Where The Sun's Daughter fell to earth, Yama, Her brother, learned mercy.
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Coming up: Kapat closing on Yama Dwitiya · 11 NovEntry tended 28 Jun 2026
3,293 m in the Garhwal Himalaya 6 km trek from Janki Chatti Open 19 Apr, closes about 11 Nov 2026 Rice cooked in the boiling Surya Kund Free darshan · yatra registration required
From Janki Chatti the path climbs beside white water for six kilometres, through pine and waterfall spray, the air thinning with every switchback. Ponies pass with bells at their necks; palkis sway on porters' shoulders. Then, wedged into a cleft of sheer dark rock, a small orange-roofed shrine appears, steam rising from the spring beside it. Inside, in lamplight, pilgrims bow to a black marble image of a goddess who is, here, still a mountain stream learning to become the river of the plains.
This Is the source shrine of Maa Yamuna, the westernmost of the Char Dham, though the true glacial mouth, on the Champasar Glacier above Kalind Parvat at about 4,421 m, lies a further climb beyond the Temple; pilgrims Worship Her here, not at the ice itself.
Beside the Temple, Surya Kund boils at the surface, hot enough that pilgrims lower raw rice and potatoes tied in cloth into the spring and draw them out cooked, prasad made by the heat of Her own father, Surya, The Sun.
Before any pilgrim approaches Maa Yamuna, they stop first at Divya Shila, a rock beside the kund said to carry Surya's blessing; worship here begins with the father before it reaches the daughter.
The sister who taught Death mercy
Tradition holds Maa Yamuna Is The Daughter of Surya, the Sun God, and the twin sister of Yama, Lord of Death. The Puranas tell that Yama loved his sister so deeply that he promised anyone who bathed in Her waters, or in the Yamuna that flows from Her, would be spared the fear of his judgment; brother and sister meet once a year on Bhai Dooj, and sisters have marked their brothers' foreheads on that day ever since in memory of it. It Is no accident, pilgrims say, that the shrine guarding Her source closes each winter on that very day, Yama Dwitiya, when a brother comes again for his sister.
The Temple itself is young beside its story. Tehri Naresh Sudarshan Shah is credited with raising the first shrine here around 1839, but the high Himalaya has taken it back more than once, to earthquake, avalanche and flood. Tradition holds that Maharani Gularia of Jaipur rebuilt the Temple in the late nineteenth century and installed the black marble image worshipped today, and later Tehri rulers added further repairs; no single record settles the full sequence, and the modest structure standing now is the work of many hands across two centuries.
Ritual duty belongs by long custom to the Uniyal family of pujaris, whose home village of Kharsali lies down the valley on the left-bank trail. When the Temple closes for winter, Maa Yamuna's Utsav Doli travels by palanquin down to Kharsali, to rest through the snow months inside the village's own Shani Dev Temple, said to be among the oldest shrines to Shani in the country, until Akshaya Tritiya calls Her back up the mountain.
What you'll actually see
1
The Temple against the cliff
A small shrine of stone and timber, its orange gabled roof and tall red-and-gold spire wedged directly into a wall of dark rock, so close that the mountain itself seems to stand guard. Past a narrow doorway, the black marble murti of Maa Yamuna is dressed in silk and silver, simple beside the drama of the setting around it.
2
Surya Kund and Divya Shila
Steps from the Temple, the spring named for Surya boils continuously, ringed by pilgrims lowering cloth bundles of rice on strings into the water. Just beside it stands Divya Shila, a rock pillar wrapped in garlands and vermilion, touched by every pilgrim before they climb the last steps to darshan.
3
Gauri Kund and the trail of waterfalls
A second spring, Gauri Kund, runs warm rather than scalding, and offers the bath a pilgrim actually needs after the climb. The path back down to Janki Chatti retraces a string of waterfalls, the young Yamuna dropping white through pine forest for the whole six kilometres.
