History of Yamunotri Temple

Mandir Timings : 6 am to 8 pm everyday.

Yamuna Devi is considered to be the daughter of the Sun God and Saranyu Devi (Sanjana Devi), the goddess of clouds and evening. Similarly, Yamuna is also the sister of Lord Yama, the god of death, and that is why she is also called Yami.
Yamuna first came in the form of water to Mount Kalind, hence one of her names is Kalindi.

The present temple was built by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur in the 19th century. The ancient temple was already destroyed by the earthquake, which was rebuilt by the Queen. Yamunotri Temple is situated in the west of Garhwal Himalayas at an altitude of 3235 meters above sea level.

The present temple was built by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur in the 19th century. The ancient temple was already destroyed by the earthquake, which was rebuilt by the Queen. Yamunotri Temple is situated in the west of Garhwal Himalayas at an altitude of 3235 meters above sea level.

This temple is the first Dham of the Chhota Char Dham Yatra, that is, the journey starts from this place. Being the first stop of the Char Dham Yatra, when the Char Dham Yatra starts, there is a huge crowd of pilgrims here. Yamunotri Dham temple was built by Maharaja Pratapshah of Tehri Garhwal in 1919 dedicating it to Goddess Yamuna. There is a huge stone pillar in the temple courtyard which is known as Divyashila.

There are two hot water ponds here, which are famous by the names of Surya Kund and Gauri Kund. Out of which water from Surya Kund is used for cooking food and water from Gauri Kund is used for bathing. Gauri Kund is situated on the banks of Mandakini river.

The ancient name of Suryakund is Brahma Kund, which is considered to be the hottest pond. Whose temperature is about 195 degrees Fahrenheit. A special sound keeps emerging from it, which is called Om sound.

All the pilgrims here cook a handful of rice and potatoes in a muslin cloth in the hot water of Surya Kund. And accept it as Prasad. The divine rock is situated near Surya Kund. It is also called Jyoti Shila.

Origin Of Yamunotri Temple

Suryatanya means Sun’s daughter Yamuna. In the Puranas, Yamuna has been called the daughter of the Sun. Thus Yamuna is the sister of Yamraj and Shanidev. Saptarishi Kund, Sapt Sarovar are situated on top of Kalind mountain. Yamunottari Dham is said to provide all the attainments. It is mentioned in the Puranas that among the eight queens of Lord Krishna, one of his favorite queens is Yamuna. The oldest temple of Yamuna’s brother Shanidev is in Kharsali. The doors of Yamnotri temple open every year on the day of Akshay-Tritiya, and are closed on the second day of Diwali.

Yamunotri temple is the origin place of the holy Yamuna river. The actual source of Yamuna river is from a frozen glacier below Kalind Parvat called Champasar Glacier, due to which Yamuna is also called Kalindi, it is situated on Kalind Parvat at an altitude of 4421 meters. A pond is visible from here, which is known as Saptarishi Kund. Mother Yamuna is present in the form of a black marble statue in the main sanctum of the temple.

Yamunotri ji is worshiped in the temple with full rituals. Pind Daan also has special significance in Yamunotri Dham. Devotees come to the premises of this temple to offer Pind Daan of their ancestors. It is believed that once on the occasion of Bhaiya Dooj, Goddess Yamuna asked for a boon from her brother Yama that whoever takes bath in Yamuna on the day of Bhaiya Dooj, he should not die untimely and should get freedom from Yamtras. There is also a tradition of worshiping Yama in this temple. It is mentioned in the Puranas that by bathing in the holy Yamuna river, a person’s sins are washed away and he attains salvation.