Sacred Devprayag confluence

That Morning was pretty cold, and fog was spreading the wings when we started from Kaudiyala, but prayers to Sun God were soon answered, and sunlight appeared, and skies turned clear. Accordingly, our approach speed to Devprayag also increased and we were enjoying tracing the course of river Ganga. 

All the rivers are considered as sacred in Hinduism and are worshipped. Why not, after all rivers have been a cradle of civilizations and confluence of rivers, also known as "Sangam," is considered auspicious. Devprayag Sangam has special significance as sacred waters of rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers merge to form river Ganga.

This is one of the reasons why Devprayag, a small town (70 km. from Rishikesh) at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers carries so much religious significance. Also, Devprayag is an important spot in the Chardham Yatra to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. All weather roads have made the drive pretty comfortable, and it took us around 60 minutes including Tea break to reach Devprayag from Kaudiyala. Clicking the iconic view of the rivers’ confluence from the road is a must for everyone visiting Devprayag or just passing through it. 

Seeing our excitement to explore Devprayag, a locale informed us of a way to take our car downhill on the other side of the ghats and yes, we were in front of the ghats, the most auspicious spot for bathing in divine waters here. 

But we had to cross a foot over bridge on Alaknanda River to reach to the other side and in the walk, captured some breathtaking pictures of the river. 

Not only the confluence and formation of river Ganga, Devprayag is considered a sacred space as Bhagwan Ram had visited here and prayed. The place where Bhagwan Ram mediated is Raghunath temple and is enroute to the ghats. Herein Bhagwan Ram had come to cleanse himself of killing demon Ravana, after returning from Lanka as Ravana was Brahmin. Bhagwan Ram is worshipped as Raghunath here. Stairs leading to the Temple are beautifully painted and immediately grasps your attention. 

It is believed that navel of Vishnu Bhagwan is in Devprayag while forehead is in Badrinath.

This is the place where Bhagwan Ram had prayed to cleanse himself of killing demon Ravan. This is the beauty of Hinduism that everyone irrespective of status is accountable of his/ her actions. That is why Hinduism emphasizes on righteous living, continuous self-improvement and respecting cycle of Karma. 

Below the Raghunath temple is a cave temple dedicated to God Shiv. An earthquake in 1803 had damaged the Raghunath temple, which was subsequently rebuilt by Daulatrao Scindia, then king of Gwalior. After praying to the Gods, we were at the bathing ghats to enjoy freezing cold waters at confluence. It is customary to take 3 dips. Once you have taken 1st dip, remaining 2 dips will be much easier. People from far off places come here to take a dip in the holy water of the confluence and take back holy water to their homes as well. Check out -  

Naming of Devprayag also has a history. It is believed that sage Dev Sharma prayed to God Vishnu for around 10,000 years and promised the sage to come in Devprayag in Treta Yug. God Vishnu returned to Devprayag as God Ram to offer prayers and named the place ad Devprayag in memory of sage Dev Sharma. 

Raghunath temple and the river Ghats surrounded by mountains create a spiritual landscape which attracts people from all over the World like a super magnet. Clear waters of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda is a visual treat, and every passing visitor gets down to click a picture of the confluence spot or make a video of Devprayag. 

 

To conclude, such spots reinforce the existence of Gods and divine energy can be felt. People come here to find spiritual solace, otherwise taking a dip in chilling waters in freezing atmosphere cannot be suggested or logically described. Someone has rightly said – Science goes so far and then God comes along. Pray to almighty - 

Keep exploring folks…