Close view of the Yamunotri Temple spire against the cliff face, with its signboard naming it the Temple of Maa YamunaPilgrims gathered at the door of the Yamunotri Temple before darshan
The temple's spire close by, and pilgrims gathered at its door · photos CC BY-SA 3.0 (JediPro) and CC BY-SA 4.0 (Tanusree Das), Wikimedia Commons
THE PALANQUIN THAT CROSSES THE MOUNTAIN TWICE A YEAR
The doli of Maa Yamuna · closing expected 10 to 11 Nov 2026
Yamunotri keeps a mountain's own calendar. On Akshaya Tritiya the kapat opens for the year, in 2026 at 12:35 pm on 19 April, and the Utsav Doli of Maa Yamuna is carried up from Kharsali to Her summer seat at 3,293 metres, escorted, in the valley's own telling, by the palanquin of Shani Dev, honoured at Kharsali as Her brother, who sees Her home before returning himself. Through summer and autumn Maa Yamuna Is Worshipped here, above the Surya Kund. Then on Yama Dwitiya, the day after Bhai Dooj, the doors close and the doli descends again to winter in Kharsali's own Shani Dev Temple. The 2026 closing is expected around 10 or 11 November, the exact hour fixed and announced by the Temple committee nearer the date.
As of writing the Temple is open for the season; the six-kilometre trail and the pony and palki counters at Janki Chatti run only while the doors are open.
Plan your visit
By air
Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, about 210 km from Yamunotri; the drive takes most of a day via Barkot.
By rail
Rishikesh and Dehradun, roughly 175 to 220 km, are the practical railheads; buses and shared taxis run via Barkot to Hanuman Chatti.
By road
Private vehicles reach Janki Chatti via Narendranagar, Chamba and Barkot, about 222 km from Rishikesh; the motorable road ends there.
The trek
About 6 km on foot from Janki Chatti, or 13 km from Hanuman Chatti on the older route. Ponies, kandi porters and dandi palanquins are booked one-way at the government prepaid counter.
Timings
Darshan runs about 6 am to 12 noon and 2 to 8 pm; Mangal Aarti about 6:30 to 7:30 am, Shayan Aarti about 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
Season 2026
The kapat opened 19 April 2026 at 12:35 pm; closing is expected around 10 or 11 November, the exact date announced by the Temple committee.
Fee & registration
Darshan is free. Char Dham Yatra registration is mandatory and free at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in.
Dress
Warm layers even in summer; nights are cold at 3,293 m, and modest Temple dress is expected as at any dham.
Yamunotri takes its name from the river's source, or uttari, here; Maa Yamuna Is Held To Be the daughter of Surya, The Sun, which is why Divya Shila, said to carry His blessing, is touched before Her own darshan begins.
The Temple's altitude is usually given as 3,293 m, though some accounts cite figures from 3,235 to 3,291 m; either way, walk the trail slowly and carry water, the climb gains real height across six kilometres.
The true glacial mouth, on the Champasar Glacier above Kalind Parvat at about 4,421 m, lies a further climb beyond the Temple and is not part of the ordinary pilgrimage; devotees worship Maa Yamuna at Her Temple, not at the ice.
A ropeway between Kharsali and the Temple has been proposed by the state government to ease the trek, but as of 2026 it remains at an early tendering stage and is not yet built; the 6 km trail on foot, pony or palki is still the only way up.
Questions pilgrims ask
Is the actual source of the Yamuna river at the Temple?
No. The Temple stands at about 3,293 metres; the true glacial mouth, on the Champasar Glacier above Kalind Parvat, lies a further climb higher still, at roughly 4,421 metres, and is not part of the ordinary pilgrimage. Yamunotri is where tradition holds Maa Yamuna touched the earth, and it is as far as pilgrims commonly climb.
Is there an idol of the goddess to see?
Yes. Unlike some Himalayan shrines, Yamunotri holds a black marble murti of Maa Yamuna, dressed in silk and silver inside the small sanctum, a rare case among the Char Dham where the deity has a carved face at all.
When can I visit in 2026?
The kapat opened on 19 April 2026 at 12:35 pm and are expected to close around 10 or 11 November, the day after Bhai Dooj; the Temple committee fixes and announces the exact hour closer to the date. Through winter Maa Yamuna Is Worshipped at Kharsali instead.
Can I drive to the Temple?
No. The motorable road ends at Janki Chatti; from there it is a walk of about 6 km, or a pony, kandi or dandi booked at the government counter. No helicopter service presently serves Yamunotri as it does Kedarnath and Badrinath.
Do I need to register for the yatra?
Yes. Char Dham Yatra registration is mandatory and free for every pilgrim, completed online at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in before setting out.
Dharamshalas and guest houses near this Sthan, shared by devotees. Adisthan takes no bookings and no money; contact each stay directly.
No stays are listed here yet. Know one that serves pilgrims well?
Are you a pujari of the Uniyal family, a trustee, or an officer of the Char Dham Temple committee? Claim this page to keep kapat dates, darshan timings and trail conditions true for every pilgrim who climbs to Maa Yamuna.
