Yamunotri

The Yamunotri Temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century. A previous structure was destroyed by a landslide in 1923 and rebuilt by the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal. The Goddess Yamuna is depicted as a young woman carrying a pot of water and a lotus, riding on a tortoise. The idol is carved from black marble, symbolising the dark waters of the Yamuna.

Yamunotri is famous for its natural hot water springs — particularly the Surya Kund, a boiling spring believed to be so hot that pilgrims cook potatoes and rice in it as an offering to the Goddess. The cooked prasad (sacred food) is then distributed among devotees. This living tradition of cooking in the sacred spring is unique to Yamunotri.

The divine Divya Shila — a rock pillar worshipped at the entrance to the temple — is considered a manifestation of the deity itself and receives worship before pilgrims enter the main sanctum. The nearby Janki Chatti and Hanuman Chatti are important staging points for pilgrims. The Yamuna river, after descending from these sacred heights, eventually flows through Delhi and meets the Ganga at Prayagraj.