Explore Uttarakhand

Triyuginarayan is believed to be where Shiva and Parvati were wed, with a sacred fire said to have burned since that day. Couples from across India come here for weddings beside the eternal flame and the Brahma Shovrat kund.

Jageshwar Dham is a grove of over a hundred 9th–13th century stone temples beneath ancient deodars — one of the great Jyotirlinga sites of the Himalaya. Moss-covered shikhara towers, ringing bells and quiet lanes make it Kumaon's most atmospheric heritage shrine.

Baijnath's 12th-century Katyuri temples stand on the banks of the Gomti, guarded by stone idols and a pair of tame fish in the temple pond. It was once the capital of the Katyuri kings, and the riverside ruins are wonderfully photogenic.

Katarmal's 9th-century Sun Temple is India's second-most important sun temple after Konark — a hilltop complex of the main Burhadita shrine and dozens of small satellite temples overlooking terraced Kumaon valleys.

Chitai is the temple of Golu Devta, the god of justice of Kumaon, where thousands of bells and handwritten petitions hang from every beam — devotees file 'court cases' to the deity and return with a bell when their wish is granted.

Kainchi Dham is the riverside ashram of Neem Karoli Baba, the sage who inspired seekers from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg to visit the Kumaon hills. The quiet temple bridges two hillsides above the Kosi stream.

Dehradun, the valley capital of Uttarakhand, blends colonial institutes, forest research campuses and monastery lanes beneath the Mussoorie ridge. It is the great starting point of every Garhwal journey — and a destination in itself.

Rishikesh, the yoga capital on the Ganga, strings ashrams, suspension bridges and white-water rapids beneath forested hills. Evenings at Triveni Ghat and mornings on the river make it Uttarakhand's most versatile stop.

Almora is Kumaon's cultural capital — a horseshoe ridge town of stone lanes, Lala bazaars and temples that have watched the Himalaya for centuries. Swami Vivekananda and D. H. Lawrence both fell for its light.

Champawat, the ancient capital of the Chand dynasty, keeps carved temples like Baleshwar and Nagnath in stone that has seen a thousand years. Terraced hills and the Lohawati valley frame the old town.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a living limestone temple-cave below Chaukori — a marvel of stalactite formations said to hold the gods' own geography inside, described in the Manas Khand of the Skanda Purana.

Har Ki Pauri is the beating heart of Haridwar — the ghat where the Ganga leaves the mountains and the evening aarti pours light across the water. Thousands of diyas float downstream every night.

Ram Jhula spans the Ganga between the great ashram banks of Rishikesh — a suspension bridge of bazaars, sadhus and river views that links Shivananda Jhira to Swargashram.

Lakshman Jhula, the iron suspension bridge of legend, hangs above the Ganga where Lakshman is said to have crossed on a jute rope. Tera Manzil temple, bazaars and beach cafés crowd both banks.

Triveni Ghat is Rishikesh's great bathing and aarti ghat, where the evening lamp ceremony turns the river to gold. Faith, music and river mist mix in one of India's most beautiful rituals.

Devprayag is where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet and the Ganga is truly born — a green-and-brown confluence beneath the great Raghunath temple, visible from the ridge road above.

Rudraprayag, where the Mandakini meets the Alaknanda, is a tight gorge town of prayer flags and river roar — named for Shiva's Rudra form and the gateway to Kedarnath.

Karnaprayag, the confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar, is named for Karna of the Mahabharata — a valley town on the road to Badrinath and the Pindari side.

Nandaprayag, where the Nandakini joins the Alaknanda, is named for Nanda the foster father of Krishna — a calm confluence town under terraced slopes.

Vishnuprayag, the Dhauliganga–Alaknanda confluence below Joshimath, roars in a deep gorge beside Vishnu's stepped temple — the last prayag before Badrinath.

Vashishta Gufa, a quiet riverside cave an hour up the Ganga from Rishikesh, is where sage Vashishta is said to have meditated — today a deep-silence spot for long sits by the river.

The Beatles Ashram, where the Fab Four studied Transcendental Meditation in 1968, is now a forest-covered gallery of domed meditation huts and giant murals above the Ganga.

The Forest Research Institute is a colossal colonial edifice of arches and museums set in a green campus — one of India's grandest institutional buildings and a Doon-valley landmark.

The Indian Military Academy trains the Indian Army's officers against the backdrop of the Doon valley. Public access is limited — the Chetwode Hall zone and Passing Out Parades are the occasions when civilians may visit, per current rules.

Kumaon's villages keep a living architecture — carved wooden doors, akhdi windows and slate roofs stacked on stone, with Aipan art on thresholds. Village walks around Almora, Kausani and Munsiyari are journeys into a slow, beautiful mountain culture.