The source of River Yamuna, Yamunotri is also one of the four sites of Char Dham pilgrimage. Yamunotri is located at a height of 3293 mts above sea level and located in Uttarkashi district. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and lies in close proximity of the Indo-China border. It is known for offering peace and tranquillity to its visitors.
The Bandarpunch Mountain is at a height of 6315 mts and lies north of Yamunotri. Yamunotri is at a distance of 236 km from Rishikesh, 21 km from Sayaan Chatti 278 km from Dehradun, and 176 km from Chamba.
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Yamunotri Opening Dates in 2025: Yamunotri Dham is opened on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya. Opening date for 2025 will be updated soon.
In 2024, the portal of Yamunotri dham opened for the pilgirms on 10 May 2024. The opening of the Yamunotri temple is also the beginning of Char Dham Yatra. Gangotri Temple is also opened on the same day.
Yamunotri temple Gates Closing Date 2024: The Yamunotri temple closed for winters on 03 Nov 2024, on the day of Bhai Dooj. The closing dates of the Yamunotri temple is announced on the occasion of Dussehra. The deity of Yamunotri is seated at Kharsali Village of Uttarkashi in the winter session.
Note: To book your Char Dham Yatra for the 2025 season, please visit sacred char dham yatra.
The Yamunotri temple is usually the first stop-over for the Char Dham Yatra. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. Large numbers of devotees visit this shrine during the months of May to October. According to legend, Yamunotri finds special mention in Hindu mythology which was the home of an ancient sage, Asit Muni.
Some of the prime attractions of Yamunotri are the Yamunotri Temple built by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur in the late nineteenth century. There is a small hot water spring at Yamunotri, Rice and potatoes are cooked by pilgrims in this water and served as prasad. Devotees also pay respect to Divya Shila, a rock pillar just before entering the Yamunotri temple.
Yamuna is the second largest and one one holiest river in India after Ganga. Yamunotri is part of the four holy abodes in Chardham pilgrimage yatra and worshipped as source of River Yamuna. However, the actual source of Yamuna River lies in the Yamunotri Glacier at a height 6,387 metres near Bandarpunch Peaks in Lower Himalayas.
Pilgrims also get to enjoy a number of hot water springs in the vicinity of the temple. Only Faith, Purity and Sprituial Significence of the river motivate the tourist towards itself. Unique aspects of ritual practice at the site include hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into prasad.
The Temple of Yamunotri Dham is closed during winters, you can check the closing and opening dates here. Winter seat of Yamunotri is located in Kharsali. Know more about Winter Char Dham Yatra, Kharsali Tourism
Yamunotri Dham is the first temple in the series of char Dham circuit, Hindu pilgrims throughout the world come here for temple darshan and to take the blessing of Yamuna Mata at Yamunotri temple. To reach here, you can book your train to Dehradun which is the nearest railhead to Yamunotri and is the capital of Uttarakhand too.
From Dehradun, you can do further road distance on private vehicle, booked car, sharable jeeps or in other public transport. The route of Yamunotri also has a small trekking distance. The trek to Yamunotri Temple begins with Jankichatti. Yamunotri is 6 km from Jankichatti. Below is the detailed travel guide to Yamunotri Dham of Uttarakhand.
Day 1: Dehradun – Jankichatti
Although you can travel to Yamunotri by private here we will tell you the option of public transport for the common man. At Mussoorie bus stand, near Dehradun railway station, you can get the buses to Barkot which is the nearest town to Yamunotri and transport is easily available from Dehradun to this city. Barkot lies at a distance of about 136kms from Dehradun. You can hire jeeps for Jankichatti from Barkot. Jankichatti is around 45kms from Barkot and it takes around 1.5hrs to reach Janakchatti or use sharable jeeps to reach Jankichatti.
You will have your dinner and rest at Jankichatti today and begin the trek for Yamunotri early in the morning. An accommodation facility is available at Jankichatti for pilgrims.
Day 2: Jankichatti – Yamunotri – Jankichatti
You’ll have your breakfast and begin the trek towards Yamunotri temple early in the morning. The trek to Yamunotri temple from Jankichatti is a 6kms trek and is facilitated with amenities like water points, benches, and resting spots along the routes. You can have tea in the small tea stalls along the way. It will take around 2-3hrs to reach Yamunotri temple.
