The sacred source of the river Yamuna and the first stop of the Chota Char Dham yatra, at about 3,293 m in the Garhwal Himalayas. Pilgrims cook offerings in its natural hot springs.
Primary Deity
YamunaLocation
Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
Pilgrimage Circuit
Chota Char DhamBest Time to Visit
May to June and September to October, between the shrine's seasonal opening (Akshaya Tritiya) and closing. Closed in winter due to snow.
Yamunotri honours the goddess Yamuna, daughter of the Sun God Surya and sister of Yama, the lord of death; tradition holds that bathing in her waters grants freedom from a painful death. It is the first shrine of the Chota Char Dham circuit, which also includes Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The Yamuna is among the most sacred rivers of India, second only to the Ganga. Pilgrimage to her source is considered deeply purifying.
Yamunotri, dedicated to the goddess Yamuna, sits high in the Himalayas beneath the Bandarpunch peak and is reached by a scenic trek from Janki Chatti. Beside the temple bubble the hot springs of Surya Kund, whose waters are so hot that pilgrims boil rice and potatoes in them to offer as prasad to the goddess. A nearby rock, the Divya Shila, is worshipped before entering the shrine. As the westernmost of the four Chota Char Dham, Yamunotri opens the Himalayan pilgrimage season each summer amid dramatic mountain scenery.
The Chota Char Dham (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath) are the four revered Himalayan pilgrimage sites of Uttarakhand, visited during the summer yatra season. This temple is one of the 2 sacred sites of the Chota Char Dham.
📍 Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
The revered origin-shrine of the holiest of rivers, the Ganga, and one of the Chota Char Dham, set at around 3,100 m in the Garhwal Himalayas. It marks where Ganga is said to have first descended to earth.
📍 Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
The revered origin-shrine of the holiest of rivers, the Ganga, and one of the Chota Char Dham, set at around 3,100 m in the Garhwal Himalayas. It marks where Ganga is said to have first descended to earth.
📍 Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
The highest of the 12 Jyotirlingas at 3,583 m in the Garhwal Himalayas, and part of both the Char Dham and Panch Kedar circuits. Reaching it is one of the most demanding and rewarding pilgrimages in India.
📍 Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
The highest Shiva temple in the world at about 3,680 m, the third and loftiest shrine of the Panch Kedar in the Garhwal Himalayas.
📍 Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
A sacred Shiva temple set amid the forested Garhwal Himalayas near Rishikesh, marking the spot where Shiva drank the world-destroying poison of the Samudra Manthan. His throat turned blue, giving him the name Neelkanth.
📍 Badrinath, Uttarakhand
The holiest Vishnu shrine of the Himalayas and one of the four Char Dham, set at 3,133 m between the Nar and Narayan peaks. Its brightly painted facade beside the Alaknanda river is one of the most iconic sights in Hindu pilgrimage.
📍 Haridwar, Uttarakhand
An ancient Siddh Peetha atop the Neel Parvat in Haridwar, marking where the goddess Chandi is said to have slain the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. It is one of Haridwar's three sacred hill shrines.
Yamunotri Temple is primarily dedicated to Yamuna.
Yamunotri Temple is located in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
May to June and September to October, between the shrine's seasonal opening (Akshaya Tritiya) and closing. Closed in winter due to snow.
Yamunotri Temple is one of the 2 temples in the Chota Char Dham.
Yamunotri honours the goddess Yamuna, daughter of the Sun God Surya and sister of Yama, the lord of death; tradition holds that bathing in her waters grants freedom from a painful death. It is the first shrine of the Chota Char Dham circuit, which also includes Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The Yamuna is among the most sacred rivers of India, second only to the Ganga. Pilgrimage to her source is considered deeply purifying.
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