Gaumukh
Gaumukh ( Hindi : गौमुख) indicates the currently has around 4360 meters altitude in the Himalayas preferred source of the Bhagirathi , one of the two sources of the Ganges in the Indian state of Uttarakhand .
geography
The glacier gate of the Gangotri glacier , from which the Bhagirathi rises, is now 18 km away from the pilgrimage site of Gangotri (3,048 m) due to the strong retreat of the glacier . The glacier is framed by three important mountains of over 6,700 m. Every year pilgrims flock up the steep mountain path to the glacier gate , which is called Gaumukh ("mouth of the cow") because of its former appearance, very similar to a wide open mouth . The 20 meter wide mountain stream that rises from this glacier cave is the upper reaches of the Bhagirathi , which after 214 kilometers flows together with the somewhat larger Alaknanda in Devprayag (618 m) and forms the Ganges. After a further 87 kilometers, the Ganges leaves the Himalayas in Rishikesh (348 m) and becomes a broad, branched river in the opening plain.
mythology
According to Hindu mythology , the legendary sage Bhagiratha meditated for 1000 years. Lord Shiva saw this and granted the wise one a wish. He asked for the birth of the heavenly Ganga river so that the earth would become fertile and productive. Since then, the river goddess Ganga has stood for prosperity, health, redemption and abundance. It is considered the archetype of all rivers in India, since according to mythology all other rivers descend from Ganga. Ascetic sadhus live in the vicinity of the spring , who meditate and take a bath every day in the ice-cold waters to wash away sins.
literature
- Garhwal (2002): Tourist Guide Map of Garhwal & Kumaon Himalayas, published by Nest & Wings, New Delhi (circa 2002)
Web links
- More information on suedasien.info
- Illustrated travel report on heiliges-haben.de
- Travel report on outlooktraveller.com (English)
Coordinates: 30 ° 55 '36.4 " N , 79 ° 4' 50.8" E
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Satellite image of the region
- ↑ See English description of Gaumukh and Ganges . Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
