The temples of Shiva and Vishnu at Kedarnath and Badrinath have been the destination of pilgrims for centuries. Once reached after tortuous treks but easily accessible today by road. At Uttarkashi at a height of over 3000 metres the snow melts to form the sacred rivers of Ganga and Yamuna is a deep recess of the mountains.

The route to the two sources begins at Rishikesh and passes ancient temples and Valleys along the way. The Shrines are open from 1st week of May up to Diwali day. The towns close up for the severe winter season and everyone moves down to towns lower down the slopes

In the hinterlands of the Himalayas is Gangotri where, it is believed, Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for the first time. According to the Hindu religious scriptures, the heavenly goddess Ganga manifested herself in the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Sagar's sons.

After three generations of severe penance, performed over several centuries, Ganga conceded to descend to the Earth. At the legendary source of the river, Goddess Ganga is worshipped in the form of deity. The Gangotri temple was built in the early 18th century by a Gorkha commander, Amar Singh Thapa and later rebuilt by the Maharaja of Jaipur.

By November, Gangotri is snowbound, and so the deity is taken 25 kms downstream to Mukhba, so that her devotees are not thwarted. Despite the severe cold, however, several "SADHUS" remain at Gangotri year round, even through the very severe winter. Gomukh, the identified source of the river Ganga, is 18 kms further uphill. The trek to Gomukh is gradual, and severl pilgrims undertake the journey to pay homage to the river at its known source.