.
By Road:
There are well-affiliated motorable roads that connect Gopeshwar to every major destination of Uttarakhand. You can easily get a local mode of transportation to get there. The nearby locations of Gopeshwar are Nandprayag, Chhinka, Village Sagar, Pipalkoti and Sonla.
Gopeshwar Weather:
The perfect time to visit Gopeshwar to relish the pleasant weather and peacefulness of the atmosphere starts from April to June. You can visit from September to December also. After December, the weather begins turning more cold and chilly which would let visitors carry woolen clothes and more luggage.
Despite this, most people come to visit in the winter season to witness the snowfall. And in case, anyone who is fond of snowfall must visit in the months of January and February.
Gopeshwar: Stay and Food Guide
Stay:
If you are planning to visit Gopeshwar then one thing that comes to your mind is accommodation. So here’s the guide to staying in Gopeshwar. Due to being a highly visited town of Uttarakhand state, Gopeshwar now maintains different and several Staying options. Some hotels and restaurants are equipped with every essential requirement of a visitor.
Besides, there are Homestays and cottages too which are being run by local people here and are available at affordable ranges.
The Uttarakhand Tourism Board and Garwahal Mandal Vikas Nigam(GMVN) run guest houses for tourists who want to spend less and explore Gopeshwar at minimal expenses. In a nutshell, there are enough options to stay in the town. You can choose the hotel according to your preference and budget.
Food Guide:
Several eateries offer diverse cuisines such as North Indian, a bit of Chinese, Tibetan local meals and of course authentic Garhwali food. There are plenty of nature Cafes and restaurants offering a variety of snacks but being a religious hub non-vegetarian food is prohibited from selling. Several Street food points are also present in the corners of town, so if you are a Street food lover, you can enjoy that.
There are in-house restaurants too which provide fresh meals with a home-made taste and are budget-friendly. Overall there are varities of options to try on your taste buds, so relax and plan the trip for the Gopeshwar.
Tourist Attractions in Gopeshwar:
Gopinath Temple:
The significant main temple of Gopeshwar is the Gopinath temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The tourists visit the Gopeshwar mainly to get the darshana of Gopinath temple. This temple was built around the late 11th century or 12th century by the Katyuri kings of the Garhwal Kingdom. This place carries a valuable meaning in Hindu beliefs after Panch Kedar.
If we talk about the architecture of the temple, then there is a huge dome at the centre which comprises a sanctum and the shivling here is known as Gopinath. Gopinath Temple looks almost similar to the typical Pahadi temple architecture. The trident in the courtyard is 5m tall and has been there ever since the temple was constructed. If you are visiting Uttarakhand and want to seek religious places in the state, then you should plan one day for Gopeshwar also.
Kalpeshwar Nath Temple:
The Kalpeshwar Nath Temple is located only 1.8 km from Gopeshwar. This is one of the Panch Kedar teerth and here the hairs of Lord Shiva are worshipped. According to the Hindu scriptures, the Lord Shiva has granted the water from the kund present here for the Samudramanthan. They say that 14 types of gems originated from the Samudramanthan because of the water given by Lord Shiva. Besides this, a fair for the good progeny is held annually here in the Kalpeshwarnath. So all of the devotees who have faith in this fair, come here and offer their prayers to God. If you are in the town, then you should not avoid visiting the temple of Mahadeva.
Sati Ansuya Temple:
The temple is devoted to Sati Ansuya Ji, wife of Atri Muni who is believed to be one of the Sapta Rishis. A local fair is organized here every year in December. It is throughout the night with local bhajans and Songs to impress and offer their glorification to Goddess Sati Ansuya. The temple is 12-13 km away from Gopinath Temple. So if you are the one who has a special place in the heart for spiritual places then you must visit this temple for your goodness.
Chandika Devi Temple:
Another temple that you should visit is Chandika Devi temple. It’s said that the incarnation of Mata Parvati to kill Demon Mahisasur is known as Mahisasur Mardni. And Mahisasur Mardn is known as Chandika Devi also. The temple is considered the eighth Siddhpeeth and has a lot of significance for the Hindu devotees. This Devi temple is only 2km away from Gopinath Temple. So if you are in Gopeshwar town then take some more time to get the Darshana of Chandika Devi.
Conclusion:
So are you ready now to visit Gopeshwar in Uttarakhand? If you are on an Uttarakhand trip, then you must plan one day for this beautiful religious town. All the details of nearby places to visit and the accommodation guide are mentioned in the blog. We hope that you will find the information helpful for exploring the corners of Uttarakhand. Let me tell you, we are a travel operator company, Travel Acharya. We organize trips for several Uttarakhand destinations, so if you want us to serve you, please feel free to contact us.
FAQs:
Q1) What is Gopeshwar Famous For?
A1) Gopeshwar is known for its spiritual serenity and is remembered as a religious epicentre of Uttarakhand. This is also the largest town and the headquarters of the Chamoli district. Q2) What is the distance between Gopeshwar and Badrinath?
A2) The measured distance from Gopeshwar to Badrinath Dham is around 98 Kilometers. It also depends on what means you are travelling. Q3) What’s the distance between Gopeshwar to Chamoli?
A3) The Gopeshwar to Chamoli distance is approximately 58 Km. If you are travelling by taxi then it will take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to cover this distance.
