Ghangaria

Ghangaria
village
Ghangaria

Location in Uttarakhand, India

Coordinates: 30°42′06″N 79°35′37″E / 30.701697°N 79.593587°E / 30.701697; 79.593587Coordinates: 30°42′06″N 79°35′37″E / 30.701697°N 79.593587°E / 30.701697; 79.593587
Country  India
State Uttarakhand
Elevation 3,049 m (10,003 ft)
Languages
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

Ghangaria is a small village on the way to Hemkund Sahib, a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs which is about 6 km from here and the Valley of Flowers, a national park known for its variety of flowers about 3 km from here. It is located in the northern Himalayan ranges at an altitude of 3049 meters in Uttarakhand state of India.

Ghangaria is situated at the confluence of the rivers Bhyundar Ganga and Pushpawati, which forms Lakshman Ganga, that later meets the river Alaknanda at Govindghat. It is the last human habitation in the Bhyundar valley. This place is usually used by travelers as a base camp to visit Hemkund and Valley of flowers.[1] 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. 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. 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 GSM and IDEA GSM operators.

Ghangaria tourism

Places to see in Ghangaria Valley of Flowers National Park is nestled in the west Himalayas covering an area of 87.50 km2. It can be reached by a short trek of 4 km from Ghangaria. The valley is entirely covered with blooming flowers from mid July to beginning of September and with the sheets of snow during winters. The Valley of Flowers was declared as the national park in the year 1982 and it is now a world heritage site. It is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. The virgin beauty of this valley lures the botanists, nature lovers and adventure lovers as well. It is the home of over 500 species of wild flowers. Hemkund Sahib: The tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Govind Singh ji meditated at Hemkund Sahib for years. The word Hemkund literally suggests Lake of snow& and the immaculate water of this lake is as cold as snow. Hemkund Saheb is located at an elevation of 4,329mts above sea level amidst several snow-capped peaks, which are collectively called Hemkund Parvat. A star shaped gurudwara near the lake is visited by thousands of devotees every month. A temple dedicated to Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama is also located here. One must complete a trek of 6 km from Ghangharia to reach Hemkund Sahib. The best time to visit this place is from June to October. Though many a time snowfall starts at the end of the September. The people then move down to joshimath & auli as heavy snowfall freezes Ghangria. So for Valley of Flowers trek July to September is the best time.

Recent floods in the area

Flood in Uttrakhand on 16 June 2013 affected accessibility of Ghangaria. Ghangaria village is accessible now.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ET Recommendations: 5 best places to enjoy monsoon, movie to watch, gadget to buy". The Times of India. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
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