Valley of Flowers

There Valley of Flowers is a beautiful valley, 13064 ft in height, which is famous for its flora. The Valley of Flowers is a 17 km walk from Govind Ghat.

Like Hemkund Saheb, you need to stop at Ghangaria while going to the Valley of Flowers. From Ghangaria, a 5 km road goes towards north for the Valley of Flowers. At the end of the road there is a small unpaved bridge which takes you to the Valley of Flowers.

Very recently the Valley of Flowers was declared a national park. The peak season for visiting the Valley of Flowers is between the month of June and October. During the rest of the year it remains uninhabited due to the heavy snowfall.

If after visiting the Valley of Flowers you want to stay there, you can come back to Ghangaria where Tourist Rest Houses are available. Read more...

Hemkund Sahib, Hemkund Saheb Yatra

Hemkund Saheb is actually the name of a lake which is a holy place for the Sikhs. In his autobiography "Vichitra Natak" (which is a part of the "Dasham Grantha") the Sikh guru Guru Govind Singh mentioned a lake beside which, in one of His earlier incarnations, He prayed. It’s written that the lake was situated between 7 snow clad mountain peaks.

In 1930, Habildar Sohan Singh discovered this lake and it is believed to be the same lake which was mentioned by Guru Govind Singh.

Hemkund Saheb is at a height of 14203 ft and is a 18 km journey from Govind Ghat. If you are traveling by a cab or a bus, it would drop you at Govind Ghat. From there you would have to walk 13 km to reach Ghangaria which is at a height of 10000 ft. From there the road divides into two, one goes to Hemkund Saheb and the other goes to the Valley of Flowers. From Ghangaria, Hemkunmd Saheb is another 5 km walk.

There are Tourist Rest Houses and refreshment centers available at Ghangaria, so if you want to stay overnight, you need to halt at Ghangaria. Read more...

Panch Prayag

A prayag is a confluence or the merging point of 2 or more rivers. There are 5 prayags which are collectively referred to as Panch Prayag. These are the merging point of the rivers Dhauli Ganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bhagirathi. Here is a list of the Panch Prayag.

1. Dev Prayag (94 km from Haridwar)
Merging point of river Bhagirathi and river Alakananda.

2. Rudra Prayag (76 km from Dev Prayag)
Merging point of river Alakananda and river Mandakini.

3. Karan Prayag (33 km from Rudra Prayag)
Merging point of river Alakananda and river Pindar Ganga.

4. Nand Prayag (21 km from Rudra Prayag)
Merging point of river Alakananda and river Mandakini.

5. Vishnu Prayag (12 km from Joshimath)
Merging point of river Dhauli Ganga and river Alakananda. Read more...

Panch Badri

In Badrikeshwar, Lord Vishnu is worshipped in 5 different forms under 5 different names. Here is a list of the Panch Badri.

1. Shri Badrinath / Shri Badri Vishal (44 km from Joshimath)
2. Shri Adi Badri (20 km from Karan Prayag)
3. Shri Bridha Badri (Near Animath)
4. Shri Yogdhyan Badri (21 km from Joshimath at Pandukeshwar)
5. Shri Bhavishya Badri (26 km from Joshimath near Tapowan)

Named after Pandu, who meditated at this place, 23 km from Sadrinath to lift the curses of a sage, and was blessed by the Lord Badri, Pandukeshwar is the home of the Yogdhyan Badri.

It is said that when the 2 mountains Nar and Narayan would collapse, the road to Shri Badrinath would be closed forever. Then, Shri Badrinath would be worshipped at Shri Bhavishya Badri. Read more...

Panch Kedar

In Kedar Valley, Lord Shiva is worshipped in 5 different forms under 5 different names. These together form the Panch Kedar. Here is a list of the Panch Kedar.

1. Shri Kedarnath (14 km from Gauri Kund)
2. Shri Madmaheshwar (41 km from Gupta Kashi)
3. Shri Tungnath (3 km from Chopta)
4. Shri Rudranath (31 km from Mandal Chatti)
5. Shri Kalpeshwar (12 km from Helong)

At Shri Kedarnath Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form a natural rock which resembles the hump of a bull. At Shri Madmaheshwar it is in the form of a navel. Read more...