Hemkunt Attractions - Tourist Places To Visit In Hemkunt

Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib is a prominent pilgrimage site of the Sikhs and is situated on the banks of the Hemkund Lake. This place has a religious significance as Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of Sikhs meditated here for years. Before going inside the shrine, the Sikhs take a dip in the holy water of the lake, which is situated nearby.

The lake water is very cold, and there are separate chambers for men and women where they can take a holy dip. Devotees can also buy small souvenirs from the nearby shops. Inside the Gurudwara, devotees are given tea and khichri along with the Karah Parshad, which is prepared using equal parts of sugar, wheat flour and ghee. The Karah Parshad is given to the devotees after the assembly.

During the assembly, the Sikhs pray and read the Hukamnama from the top left hand side of the page of the Guru Granth Sahib, opening it randomly. The Gurudwara was built in the year 1960, when Major General Harkirat Singh, the Chief Engineer of the Indian Army visited the place. Later, Architect Siali looked after the construction of the Gurudwara.

Hemkund Lake is considered to be a sacred lake, which remains frozen for 8 months of the year. Situated in the vicinity to Hemkund Gurudwara, this lake is bounded by snow-covered mountains from all sides.

According to folklore, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of the Sikhs meditated on the banks of this lake. Apart from him, it is also believed that many of the other preachers along with Medhasa, have meditated in this pious place.

Lakshman Temple, also known as Lokpal Temple is situated on the banks of the Lake Hemkund. According to legends, the temple is built on the same place, where Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama, meditated to resume his power after he killed Meghnad, the son of the demon Ravana, from the Hindu epic Ramayana.

Valley of Flowers is situated on the way to Hemkund Sahib through Govindghat. Located at a distance of 2 km from the village of Ghangharia, this region is bounded by hills enveloped with snow. Travellers can find more than 300 species of flowers like white and yellow anemones, dianthus, calendula, daisies, Himalayan blue poppy and snake lily in the valley.

Apart from flowers tourists can also find animals like black Himalayan bears, tahrs, musk deer, snow leopards and serows along with rare species of some butterflies.

Ghangaria is a beautiful small hamlet located on the way to the Gurudwara of Hemkund Sahib. This hamlet, also known as Govinddham, is perched at an elevation of 3049 m above sea level in the Himalayan Ranges. The place serves as a base camp for trekking leading to Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers.

Tourists can also reach Ghangaria by another trekking route starting from Govindghat. This route is quite difficult; therefore, travellers can also hire mules. There are various hotels and restaurants located at Ghangaria where tourists can take rest.