Devprayag Sangam — Attraction in Uttarakhand

Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India

Peaceful, Divine and Panoramic

It was during the fag end of , I along with my parents, was again on the highway NH-58 heading straight to our hometown situated right in the middle of Devprayag and Pauri Garhwal. It was for performing last of the last rituals of my grandmother’s heavenly abode. We departed from Delhi early in the morning, covering about 300 kms, passing through Mohan Nagar, Muradnagar, Modi Nagar, Purkaji, Roorkee, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Shivpuri, Kaudiyala reaching Devprayag at about 1500 hrs. The hills start soon after crossing Haridwar. Before taking the right turn over the bridge for our 22km onward journey through the state highway, we halted briefly to soak into the divine beauty of the confluence at Devprayag offering our prayers to the almighty and at the same time absorbing the positive energies of the holy place.

Devprayag is a spiritual and godly hamlet situated at the confluence of river Alaknanda and Bhagirathi merging together and forming the river Ganges flowing down about 70kms to Rishikesh. The same highway, on the sides of Devprayag, runs up to Badrinath covering prominent places like Rudraprayag, Karnprayag, Nandprayag, Chamoli, Joshimath. Understandably all the vehicles ferrying pilgrims and travelers alike, pass through divinity of Devprayag on their journey to Badrinath. Seeing two rivers, one can notice that while Alaknanda flows calmly, Bhagirathi runs very rough and when they merge, the sacred gleaming and pristine Ganges emerges out of the confluence of two rivers. Devprayag is prominent for its religious importance among Hindus as the holy Ganges takes its shape and form from this sanctified town. Pilgrims, devotees and travelers alike take holy dips in river Ganges at the confluence. The stream is ferocious so one should be careful while taking dips in the river. They must hold the chains for their safety. At a fair distance from the confluence, many locals from the hill villages also perform cremation and last rites of the departed souls on the river side seeking holy blessing and peace for their heavenly abode. My grandmother’s cremation was also done at the banks of river Ganges emerging out of the confluence, may her soul rest in peace.

Devprayag is equally revered by the tourists for its abundant natural beauty. The place offers tranquility nestled at the base of mountains on all four sides presenting a spectacularly panoramic view in the backdrop of high hills, bustling rivers, temples, devotees, ashrams, riverside resort, bridge and the serpentine roads leading to various destinations. It also houses century old famous Raghunathji temple which is visited by scores of devotee all through the year. The place is easily accessible from Delhi and one can visit Devprayag across all seasons. The winters are tough with river water turning icy cold. During the monsoon, During monsoon, Devprayag’s beauty is seen to be believed. The surroundings turn lush green with river water levels rising up considerably due to heavy rains. At this time, the water running through the river, hitherto, green, clean and pristine turns extremely muddy. Unlike Haridwar and Rishikesh, good that Devprayag is not that crowded. It is peaceful, divine and panoramic!

So after a brief halt and before it started turning dark, it was time for us to embark on our onward journey taking the right turn crossing over the bridge on to the Pauri road, the state highway....

Mountains are of different types and are known by their range. Many mountains consist of a series of parallel ranges extending over hundreds of kilometres. The Himalayas, the Andes and the Alps are mountain ranges of Asia, South America and Europe, respectively. Mountains vary in height and shape.

There are mainly three types of mountains:

Fold Mountains: These are created where two or more of Earth’s tectonic plates are pushed together. Example: The Himalayan Mountains in India and the Alps in Europe. The Aravali range in India is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.

Block Mountains: These are created when large areas are broken and displaced vertically. Example: The Rhine valley and the Vosges mountain in Europe.

Volcanic Mountains: These are formed due to volcanic activity. Example: Mt.Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mt.Fujiyama in Japan

Importance of Mountains

Mountains are very important for the ecosystem. They are a storehouse of water. Many rivers have their source in the glaciers in the mountains. With the help of these mountains, reservoirs are made, and the water is harnessed for the use of people. The water from the mountains is also used for irrigation. It is also used to generate hydroelectricity in hilly areas. Most of the area covered by mountains is green as a wide variety of flora and fauna is found here. So, these mountains provide fuel, shelter, fodder and other products like gum, raisins, etc. These mountains help in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.

Mountain as an Attraction for Tourist and Adventure Activities

Mountains are a very popular and attractive destination for tourists. Especially in summer, people like to go to hilly areas with their family and friends. They spend their vacation relaxing in the lapse of the mountain. The scenic beauty of mountains makes their eyes shine and refreshes their mind, which ultimately gives them peace. The mountains are also liked by young people. They like to come here and do adventure activities. Some of the popular activities are paragliding, river rafting, bicycling, trekking, hang gliding and skiing.

Conclusion

Mountains are a global heritage. So, it’s important that we conserve these mountains and the natural diversity of these mountain regions. Since these mountains have become the favourite destination for tourists, many people visit these places. Due to this, construction is increasing in these areas. The mountains are cut down to make roads and many other such activities. The result of that is landslides, soil erosion and change in the pattern of the monsoon. To avoid all these things, we must ensure that the development of the hilly area should be done in a sustainable manner. So it does not hamper the...

The holy town of Devaprayag is situated in Tehri Garhwal district and on an elevation of 2723 meters above sea level, which is one of the Pancha Prayag Sangam's of Uttarakhand. Pancha Prayag is referred to five major confluences of the river Alakananda to form the sacred river Ganga. In Hindi, Pancha means five, and Prayag means confluence. The Pancha Prayag traces the journey of river Alakananda, which starts from the Himalayas from the Satopanth glacier. It merges with the river Dhauliganga near Joshimath at Vishnuprayag. Further ahead, the second confluence is at Nandaprayag, where the Alakananda River is joins by the river Nandakini. The third confluence is at Karnaprayag, where Karna, son of Lord Sun, did penance to please him. Here river Pindar joins river Alakananda. The fourth confluence in Pancha Prayag is Rudraprayag, where the river Mandakini meets Alakananda. The last and final confluence where the final union takes place is Devaprayag, where river Alakananda meets the Bhagirathi river to form the holy Ganga.

Pancha Prayag is one of the holy journeys devotees take to cleanse their souls from the sins of the past. These five confluences are considered sacred and most respected after the significant confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswathi at Sangam in Allahabad.

The name Dev Prayag draws its name from sage Deva Sharma from Satyug. It is believed that Sage Dev Sharma meditated here for lord Vishnu. being impressed Lord Vishnu gave him the boon that his place of worship will be known by his name in the coming times. that how this place is known as Dev Prayag.

Interesting facts of Dev Prayag: Holy river Bhagirathi and Alakananda meets here in Dev Prayag and then finally Alakananda river become Holy Ganga river here. After Dev Prayag This river no more refer Alakananda and its called as Holy Maa Ganga which is Ganga River. It is believed that Lord Rama and his father King Dasharatha performed penance here. The Main temple of Dev Prayag town is Raghunath ji temple dedicated to lord Rama. This temple is one of the Vishnu Divya Desam's of 108. There are three Divya Desam's in Uttarakhand out of which this is one. Badrinath Badri Vishal temple and Joshimath Narsingh temple are other two Divya Desam's located in Uttarakhand. Here one can clearly see the color difference of two rivers. Alakananda flow from left side in Muddy color and other side Bhagirathi river comes and joins which is reflecting in Blue Color. We have seen this during rainy seasons hence we could able to identify color difference very clearly. During 7th Century it was known as Brahmapuri, Brahma Teerth and Srikhand Nagar since the town was divided...