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About
Gomukh |
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Gomukh, the terminus or snout of the Gangotri Glacier, from
where Bhagirathi River originates is one of the primary
sources of the Ganges River. The place is situated at an
elevation of 13,200 ft. It is one of the largest in the
Himalayas with an estimated volume of over 27 cubic kms.
Gomukh is also referred to as "Gaumukh" or "Gomukhi. The word
"Gomukh" (go + mukh) literally means "Mouth of a Cow".
According to some sayings, earlier the snout exactly looked
like "Mouth of a Cow".
Gomukh in ancient times
Gomukh is mentioned in the Puranas. It is said there that
searching a lost sheep a shepherd boy reached near a glacier
in Gangotri, the snout of which exactly looked like the mouth
of a cow and thus it got its name 'Gomukh'. From then many
saints, holy travellers, as well as religious people went
there to worship the place. |
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Trek Route |
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The
trail to Gomukh begins from Gangotri, about 18 km from Gomukh.
It was heavily damaged by rockslides by the 2013 North Indian
Floods as was road access to Gangotri.
9 km ahead of Gangotri is Chirbasa, the abode of Chir trees.
After 3 km of Chirbasa comes the dangerous Gila Pahar, the place
famous for its landslides even prior to the 2013 destruction of
much of the trail here; near-sheer cliffs down to the river must
now be traversed. Here the Bharals, a type of mountain antelope
are sometimes seen. The Bharals are found above the altitude of
10,000 ft. Only 4 km from here is Bhujbasa, the only night
halting place on the way with buildings.
After trekking about 5 kms from Bhujbasa, one reaches Gomukh,
the snout of the Gangotri Glacier. A little before Gomukh, the
imposing view of Mt. Shivling welcomes the trekkers to the
place. On the trail no horses are allowed, so one must take
preparations to walk on foot. The trek to Tapovanan and
Nandanvan starts from here.
The route after 'Bhujbasa' can be quite difficult, moreso since
the 2013 floods. One has to cross a boulder zone to reach the
Gomukh snout. The trek beyond Gomukh is quite difficult.
Crossing the glacier & going towards Tapovan has become quite
dangerous nowadays because of the landslides. There is no track
and one must have a guide and should be prepared to face any
type of accident which can even be a life-threatening one. The
last climb to reach Tapovan is very stiff, within 2 km a climb
of around 1500 foot and is quite a challenging experience. |
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Geography |
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Gomukh is 18 km from Gangotri in the foot hills of Bhagirathi at
a height of 4255m. It is the snout of the Gangotri Glacier. The
Bhagirathi river here is pretty speedy. Around the snout, nature
presents a wild topography. There are bolders scattered here and
there with some pieces of broken snow, along with the hard
clayey snow of the glacier. The Gomukh snout is rapidly moving
backwards. According to the modern research the snout has moved
1 km in just 70 years. |
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