You’ll trek your way through white snow, dense forests, wild flora and fauna, and fascinating streams and lakes. The snow-clad Himalayas surrounds you as you move forward. Though the distance isn’t difficult it does contain some steeps and can be tiring.
However, once you reach Yamunotri temple and take in the mesmerizing scene around you, you’ll feel extremely content and peaceful. At Yamunotri temple, you can attend the puja ceremony, have your lunch, and explore the area. You’ll return back to Jankichatti on the same day and stay there for the night.
Day 3: Jankichatti – Dehradun
You’ll return to Dehradun today. Before leaving for Dehradun, you can explore Jankichatti. However, ensure that you leave early for Dehradun as it will take around 7hrs to reach Dehradun.
The Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, inaugurated the Winter Char Dham Yatra. He emphasized the tourism boost and job creation that the yatra brings, while urging tourists to visit various sites in the region. Dhami inspected arrangements and promised better facilities. The event took place at the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, Rudraprayag district, marking the temple as the winter seat of Lord Kedarnath. Know more about Char Dham Yatra.
With the closing of Badrinath Temple on 17 Nov, the Char Dham Yatra for year 2024 has concluded. Over 46.17 lakh pilgrims visited Char Dham this year.
Dham | No. of Pilgrims |
Kedarnath | 16,52,076 |
Badrinath | 14,35,341 |
Gangotri | 8,15,273 |
Yamunotri | 7,14,755 |
Stats: This year more than 7 Lakh pilgrims visited Yamunotri.
More than six thousand devotees arrived in Yamunotri and Gangotri Dham last day. With this, the number of visiting devotees in these two Dhams during this Yatra period has crossed twelve lakhs. This time a large number of pilgrims are also coming to both the Dhams through heli services. In view of this, the administration has made all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the Yatra is completed in a safe and systematic manner along with making the arrangements related to the Yatra foolproof.
There are plenty of accommodation facilities available at the route to Yamunotri. You can stay at Hanuman Chatti or Janki Chatti from where the trek towards Yamunotri begins. There are accommodation options available nearby Hanuman Chatti and Janki Chatti too.
Availability of food isn’t a problem at Yamunotri as there are numerous restaurants in the route to Yamunotri. The restaurants serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll come across small shops serving tea and lunch even while trekking.
The Yamunotri temple is dedicated to goddess Yamuna, the main Deity of the temple is made up of Black marble. Yamunotri temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century after the temple has been destroyed by Climate. The Yamunotri Shrine was originally constructed by Maharaj Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal on left seashore of Yamuna River.
According to Hindu mythology, It is believed that Yamuna is the daughter of Surya the Sun God & the sister of Yama, the god of death.
The Yamunotri Temple is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, an iconification of the second most sacred river of India, River Yamuna. Goddess Yamuna is the twin sister of Yama, the God of Death and is believed to be the daughter of Surya Dev, the Sun god and Sanghya, the Goddess of Perception. In the Vedas, Goddess Yamuna referred to as Yami, the Lady of life.
The Yamuna was named so by an angry Surya Dev who felt insulted when Goddess Sanghya couldn’t see him in the eye due to his dazzling light. She flickered while trying her best to open her eyes in front of Surya Dev. Since Goddess Sanghya had tried to open her eyes, Surya Dev blessed the Yamuna that she would be revered as a goddess and remembered eternally. Goddess Yamuna also inherited the frivolous nature through this incident.
According to legends, the great sage Asti Muni lived as a hermit in the Yamunotri region. He bathed at both Ganga and Yamuna rivers throughout his life but as he became old he couldn’t travel to Gangotri. A stream of Ganga emerged opposite to River Yamuna just for his uninterrupted ritual. Yamunotri presents a rare sight of Ganga and Yamuna together.
Kalind Parvat, the mountain peak that lies adjacent to the source of Yamuna River is named after Surya Dev. Surya Dev is also known as Kalind and gushing out of Kalind Parvat, Yamuna is also referred to as Kalindi.
Legend has it that Lord Hanuman after burning Lanka extinguished the fire from his tail in the icy waters of Yamuna at Banderpooch. Hence the peak is called as Bander (monkey) Poocch (tail).
