Mountain of the month: October 2017; Shivling and the source of the Ganges: A photo journey

As part of a recent trip to India we joined a group to head from Delhi up into the Himylayas to visit Shivling and the source of the Ganges. We booked this through KE Adventure who used Rimo Expeditions as their local agent. Both were fabulous companies to deal with and come highly recommended from me. As I’ve written lots of words about India here I’m going to let my photos do the talking in this post.

DSCN0457 — Sunset over the banks of the Ganges, Rishikesh

DSCN0491 — First of many cups of masala chai

DSCN0506 — Evening stroll and the end of a days work in Uttarkashi

DSCN0515 — Wonderful, colourful adverts en route to Gangotri

DSCN0535 — Gangotri, the end of the road

DSCN0542 — Pilgrims awaiting the start of the evening arti ceremony in Gangotri

DSCN0547 — Bells hanging outside Gangotri temple

DSCN0560 — Lone candle at a temple in Gangotri

DSCN0565 — The final arti ceremony of 2017 at the temple in Gangotri, over winter the temple shuts to reopen again in spring.

DSCN0571 — Ashram and temple complex at the gates to Gangotri National Park

DSCN0610 — Looking down onto our second campsite at Bhojwasa

DSCN0648 — Celebrating a successful crossing of a waist deep river whose glacial source was visible from our crossing point

DSCN0659 — Heading up the river bed with Bhagirathi I, II and III in the distance

DSCN0662 — Lunch on the trail, note the freshly baked bread rolls – the food provided by the cooks was exceptional given the location

DSCN0680 — Excellent if chilly accommodation at Tapovan, 4500m

DSCN0704 — Camping under the peak of Shivling

DSCN0710 — A chilly morning at camp, it was -20 degrees overnight

DSCN0713 — Rocking ALL the layers at Tapovan

DSCN0736 — Looking back towards the Gangotri glacier

DSCN0742 — Q: How many cooks, sherpas and porters does it take to get 9 trekkers to Shivling and back again? A: 30!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures, it was a truly memorable holiday, if you are interested in a learning a bit more about the significance of the Ganges in Indian culture Sue Perkins’ recent documentary on the Ganges began with a pilgrimage as far as Bhojwasa in episode 1.