Ghangaria is a small village on the way to
Hemkund
Hemkund Sahib (also spelled Hemkunt), formally known as ''Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji'', is a Sikh place of worship and pilgrimage site in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth Si ...
Sahib, a popular pilgrimage site for
Sikhs
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The ter ...
which is about 6 km from here and the
Valley of Flowers
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
, a national park known for its variety of flowers about 5 km from here. It is located in the northern Himalayan ranges at an altitude of 3049 meters in
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
state of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
.
Ghangaria is situated at the confluence of the rivers
Bhyundar Ganga and
Pushpawati
Pushpawati River flows through the Valley of Flowers in Chamoli district in Garhwal region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Course
The Pushpawati rises from the Tipra Glacier, near Rataban, in the central part of the Garhwal region in th ...
, which forms Lakshman Ganga, that later meets the river
Alaknanda
The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source ...
at
Govindghat
Govindghat is a town in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers. It lies around roughly from Joshimath on NH58 at an altitude of . It is the roadhead on the way to Shree Badr ...
. It is the last human habitation in the Bhyundar valley. This place is usually used by travelers as a base camp to visit
Hemkund
Hemkund Sahib (also spelled Hemkunt), formally known as ''Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji'', is a Sikh place of worship and pilgrimage site in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth Si ...
and
Valley of flowers
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
.
It is only open from May till September. The rest of the year, the valley is covered under snow.
Ghangaria can be reached after a trek of less than 11 km. Shared taxis are available up to 4 km from Govindghat. Ghangaria has a helipad. One can also hire a porter or mule or a helicopter to avoid this strenuous trekking. There is no clear road, only a path made of rocks. Latest track is good for walking. A walking bamboo stick will be helpful, available in Gobindghat for only 20-30inr. Ghangaria has various hotels including one from the GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam), restaurants serving Punjabi, Chinese, Garhwali dishes, shops, camping grounds and a big Gurdwara to accommodate pilgrims. Other than this few more hotels are available now. Services are better than GMVN. Earlier only satellite telephone service was available, with only one outgoing call allowed for the entire village at any given time, but now you get weak signal of BSNL, but not Jio or Airtel. Going up for 600 meters take left for Valley of flowers after having ticket. Straight up is way to Hemkund Sahib.
Recent floods in the area
Flooding in Uttarakhand on 16 June 2013 affected the accessibility of Ghangaria. Ghangaria village is accessible now.
See also
Valley of flowers Full information about valley of flowers
*
Pushpawati
Pushpawati River flows through the Valley of Flowers in Chamoli district in Garhwal region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Course
The Pushpawati rises from the Tipra Glacier, near Rataban, in the central part of the Garhwal region in th ...
River
*
Lakshman Ganga
Lakshman Ganga or Bhyundar Ganga is a minor river that flows through the Bhuyandar Valley, from Hemkund Lake.
It merges with Pushpawati River in Ghangaria.
It then forms a Tributary to Alaknanda in Govindghat
Govindghat is a town in Chamoli ...
River
*
Valley of Flowers
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
*
Gobindghat
Govindghat is a town in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers. It lies around roughly from Joshimath on NH58 at an altitude of . It is the roadhead on the way to Shree Badrin ...
Valley of flowers Ghangaria is the base camp for valley of flowers trek.
Valley of flowers Most informative site for valley of flowers trek.
References
External links
*{{Wikivoyage-inline
Tourism in Uttarakhand
Villages in Chamoli district