In the past years pilgrims seeking God ventured to the Himalayas. Himalayas play a great part in Hindu mythology. It is often considered the home of Gods.
Gauri Kund is an important Hindu pilgrimage site on the way to Kedarnath and is on a sharp descent from Dolma La. It is situated at an altitude of around 5608m in the Garhwal Himalayas.
Gauri Kund is at a distance of 5 kms from Son Prayag. It is the last bus stop on the Kedarnath route. People from the tour to
Gauri Kund bathe in the hot water pond which is located here, before visiting the Gauri Devi temple. It is also known as the lake of compassion.
Gauri Kund has mythological importance too and has been referred to in the Shiv Puran. It is said that
Gauri Kund was the setting for the legend of Parvati and how Lord Ganesha acquired his elephant head. According to the legend once Goddess Parvati was bathing in the emerald waters of the kund when she fashioned an image of Ganesha from the soap suds on her body and breathed life into it. She placed this image at the entrance of her home to prevent anyone from entering. Lord Shiva returned at this point of time and was stopped by Ganesha. At this Lord Shiva got angry and cut off the boy's head. Goddess Parvati was inconsolable and became very furious. She wanted Lord Shiva to to bring the boy to life.
Lord Shiva had no way out and went searching for a head. Lord Shiva tried very hard but could not find an apt head, so He took the head of a wandering elephant and placed it on the body. Life was restored and Parvati got her son back. Another legend attached to this place is that Gauri (Goddess Parvati) wanted to win over Lord Shiva and thus started carrying out ascetic and yogic practices. According to local tradition
Gauri kund is the spot where Gauri lived while carrying out these practices. Lord Shiva was impressed at this and it was here that Shiva finally revealed his love for her and both of them were married at Triyugi Narayan, which is 10 miles away from
Gauri Kund.
Gauri Kund is said to be the road head for Kedarnath which is another nine miles up the path and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India. Kedarnath is connected to Shiva, and
Gauri Kund is connected with Goddess Parvati, also known as Gauri. The
Gauri Kund has an ornamental gateway with the lion motifs and the temple here is built at a lower level than the surrounding plaza.
Gauri Kund Temple has the idol of Goddess Parvati where devotees offer prayers.
Gauri Kund Temple is considered to be one of the important tourist attractions in Uttaranchal, specially visited by those on their way to Kedarnath, and thus is an important contributor to Uttaranchal Tourism.
Ponies, horses and dandies are also available for some travelers who find it difficult to walk.
Gauri Kund is connected to Rishikesh, Kotdwara, Dehra Dun and other major towns nearby by bus. The best time to make the tour to
Gauri Kund is from May to October. There is a hot sulphuric spring where people wash themselves and then visit the Triyuginarayan. There are a number of tours starting from
Gauri Kund such as
Gauri Kund to Kedarnath,
Gauri Kund to Gandhi Sarovar and
Gauri Kund to Vasukital trek.
While on a tour to
Gauri Kund you can stay at some of the hotels there which provide you with decent lodging and boarding including the tasty meals. From
Gauri Kund make sure that you take an early morning bus to Joshimath if you want to go to Badrinath. The walk from
Gauri Kund to Kedarnath takes at least four hours. Visiting
Gauri Kund Temple can be an enchanting experience amidst the mountain ranges and the splendid scenes around.
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