Gangotri the holy town where river Ganga resides (in pics)

New Delhi: Gangotri is a beautiful town and a Nagar Panchayat (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located on the Greater Himalayan Range, at a height of 3,100mIt is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi. Gaumukh, the terminus or snout of the Gangotri Glacier, from where Bhagirathi River originates, is one of the primary sources of the Ganges River and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri.Gangotri is one of the four sites in the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The original and present Gangotri Temple was built by the Gurkha general Amar Singh Thapa, Gorkha Generalin the early 18th century.According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagiratha's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries.Submerged under water there is a natural rock Shivling in Gangotri which can be easily seen when winters are on their way as the water level decreases during that time.According to legends and myths this was the place where Lord Shiva sitting when he received Ganga in his matted locks.Gangotri is the highest and the most important temple of Goddess Ganga.The place holds great importance amongst Hindus.Gangotri temple remains closed during winters as the region is prone to heavy snowfall.Gaumukh Glacier:Gaumukh glacier is the source of Bhagirathi River which is also known as Ganga River before the confluence of Devprayag.The combined meaning of Gaumukh is cow's face that is Gau' means ‘cow' and ‘mukh' means ‘face'The glacier resemble as a cow's face. Gaumukh is the second largest glacier of India, first one is Siachen. Gaumukh is about 30kms in length and 3 to 4km in width approximately.One of the most important tributary of the sacred Ganga River it is a source of the Bhagirathi River.The trek to Gaumukh glacier goes through a rocky surface. Offering splendors of nature enroute, the trek goes through Bhojbasa.14kms from Gangotri where lodging and other facilities are available, there is a Tourist Bungalow at Bhojbasa. Several majestic Himalayan peaks like Shivling, Thalay Sagar, Meru, Bhagirathi III etc can be seen while trekking towards Gaumukh. The retreat of the glacier has quickened significantly, in recent times,Major steps have been taken by the government of Uttarakhand towards this severe problem. Now only 100 persons can trek to Gaumukh each day.