About Gaurikund
Rishikesh to Gaurikund distnce : 211 km
Estimated travel time : 7.5 hours
Rishikesh to Gaurikund is the most popular route for pilgrimage. Gaurikund is base camp for trek to Kedarnath which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is most important Jyotirlinga among 12 Jyotirlingas in India.
Gaurikund and Kedarnath is the holiest pilgrimage for Hindus. Apart from strong religious belief Gaurikund has unmatched natural beauty which also attracts adventure seekers for trekking. Kedarnath is situated in middle of Garhwal mountains and Mandakini river is flowing in front of Kedarnath shrine. Gaurikund temple can only be reached from Gaurikund through a trek. Pilgrims from all over world visit this shrine to take blessings of 'Supreme Being'. Gaurikund is the place associated with the legend of how Ganesha acquired his elephant head. This is the place where Gauri (Parvati) committed to penance involving many ascetic and yogic practices to win over Shiva's affections. There are hot springs in Gauri Kund. Kedarnath shrine is surrounded by snow covered mountains and alpine forests. Immediately behind the temple is Keadardome peak. The sight of temple and the peak takes you to another world. Kedarnath shrine remains open in summers only i.e. from April to October. During the winters from November to May, the deity is shifted from Kedarnath temple to Ukhitmath. Other attractions of Gaurikund are Sonprayag, Kedarnath temple, Vasuki tal and for adventure seekers the famous Chadrashila trek. It starts from village Tungnath, which is known as the starting point of the popular Chopta Chadrashila Trek. Tungnath temple and Chandrashila peak gives you with a 360 degree view of the valleys below. The peaks of Panchchuli, Nanda Devi, Nilkanth and Gaurikund are all covered during the trek.
Taxi from Rishikesh to Gaurikund is readily available at CabBazar.
Route Information
Rishikesh to Gaurikund by car is well connected through NH7 and NH107 and is very convenient and comfortable drive. Rishikesh to Gaurikund distance is 211 Km and is 7.5 hours journey. Other famous tourist places on this route and nearby are :
Devprayag - Tehri Dam, Tehri Lake, Koteshwar Dam, Teen Dhara, Chandrabadni Temple, New Tehri, Srinagar, Pauri
Har Ki Pauri - Ghat, Swami Vivekanand Park, Bhimgoda Barrage, Brahmakund, Shiv Murti
Srinagar - Shri Yantra tapu ganga vatika, Panch Pipal, Sri Yantra Tapu Martyrs Park, Shree Kamaleshwer Mahadev Temple, Srinagar Garhwal
Dang Chaura - Dhara Devi River View, Dhari Devi Temple Dang Chaura
Rudraprayag - Rudraprayag Sangam, Namami gange ghaat, Agustmuni Ashram, Surayprayag, Mandakni River, Tripureshwer Mahadev Mandir
Chopta - Chopta Wildlife Camps Resorts, Kedarnath Reserve National Park, The Hidden Waterfall (Soul Rover), Organic Himalaya Village Dugalbitta
Guptkashi - Perwaad Dhar, Barahi Temple, Shri Vidhyadham temple,Tripura sundries Mata temple
Ukimath - Kedarnath Temple, Omkareshwar Temple, Camping