History, Natural Environment and Travel Guide of Saptarshi Kund – Original Source of River Yamuna near Yamunotri, Uttarakhand
Saptrishi Kund is the most difficult and adventurous hike on a spiritual highway which takes you to the actual source of Yamuna at height of 4421 mtrs in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. A glacier which melts and the yamunotri forms from there. This Kund is around 7 kms above from yamunotri Temple and it is the known as the most difficult trek of Himalayan spiritual places and yet unexplored in detail. This Kund is around half km in diameter with blue water, fed by Champasar Glacier and surrounded by rocky glaciers.
It is said that the seven Sages named Rishi, Kashyap, Atri, Gautama, Vishwamitra, Bharadwaj, Vasisthaand Jamadagni performed great penance here. It takes almost 2-3 days to complete your trek as ideal time. There is no predefined paths and the route is usually covered with ice so it’s advisable to go with a Guide or experienced trekkers. Around 5km up the slant, there is a little campground between two rivulets in case one wishes to set up the tent there and take a rest.
In this trek you will come across to the Himalayan flowers and herbs which are having medicinal properties. The ambience of this place is just out of the world and it is the most fascinating scenic view one can watch. The water of the lake is clear crystal dark blue in color. There are naturally created slate stones on the bank of the Kund. You can also find Brahma Kamal here growing. Saptrishi Kund is also a natural source to find high quality of Blue Sapphires, a precious gem stone.
How to reach Saptarshi Kund – Yamnotri can be reached by air, Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun is the nearest airport to Yamunotri and Rishikesh is the nearest railways station with regular trains. Buses and taxis are available from important destinations like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri, and Barkot which end at Janki Chatti. From Janki Chatti tough trek measuring up to 6/5 km is initiated till the holy shrine of Yamuna Devi. To save hardships of the journey one can hire ponies, palakies. The difficult and unexplored trek for Saptarshi Kund is around 7 km above the Yamunotri temple.
