History, Importance, Natural Environment and Travel Guide of Guptkashi near Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
The Gauri Kund is the starting point of the Kedarnath yatra, located at height of 6500 feet in Garhwal Himalayas from where the road ends and trekking starts of around 16 kms to reach the Kedarnath Temple. The hot water springs of Gauri kund are one of the Holiest site for Hindus. The Gauri Kund is located on the bank of river Mandakini and it is the most fascinating view one can watch. Lots of priest, devotees and tourist takes a dip in Gauri Kund to be free from sins and become soul pure. The devotees also visit Gauri Devi temple near to Gauri Kund. It is believed in this place Parvati also known as Gauri had meditated a lot to win the heart of Lord Shiva and finally Lord Shiva married to Gauri- Goddess Parvati at Triyugi Narayan, the place near to Gaurikund.
As per the legend, the Gauri Kund is also associated with the Lord Ganesh how he got elephant head. Legends say that this is the place where Goddess Parvati while taking a bath fashioned Lord Ganesh from soap lather of her body and placed Lord Ganesh as a Guard at the entrance and warned him to not allow any of the people to enter the Kund while she was meditating. Lord Shiva was in anger when Lord Ganesh denied not to enter and Lord Shiva chopped off the Ganesh head. Upon Parvati insistence that child should be brought back to life, Lord Shiva took the head of a wandering elephant and placed it on Ganesha’s body.
The Gauri Kund also known as Parvati Sarovar has its own worth watching view as it is surrounded by lush green forest, flowing Ganga and the Gauri temple. Avoid visiting during monsoon season as the road gets blocked due to landslides
How to reach Gaurikund: you can hire a taxi from Rudraprayag, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Sonprayag or from Dehradun. The nearest railway track is in Rishikesh and the flight connectivity is in Dehradun (Jolly Grant Airport). If you could not find the direct bus or taxi to Gaurikund then get vehicle for Guptkashi, a well settled town near to Gaurikund. As this the last point to reach Kedarnath, facilities to accommodate pilgrims, local travel and food are very well developed.
