Yamunotri Temple

The first temple visit for the char dham yatra is the temple of Yamunotri dedicated to goddess yamuna in garhwal himalyas at an altitude of 3,291 metres.Yamunotri is the starting point of the holy River Yamuna. It is the westernmost shrine in the Garhwal range of the Himalayas, balanced on the borders of Bandar-Poonch Parvat.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna and has a black marble idol of the goddess. The Yamunotri temple is a full day's journey from Uttarakhand's main towns  Rishikesh,Haridwar or Dehradun. The actual temple is only accessible by a 13 kilometres trek from the town of Hanuman Chatti and a 6 kilometres  walk from Janki Chatti, horses or palanquins are available for rent. The hike from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri is very picturesque with beautiful views of a number of waterfalls. There are two trekking routes from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri, the one along the right bank proceeds via the Markandeya Tirth, where the sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana, the other route which lies on the left bank of the river goes via Kharsali, from where Yamunotri is a five or six hours climb away.Hindus from all over the country travel here to pay homage to the origin of the River Yamuna that is in the opposite direction of the River Ganga.  Unlike the Gangotri, the glacier of this river is very difficult to reach. Due to this reason, Yamuna is worshiped as a deity at the foothills where the devotees take a dip the holy water to cleanse their souls.

History 

The temple at Yamunotri is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, who is believed to be the mother of humankind, providing them with rich nourishment. Yamuna is also one of the major rivers of India; the part of the three sister rivers that include Ganga and Saraswati too. The temple at Yamunotri was built by Tehri Naresh Sudarshan Shah in 1839, but was severely damaged by an earthquake. In the late 19th century, it was rebuilt by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur.

 As the story goes, Yamuna is considered the daughter of the Sun (Surya) and Sangya (Goddess of perception) and the sister of Yamraj (God of death). It is for this reason that the importance this river holds good among the Hindus. Asit Muni, a sage, is said to have made this place his abode since he bathed, everyday, in rivers Ganga and Yamuna. It is even believed that during his last days, when he could not travel to the Ganga from Yamuna, a stream of the Ganges originated nearby so that he could continue his rituals.

 Yamunotri Temple

The deity or Goddess Yamuna is made of black marble. The temple is dedicated to the river Yamuna, who is represented in the form of a silver idol, bedecked with garlands.

Close to the temple are hot water springs gushing out from the mountain cavities. Suryakund is the most important Kund. Near the Suryakund there is a shila called Divya Shila, which is worshipped before puja is offered to the deity. Devotees prepare rice and potatoes to offer at the shrine by dipping them in these hot water springs, tied in muslin cloth. Rice so cooked is taken back home as prasadam.

Temple Timings

Yamunotri Temple remains opens for pilgrims from: 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Aarti Time at Yamunotri Mandir: 6:30 am and 7:30 pm

Yamunotri Opening and Closing Time/DATE

The Temple opens on the religious day of `Akshaya-Tritya`, which falls, generally, during the last week of April or the first week of May. The closing day is always on the sacred day of Diwali after a brief ceremony.

The Yamunotri shrine is closed to the public for winter on Vijaydashmi with vadic chanting. This signal the start of the closure of the Char Dham shrines in Uttarakhand for the winters season.

When the temple closes for the season, Yamuna’s doli is taken to Kharsali (with pomp and rituals) where the pandits and purohits spend the winter months and where she is worshipped for these months. Yamunotri will reopen in the months of April/May next year.

Places to See

Saptarishi Kund: Saptarishi Kund is regarded as the origin of Yamuna River. At an altitude of 4421 meters, Saptarishi Kund is regarded as the origin of Yamuna River.

Surya Kund: There are a number of thermal springs in the vicinity of the temple which flows into numerous pools. The most important of these is Surya Kund.

Divya Shila,HanumanChatti,Kharsali,Barkot

Weather

The average maximum temperature of Yamunotri is about 15-20 degrees Celsius while the average minimum temperature easily goes below the zero degree mark. Warm and woolen clothes are a necessity almost all round the year, in Yamunotri.The summers in Yamunotri are cool and winters are very cold, with rains in the months of May and June.Monsoons in Yamunotri region starts from late July to August, and it makes difficult to reach the temple due to various landslides.Winter season starts from November to April, and the weather is freezing cold with heavy snowfall. Snowfall can be enjoyed during winters, especially from end of November till mid of March. Yamunotri temple is closed during this period. 

Best Time to Visit 

The best time to visit the holy city of Yamunotri is from April to June and September to November. The temple is open from last week of April to second week of November.

How to reach

By Train :Nearest railway station is Dehradun

By Air : Nearest airport is Jollygrant in Dehradun, which is 227 km away from Yamunotri.

By Bus : Yamunotri is well connected to many cities in the region by buses from Hanuman Chatti, which is 14 km away from city.