Uttarakhand Visiting Places : Feel The Beauty Of Heaven
UTTARAKHAND VISITING PLACES
INTRODUCTION-
Some of you surely have visited some beautiful places of Uttarakhand and felt like you are in heaven. If you still did not go there you must go there and should feel like you are at the top of the world and feel like the feelings which will connect to your soul.
Uttarakhand formerly known as Uttaranchal is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the “DEV BHUMI”(“Land of God”) due to numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centre found throughout the state. Uttarakhand is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas.
The state is divided into 2 divisions Garhwal and Kumayun. It is bordered to the north-west by the Indian state Himachal Pradesh to the northeast by Tibet(autonomous region of China), to the southeast by Nepal and to the south and southwest by the Indian state Uttar Pradesh. Its capital is Dehradun.
DESTINATIONS –
If you are looking forward to the tourist destination, then you must explore Uttarakhand. There are many places which you will find beautiful and attractive but here I am mentioning few places in brief in this article.
CHAR DHAM-
Char Dham included Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
1)BADRINATH-
Badrinath(Badrinath is the abode of Lord Vishnu), there is a motorable road to Badrinath. Badrinath is in the Chamoli district. Lord Vishnu sat in meditation in this place. It is located on the bank of the river Alaknanda.
2)KEDARNATH-
Kedarnath(Kedarnath is the abode of Lord Shiva, Kedarnath is one of the 12 jyotirlingas of India). Kedarnath could only be reached on foot. The trek begins from Gauri Kund after the 2013 Himalayan floods, the trek currently is more than 18 km. due to washing away of trekking path. It is in Rudraprayag.
3) GANGOTRI-
Gangotri (Gangotri is the origin of the holy Ganga). Gangotri is not only the place for the origin of Ganga but also where Ganga flows in northerly directions. Hence the name Gangotri. The river Ganga flows out from the melting Gangotri glaciers.
4)YAMUNOTRI-
Yamunotri (is the origin of the Yamuna river). Yamunotri is the origin of the holy river Yamuna. A temple dedicated to the goddess Yamuna river is situated at the place. The actual origin of the river is the Yamunotri glacier.
PANCH KEDAR-
Panch Kedar refers to 5 Hindu temples or holy places dedicated to Lord Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand. They are the subject of many legends that directly link their creation to Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. These 5 panch Kedar are the Kedarnath, RudraNath, Tungnath, Madmaheshwar and Kalpeshwar.
1)KEDARNATH-
Kedarnath is a famous temple, also a part of Char Dham. Lord Shiva agreed to dwell here at the request of Nar Narayana after the Kurukshetra war. The Pandava brothers came here to meet Shiva on the advice of the sage Vyasa because they wanted to seek forgiveness for killing their kin during the war. However Shiva did not want to forgive them, so he turned into a bull and hid among the cattle on the hill. When the Pandava managed to track him, he tried to disappear by sinking himself head first into the ground. Bhima grabbed his tail and hind legs, forcing him to appear before them and forgive them. The Pandava brothers then built the first temple in Kedarnath. The portion of Shiva’s body later appeared in the other locations named Panch Kedar. Here hump of Lord Shiva is seen.
2)RUDRANATH-
Rudra Nath temple is also believed to establish by Pandavas. The face of Lord Shiva is shown in the Rudranath temple.
3)TUNGNATH-
Tungnath is built by Pandavas, worshipped there Lord Shiva for seeking pardon and blessings. Tungnath is identified as a temple, where the arms of Lord Shiva are seen.
4)MADMAHESHWAR-
When Lord Shiva did not want to pardon the Pandava and Shiva turned into a bull and left for Garhwal Himalaya but determined Pandava anyhow found him grazing in the hill of Gupta Kashi but the bull disappeared here in the ground and reappeared in the original form of Lord Shiva. In this place, the navel and stomach of Lord Shiva are found.
5)KALPESHWAR-
Jata of Lord Shiva was found here. Pandavas pleased with the revelation of Lord Shiva at 5 places in different forms, built temples at these 5 places, worshipped him and attained salvation with the blessings of Shiva.
Sage Arghya through his austere penance created Urvashi(the famous Apsara) here.
PANCH PRAYAG-
Panch Prayag is an expression in Hindu religious ethos, especially used to connote the 5 sacred river confluences in the Garhwal Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand.The 5 Prayags ,namely the 5 river confluences are Vishnu Prayag,Nanada Prayag,Karn Prayag,Rudra Prayag and Dev Prayag.
1)VISHNU PRAYAG-
The Alaknanda river which originates in the eastern slopes of glaciers fields of Chaukhamba is joined by the Saraswati river near Mana then flows in front of the Badrinath temple. It meets the Dhauli Ganga river ( origin from Niti pass), after travelling a distance of 25 km. from its source to form the Vishnu Prayag. This stretch of the Alaknanda river is called the Vishnu Ganga. The legend narrates the worship offered by the sage Narada to Lord Vishnu at this confluence.
2)NAND PRAYAG-
Nand Prayad is the second Prayag, where the river Nandakini joins with the river Alaknanda. The legend narrates that the confluence derives its name from the Yadav and Nanda. The foster-father of Lord Krishna. Vishnu granted the boon of the birth of the son to Nanda and his wife Yashoda and also the same boon to Devki and Vasudeva placed in a dilemma, since, both were his disciples. He ensured that the Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu was born to Devaki and Vasudeva but was fostered by Yashoda and Nanda.
