Yamunotri

The River Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri glacier, which rises up to 6,315 meters above sea level, and lies against a steep slope just below the top of the Kalind peak. From here Yamuna comes down into Saptarishi Kund and from there gushes southwards in a series of waterfalls. To the west of the Kalind Parbat is located Banderpoonch, which is a dominant mountain in central Himalayan area of Garhwal and divides the watershed of Yamuna from that of the Ganges. Coming out from Kalind Parbat, Yamuna is also known as Kalindi.

As per a legend, Lord Hanuman doused the fire of his tail after burning Ravan’s Lanka in the chilly waters of Yamuna at Banderpooch. That is why the peak is called Bander (monkey) Pooch (tail) – monkey’s tail. Another legend sees Yamunotri as the hermitage of ancient sage Asit Muni. The Muni used to bath both in Yamuna and Ganga, but in his old age he couldn’t travel to Gangotri. Realising his problem, a stream of Ganga started to flow beside that of Yamuna.

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.