Devotees believe that taking a dip in the holy waters of Yamuna washes out their fear of death and relieves them of their sins. Pilgrims visit Yamunotri temple to seek the blessings of Goddess Yamuna, Yama, Surya Dev, and Goddess Sanghy.
The route of Yamunotri also have a small trekking distance. The trek to Yamunotri Temple begins from Jankichatti. Yamunotri is 6 kms from Jankichatti. Below is the detailed travel guide to Yamunotri Dham of Uttarakhand.
Asit is adorned on the foothills of the Himalayas, Yamunotri is clad in a majestic aura that is accentuated by the meandering meadows, bubbling creeks, turquoise lakes and diverse flora-fauna. Many adventure enthusiasts like to trek here as they are subjugated by the majestic peaks and thick woodlands.
The trek to Yamunotri Temple is an interesting and an enjoyable one. However, if you don’t prepare well, even the best of treks turns out to be a nightmare. It is the small things that you must take care to experience an interesting trek and to ensure that you are travelling responsibly.
Do's:
Don’ts:
You’ll have your breakfast and begin the trek towards Yamunotri temple early in the morning. The trek to Yamunotri temple from Jankichatti is a 6kms trek and is facilitated with amenities like water points, benches, and resting spots along the routes. You can have tea in the small tea stalls along the way. It will take around 2-3hrs to reach Yamunotri temple.
You’ll trek your way through white snow, dense forests, wild flora and fauna, and fascinating streams and lakes. The snow-clad Himalayas surrounds you as you move forward. Though the distance isn’t difficult but it does contain some steeps and can be tiring. However, once you reach Yamunotri temple and take in the mesmerizing scene around you, you’ll feel extremely content and peaceful. At Yamunotri temple, you can attend the puja ceremony, have your lunch, and explore the area. You’ll return back to Jankichatti in the same day and stay there for the night.
Facilities at Yamunotri Trek
During peak seasons, you will find a number of water points, benches, and small sheds on the route to Yamunotri Temple available after every 500mts. During the off season, the trails, however, aren’t much facilitated. For ease, you can travel on Palki, Kandi, and mules & ponies till Yamunotri Temple. You have to book them at Jankichatti.
The cost depends on the distance traveled. From Jankichatti to Yamunotri, Dandi will cost Rs 1900, Kandi will cost Rs 840 and Poni Rs 640.
Phool Chatti is a beautiful village surrounded by flowers beaming with an aromatic fragrance, colourful fruit trees, and ayurvedic medicinal plants. The quaint village is situated just 6 km from Hanuman Chatti and 2 km from Janki Chatti.
Hanuman Chatti is a scenic hamlet located at the confluence of Hanuman Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Hanuman Chatti served as the starting point of Yamunotri trek until the construction of motorable roads till Jankichatti. Hanuman Chatti is an ideal getaway for travelers looking for some adventure. It serves as the base point of many treks such as Darwa Top and Dodital Lake trek along with the newly explored trek of Gulabikantha.
Syanachatti: The small town of Syanachatti is an important stop for people traveling to Yamunotri. Located at a distance of just 22 km from Yamunotri and 16 km from Jankichatti, Syanachatti serves as an optimal place of stay where you can enjoy the beauty of nature without any distractions.
Saptrishi Kund Trek: You can extend your trek to Saptrishi Lake which is the original source of River Yamuna.
Yamunotri is also written as jamnotri, Yamnotri , yamanotri or Yamunotry as well.
Char Dham Destinations
Check out the Yamunotri weather report for December
The minimun and maximum temperature in December in Yamunotri is -4°C and 6°C respectively. The weather is generally chances of snowfall in December and you would feel chilling cold throughout the day. Heavy Woolen clothes are recommended for Yamunotri in December.
Yamunotri is famous among tourist as Temple, Char Dham, Trekking, Scenic Beauty, Pilgrimage.
Yamunotri is recommended destination for Family and Kids, Foreigners, Groups, Solo.
Yamunotri is popular destination for following activities/ interests - Char Dham Yatra, Pilgrimage, Temples, Trekking.
The trek of Yamunotri from Jankichatti is narrow and steep sometimes. Although Ponies are available, but me and my family didn't want to take any innocent animal help and trek up and down by foot only. As we took stay at Barkot, so we have to start early at morning and reach back to hotel by late evening. The services at Dham need to improve. The hotels are good and affordable.