Uttarkashi is situated at a distance of 154 kilometres from Rishikesh, on the Rishikesh- Gangotri route. The Viswanath Temple is the most important and ancient holy shrine in this region. Of the many temples in Uttarkashi, the temple of Lord Vishwanath is unrivalled in importance. Shiva, the presiding deity of this temple, is worshipped all day here. Every evening, visitors are greeted by the sound of bells, and the chanting of mantras by pundits at the puja.Within the courtyard of the Vishwanath temple, and to the front of it, is the Shakti Temple, dedicated to the goddess of strength. The massive brass trident projecting from this temple bears an inscription describing how the Vishwanath Temple was built. According to it, the temple was built by King Ganeshwar, whose son Guh, a great warrior, built the trident. 26 feet high, this trident's base measures 8 feet 9 inches, and its top, 18'/2 inches in circumference.

The town of Gopeshwar also features a Shiva Temple and a trident with Sanskrit inscriptions. It is much smaller.

Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of Ganga at a distance of  199 kilometres from Dchra Dun. It is a prosperous town with modern amenities and is the Headquarters of the district of the same flame.

Uttarkashi is a small and beautiful town, situated between two rivers: Varuna and Ashi, whose waterflow into the Bhagirathi from either side of the town. Elevated, at a height of 1588 metres, this little town is very similar to Kashi and Varanasi, in that it has the same kind of temples and ghats and likewise, a north or'uttar' facing river. The major temple is the Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Two other very important temples are located in the Chowk area. These are the Annapurna Temple and the Bhairav Temple. Once, it is said, there were 365 temples here. Hiuen Tsang referred to this place as Brahma Pura, while the Skanda Puran has recorded it as Varunavata. It is believed that in the second millennium of Kaliyug, Kashi will be submerged, and Uttarkashi will replace it as an important religious centre.

Located on another bank, farther away from the town, this temple was constructed on a very old site, but appears to be new. Its priest, the latest from a family of priests spanning fourteen generations, tells an interesting story:

The Maharaja of Kota (in Rajasthan), lost a bag of money while on a pilgrimage to Gangotri. Thus, unable to meet the required expenses, he returned to Uttarkashi where he prayed for deliverance from his troubles at the Vishwanath.Temple, promising to marry off his only daughter to any suitable boy from the village, should his bag be found.The bag was found by the priest, inside the temple, and with all the money intact. The delighted Maharaja then requested the priest to arrange a suitable match for his daughter. In due course, the Rajkumari was married to a boy chosen by the priest of the Vishwanath Temple. But she was very unhappy because marriage would take her away from her family deity Kuteti Devi, whom she had always worshipped. So husband and wife together, prayed to the goddess to help them. Kuteti Devi appeared in their dreams and informed them that she would be present in their fields, in the shape of a stone. The Rajkumari and her husband, discovered 3 stones with a heavenly aroma, and the Kuteti Devi Temple was erected on the exact spot where these stones were found.

Uttarkashi is the Headquarters of the district of the same name. It is situated at a distance of 199 kilometres from Dehradun on the route to Gangotri.

The most sacred of all rivers is the Ganga.The Ganga symbolizes purity. It washes away all sins. It is compared to a mother goddess which presides through all the stages of life: from birth to death. The river is believed to have been born out of Vishnu's big toe. It is said to flow through the skies (like the Milky Way).These are but a few of the myths about the Ganga, whose temple is situated on the right bank of the Bhagirathi, right in the middle of the tiny village Gangotri, 3140 metres above sea level, where the sun filters through the branches of giant deodars and conifers in a mesmeric display of light and shade.The Ganga legend tells us all about King Sagar's 60,000 sons who were reduced to ashes and about King Bhagirath's'tapasya'to Shiva who appeased and brought them back to life.The stone slab on which Bhagirath meditated is called the Bhagirath Shila and it is located near the Temple of Ganga which was built by the Gorkha General, Amar Singh Thapa.

The holy shrine of Gangotri is situated at an elevation of 3200 metres above sea­level. It is linked by a good motorable road. The distance is about 248 kilometres from Rishikesh.A number of Ashrams are located on the other side, some of them provide accom­modation for visitors.

It is from Barkot that the road to Yamunotri starts wending its way along the banks of the Yamuna and the roads from Mussoorie and Kalsi meet here. There is motorable route up to Hanuman Chatti. This little Chatti is just 7 kilometres from Sayana Chatti and set against beautiful surround­ings. A 13 kilometres trek to Yamunotri starts from here.

Two perilous routes connect Hanuman Chatti toYamunotri. The route along the right bank proceeds via Markendeya Tirtha, where the sage Markendeya wrote the Markendeya Puran. The route on the left bank goes to Kharsali. From here, the climb takes five or six hours. There are two kunds atYamunotri, at a height of 3292 metres: Surya Kund, whose water is boiling hot; and Gauri Kund, where it is just tepid. The idol of Yamuna is a vision in black; and Ganga, a lady in white. The river Yamuna flows from Kalindi Parvat in the Bandar Poonch range. Here, flowers, especially wild roses, grow in abundance. Yamunotri is surrounded by some hoary chestnut trees. According to Hindu mythology and custom a dip in the Yamuna here would absolve one of all sins.

