Yamunotri

A closer look at Yamunotri

Yamunotri is the first stop on the traditional clockwise Char Dham circuit and the least visited of the four, which is precisely its charm. The temple sits deep in a steep gorge at 3,293 metres, dedicated to the goddess Yamuna, sister of Yama the lord of death — the belief being that a dip in her waters removes the fear of an untimely end. The shrine is small, the setting dramatic, and on a weekday outside peak season you may find yourself with unhurried time in front of the deity.

The road ends at Janki Chatti and the last six kilometres are done on foot, by pony or by palki, climbing steadily beside the young Yamuna through pine and rhododendron. It is a real ascent but a manageable one, and the path is well made with tea stalls at sensible intervals. Most walkers take three to four hours up and a little over two down. We start early so you are climbing in cool air and back down before the afternoon weather turns, which in this valley it very often does.

At the top, the extraordinary feature is Surya Kund — a spring so hot you cannot hold your hand in it, sitting metres from a glacial river. Pilgrims tie rice and potatoes in muslin, lower them into the kund and collect them cooked a few minutes later to offer at the shrine and carry home as prasad. Alongside it is Divya Shila, a rock pillar that is worshipped before entering the temple, and below both, the Jamunabai Kund bathing pool where the hot spring is tempered to something human beings can actually sit in.

We base you at Barkot or Janki Chatti the night before rather than attempting the climb after a long drive, which is the single change that makes this Dham comfortable instead of exhausting. Ponies, palkis and porters are arranged in advance at fixed, agreed rates so there is no negotiating at the trailhead at six in the morning. Yamunotri opens on Akshaya Tritiya and closes at Bhai Dooj, and May, June and September are the reliable months.