Devprayag

Devprayag is one of the most spiritually charged places in all of Uttarakhand, for it is here — and nowhere else — that the river India calls the Ganga is actually born. The grey-green Alaknanda, rushing down from the glaciers above Badrinath, meets the clearer Bhagirathi flowing from Gangotri, and at their confluence the two surrender their separate names to become the holy Ganga that flows on to the plains. It is the most revered of the five sacred confluences known as the Panch Prayag.

The old town tumbles down impossibly steep slopes above the meeting of the waters, its tightly packed houses connected by stone staircases and a footbridge slung across the river. At its heart stands the ancient Raghunathji temple, dedicated to Lord Rama and counted among the 108 Divya Desams, said to be where Rama performed penance after the war against Ravana.

Devprayag has also long been a seat of learning for astrology and Sanskrit, home to traditional pandits and a historic observatory. For travellers heading up to Kedarnath and Badrinath it is a natural, deeply atmospheric pause — a place to stand at the very headwaters of a river worshipped by hundreds of millions.

Pleasant from October to April. Summers are warm; the monsoon swells both rivers dramatically.