Two routes take you to Kharsali from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri. They are on the either side of the river Yamuna. The route along the left bank goes to Kharsali where the Shani temple is situated. 1 km from Janaki Chatti, 6.5 km from Yamunotri and 8 km from Hanuman Chatti.

On either side of the Kharsali village are two temples, both dedicated toYamuna's brother, Shani. Perched at a height of 7000 ft, one temple is very tall and is shaped like a 5-storey house. Built with stone and wood, this structure is protected from floods and earthquakes by wooden stilts which place it above the danger level. A narrow wooden staircase reaches right to the top floor where a bronze statue of Shani Maharaj is installed. Inside, it is dark and dingy, the sun peeping in only occasionally through slated roof. But standing here, you have a magnificent view of the entire Kharsali village pitted against theYamunotri

Netwar is just 12 kilometres away from Mori and approximately 69 kilometres from Chakrata. A brisk walk would take you to the river bed of Tons where this temple is situated.

Pokhu Devta Mandir, Karna Mandir, Sarnaul and Duryodhan Mandir, Saur. (All three temples are in the same region) Deodar, Chir and Pine surround the Netwar village where these three temples are located, all within a range of 14 kms.

Netwarcan be reached from Chakrata via Tiuni, which is on the Chakrata-Simla Road. To reach the village from Tiuni, one has to go to Har-ki-doon Valley via Mori. Here a narrow'pakdandi' (goat's track) leads one to the confluence of the rivers Rupen and Supen (which later form the Tatnas or Tons) where one crosses a light iron bridge. It is a risky track,21/2 kms long-stony, mossy and damp-that finally leads to the Pokhu Devta Temple. What a refreshing sight at last! A little courtyard beckons one past the few hutments surrounding the temple area, the morning glory and golden pumpkin flowers blossom in peace, under a benign sun.

From Netwar one has to climb up for a mile and a half to reach a village called Sarnaul. It is known for its serenity and sylvan charm.

There once lived a great warrior king called Bhubruvahan. This King of Patal Lok came to witness the epic war of the Mahabarata, intending to participate in it. But Krishna,who feared that he might overwhelm Arjuna, asked him to first prove his superiority with the bow and arrow. Bhubruvahan was happy to oblige. Asked to shoot off all the leaves on a single tree, he proceeded to comply, and to deceive him, Krishna hid one leaf under his foot, but the master archer's keen.sense of observation did not miss this, and an arrow came shooting down towards Krishna's foot. Krishna brought the leaf out hastily, only to see it torn apart by Bhubruvahan's unerring aim.

After passing this test, the king told Krishna he wished to fight for the losing side-the Kauravas. The clever Krishna, who always sided with the Pandavas, secretly persuaded him that both sides were equal for him and he should remain neutral. Every one knew it for a fact that it will be impossible for a warrior to stay away from the war. They tried to get rid of Bhubruvahan. Krishna planned it in such a way that he was beheaded before the start of the war.

Saur village is situated on the Mori Taluka/Har-ki-Doon Road which is 12 kilometres from Netwar.

Krishna, who had stage-managed the show granted Bhubruvahan eternal life after the war. Consequently, his head was placed on the top of a tree that overlooked the warfield. And so, his helpless head watched the Kauravas lose the war; making protesting noises; inciting them to fight harder; advising them with new strategies; shedding tears at their every defeat. Bhubruvahan's tears still flow today-so say the local people. It is those tears of intense, helpless, uncontrollable sorrow, that now make the river Tamas or Tons. That is why the water from this river is never drunk. Karna and Duryodhan were not the only admirers of Bhubruvahan. The people of the region started singing his praise. The inhabitants of this area made mandirs in memory of Karna and Duryodhan. One at Sarnaul, the other at Saur respectively. The two eventually became " Kshetrapal" of the area.

From Mori one has to come down to Purola and then take a route to Gundiyat Gaon through an enchanting valley. A distance is about 10 kilometres from Purola.

Ten kilometres north west of Purola lies a village called Gundiyat. Situated 4500 feet above sea level, in a green valley where potato is the main crop, this is a typical Garhwali village, featuring black slate roofs and small windows on all the houses. Walk a little way, through the narrow 'one person' lane from the bus stop, and you'll find yourself in what was once the sage Kapil Muni's Ashram. It was here that the sage meditated to please the Lord Shiva and obtain a boon. To mark the spot where Shiva appeared, there now stands the Shivling called Kapileshwar Mahadev.

5 kms away, in a village called Rama, you'll find the ancient temple of Lord Rama.