Harsil Valley (Harsil, Mukhba & Bagori) is a beautiful valley situated in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. I had seen Harsil few times while going to Gangotri. Its beauty always amazed me. I wanted to visit Harsil in winter so in 2024 Harsil Valley became my first trip.
While going from Uttarkashi towards Gangotri road, Harsil falls twenty-five kilometers before Gangotri Dham. You can see the big entry gate of Harsil on the main road and after walking half a kilometer from there, the small market of Harsil starts. You can see big beautiful paintings on the yellow walls of Harsil market.There are many special attractions of Harsil where you can visit. The first of which is the ancient Laxmi Narayan temple here.
An old name of Harsil is Hariprayag, because here the confluence of Bhagirathi and Jalandhari rivers occurs and this Lakshmi Narayan temple is built at this confluence. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Mother Lakshmi, it was built in the beginning of the 19th century. A little below the temple you can see the confluence of Bhagirathi and Jalandhari.
After visiting the temple, my next destination was Bagori village, which is 200-300 meters away from Harsil, you can also go here on foot. People of Jadh Bhotiya tribe live in this village. After the India-China war in 1962, people from the villages near the border came and settled here. That is why a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism is seen here. Most of the houses here are made of beautiful wood, some of which have been converted into hotels or homestays.
Another unique temple of Harsil is Kalpkedar, which is in Dharali, about five kilometers away from Harsil.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, only the top of this temple is visible, the remaining half of the temple is still buried in the ground. This area is under the Archeology Department.
From Dharali you can go to a beautiful trek which is Sattal / Sapttal Trek. This is a trek of 3-4kms, in this trek you see seven lakes one after the other. This trek starts from the main road of Dharali.
Next place you can visit is Mukhwa village, Which is just 2kms away from Harsil. Mukhwa / Mukhba is considered to be the winter home of Maa Ganga, there is a Mukimath temple in Mukhwa, where Maa Ganga is brought after the doors of Gangotri Dham are closed.
The houses in Harsil valley seem to be deserted now, it gets very cold here, So the people here move to areas around Uttarkashi in winter and then come back in the beginning of summer.
So this was my beautiful journey to Harsil.
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