3)KARNPRAYAG-
It is the place where the river Alaknanda meets with the Pinder river, which originates from the Pinder glaciers, below the Nanda Devi hill range. The epic Mahabharata legend narrates that Karana did penance here and earn the protective gear of Kavacha( Armour)and Kundala ( earring) from his father the Sun god, who gave him indestructible powers.
4)RUDRAPRAYAG-
It is the place where the river Alaknanda meets with the river Mandakini river. The confluence is named after Lord Shiva, who is known as Rudra. Shiva performed the Tandava here and also played his favourite musical instrument Rudra veena here.
5)DEV PRAYAG-
Dev Prayag is the confluence of the two holy rivers Bhagirathi-main stream of Ganges and Alaknanda. Beyond this confluence, the river is known as the Ganges. The holiness of this place is equal to the famous Triveni Sangam confluence at Allahabad, where the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers merge.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS-
Uttarakhand visiting places article tells you about some more other tourist destinations. Kindly read till the end.
NAINITAL –
Nainital is the gem of Uttarakhand, a charming hill station that sits at the green foothills of the Kumaon ranges in the Himalayas. Nainital is located and developed around the beautiful Naini lake. Naini lake offers a great boating ride. You can do shopping on mall road and Tibetan market for handicraft, jewellery, woollens, different designs of candles and also can taste some beautiful food items. You can enjoy the ropeway journey there and also can visit for trekking in the near mountain region.
Founded by the British due to its resemblance to the Cumbria lake district, Nainital brims with an elegant colonial structure that amplifies the beauty of this place. It experiences a pleasant climate throughout the year, making Nainital a tourist gateway.
RISHIKESH-
You can feel spirituality here. The most divine feeling you can feel. This is the hub of Ashrams. You can enjoy rafting here and feel like every day is a holiday.
look at the image of Lakshman Jhula.
HARIDWAR-
Haridwar considered to be among the 7 holiest cities of India, is an ancient city located on the bank of river Ganga in the Garhwal region of Himalaya. Haridwar is the most famous Hindu temple town, where many devotees come and pray for the holy river Ganga and relieve from all sins.
Every evening, Haridwar is witnessed for the set of rituals for the famous Ganga Arti at the Ghats(river bank). Haridwar is not only a beautiful tourist destination but also we can not deny its spiritual environment.
It also hosts Kumbh Mela in 12 years.
JIM CORBETT NATIONAL PARK-
Jim Corbett national park is the oldest national park set amidst the foothills of the Himalayan range in the Nainital district. It is known for the endangered Bengal tiger. It is famous for its wildlife safaris.
It is heaven for the bird watcher. Only 180 vehicles are allowed to enter the national park on the day. Safaris are organized in all zones in two shifts by the forest officials.
AULI-
Auli is a popular skiing destination in India because of its glittering slopes and clean environment. Dotted with apple orchard, oaks and deodar, Auli is a popular hill town with numerous ski resorts situated amidst the Himalayan range.
VALLEY OF FLOWER-
Uttarakhand visiting places tells you about the valley of flower. It is discovered in 1931 and is a world heritage site for its wild untamed bloomed surrounded by white peaks. It is famous for its exotic variety of medicinal herbs. It is also believed that Lord Hanuman Ji also brought Sanjivani to the ailing Lakshmana from the valley of flower. A perfect to laze around the umpteen number of Himalayan waterfalls, streams, peddocks and let the beauty of the place sink in.
MUSSOORIE-
Kempty fall, ropeway and shopping from mall road you can enjoy doing this. The most interesting thing which you will enjoy its journey while going to Mussoorie. The way you can find eye-catcher and will enjoy its journey.
CHOPTA-
Chopta, a small hamlet located in Uttarakhand, is a trekker’s heaven. The base camp of tracks like Tungnath, Deoriya Tal, Chandrashila, Chopta is an ideal destination for intermediate trekker can go on a guided trek and brush up their skills, the third temple in Panch Kedar located in Tungnath which is 3.5 km far away from Chopta.
Camping in the open grassy meadow of Chopta that slopes on softly among Alpine, Pine, Deodar and Rhododendron trees are soul-full filling. The snows covered peaks on Trishul, Nanda Devi and Chaukhambha dominate the panoramic views seen in Chopta.
Uttarakhand visiting places tells you some more destinations to visit like Kausani, Dhanaulti, Uttarkashi, Tehri lake, Dhari Devi temple, Pauri, Baijnath, Surkanda, Tehri lake, Rajaji National Park, Naukuchiya Taal, Chakrata, Chopta, Bhim Tal, Ranikhet, Lansdowne, Deovaria Taal, Rajaji National Park, Binser, Bhimtal etc.
Hope you liked these places in the “Uttarakhand visiting places” article and thinking about to go there. If you have more places to visit surely you can write in the comment box.
CONCLUSION-
I hope you surely liked this article “Uttarakhand visiting places. “Uttarakhand vising places” described only few places, in addition to those described places, there are a lot of places which I did not describe well due to the shortage of time, the places tells a lot about their culture. You must visit there and should explore that place. You will surely like it, after visiting there.
Thank you…
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