The situation in Gauri Kund was perfect before the year 2013 and there was Gauri lake here. The water of this lake used to be hot. When the devotees used to come here to go to Kedarnath, they used to proceed only after taking bath in this hot lake in this cold weather.
But the terrible natural disaster that came in 2013 destroyed everything. In that calamity, the route to the Kedarnath temple and the places around it were destroyed. Gauri Kund was also one of them. The lake that used to be here earlier is now replaced by only a thin stream of hot water. Along with this, the hot water of Gauri Kund is made available by the government with the help of a pipe.
The Gauri temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati is located here. Devotees going to Kedarnath first visit the Gauri temple to seek blessings from Mother Parvati. The idol of Goddess Parvati is installed in the Gauri temple. At a distance of half a kilometer from the Gauri, the temple is the Sirkata temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
Distance from Gaurikund to Kedarnath:
The distance from Gaurikund to Kedarnath is approx 16 km. To go to Kedarnath, you have to reach Gauri Kund first. It is the last motorable stop which means it is the base area for the Kedarnath trek. The trek to Kedarnath Temple begins from here.
From here you can also go on a trek to Kedarnath on foot or you can take the facility of the horse, pony/mule, palanquin, Pitthu, pony, etc. as per your wish. Even while returning from Kedarnath, you will have to reach Gaurikund and then proceed to Sonprayag from here.
When to visit Gauri Kund?
You can visit here at any time of the year but devotees do not come here in winter. This is because the doors of Kedarnath Dham are closed for six months in winter. The doors of Kedarnath Dham are closed from the next day of Diwali and then are opened on the day of Akshaya Tritiya in the month of May.
In such a situation, if you come to Gaurikund at that time, then you will not be able to go to Kedarnath. That’s why one can come here between the months of May to October. If you like winter weather and want to enjoy snowfall, then you should come here in the month of October. However, at that time the winters are very severe here.
How to reach Gauri Kund?
For this, you will have to first reach Rishikesh, Dehradun, or Haridwar in Uttarakhand. Then from there, one has to take a local bus, taxi, or car to Sonprayag. Gaurikund is 5 kilometers away from Sonprayag, from here you will have to reach Gaurikund by sitting in a shared jeep.
Keep in mind that you can come to Sonprayag only by government or private vehicle. After this, you will have to cross the bridge over the eskort Mandakini river and take a shared jeep from the jeep stand parked there. The fare of this jeep is around 20 to 30 rupees, which will leave you in Gauri Kund in less than half an hour.
Apart from this if you ever plan to go near Joshimath your favorite place for accommodation, then you will get many houses there for a night stay. There are many clean homestays in Joshimath that are budget-friendly and where you can rest before and after halkalı escort finishing your journey to recharge your strength.
