Gurdwara Hemkund Sahibਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਹੇਮਕੁੰਟ ਸਾਹਿਬ

Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib stands at 15,000 feet beside a glacial lake in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, marking the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji says in the Bachitra Natak that he meditated in a former life. Ringed by seven snow peaks, it is one of the world’s highest gurdwaras, reached by a 19-kilometre trek from Govindghat.

History

The shrine’s origin lies in the Bachitra Natak, the autobiographical composition of Guru Gobind Singh Ji in the Dasam Granth. In it, the Guru writes that in a former life he meditated at Hemkunt — “Hemkunt parbat hai jahaan, sapt sring sohat hai tahaan” — the mountain of Hemkunt, adorned with seven peaks. The name itself is Sanskrit: hem, snow, and kund, bowl — the lake of snow.

The place stayed hidden for over two centuries. The first Sikh scholar to trace it was Pandit Tara Singh Narotam, who located it in 1884 using the clues in the Bachitra Natak; his findings were published in 1929 by Bhai Vir Singh in “Sri Kalgidhar Chamatkar”. In the 1930s, Sant Sohan Singh, a retired army granthi from Tehri Garhwal, read Bhai Vir Singh’s account and set out to find the Guru’s tap asthan. He located Hemkund Lake; Bhai Vir Singh visited with him and was convinced the Guru’s description matched the site. In 1935 Sohan Singh met Havaldar Modan Singh, who devoted his life to the shrine’s service, and in 1936 the first small gurdwara building rose on the lake’s shore.

Architecture

The present gurdwara is a triumph of high-altitude engineering. After Major General Harkirat Singh, KCIO, the Indian Army’s Engineer-in-Chief, visited Hemkund, the design and construction of the new building began in the mid-1960s. He put Architect Manmohan Singh Siali of the Military Engineering Services in charge; Siali made annual trips to supervise the complex work, while the Gursikh contractors M/s Sahib Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Gursharan Singh carried out the construction, overcoming harsh weather, thin air and enormous logistical challenges. The unique design has been acclaimed as a marvel of construction.

The result is the striking star-shaped structure of stone and concrete masonry on the lake’s shore — a building as dramatic as its setting, beneath seven peaks that each fly a Nishan Sahib.

Significance

Hemkund Sahib is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666–1708), the tenth Sikh Guru, and the site finds mention in the Dasam Granth. For Sikhs it is the tap asthan — the place of meditation — of the Guru in a former life, and the arduous journey to reach it is itself an act of devotion. At about 15,000 feet, it is one of the highest gurdwaras anywhere in the world; some 150,000 pilgrims make the journey each trekking season.

The lake had another name long before the gurdwara came. The local people of the Bhyundar Valley knew it as Lokpal Jheel, and on its banks stands the ancient Lakshman Lokpal Mandir, a Hindu shrine associated with Lakshman, the brother of Rama, who is believed to have performed penance here.

Festivals and the yatra

Hemkund Sahib is open only in the summer, roughly from May to October; from October through April the paths are snowbound and glaciers block the way. Every May, Sikh pilgrims arrive to repair the winter’s damage to the trail in the tradition of kar seva — selfless service.

How to reach

The take-off point is Govindghat on the Rishikesh–Badrinath highway, about 275 kilometres from Rishikesh. From Govindghat, a 13-kilometre trek leads to Ghangaria — also called Govinddham — part of it coverable by shared taxi, the rest on foot or pony; a gurdwara at Ghangaria shelters pilgrims, with hotels and tented camps nearby. From Ghangaria, a steep 6-kilometre stone-paved path climbs 1,100 metres to Hemkund. Overnight stay is not allowed at the shrine — pilgrims must begin the descent by 2 pm. A helicopter service between Govindghat and Ghangaria covers that leg in about five minutes.

When is the best time to visit Hemkund Sahib?

The shrine is open only in summer, roughly from May to October, and the trail is snowbound from October through April.

Is the Hemkund Sahib trek difficult?

It is one of the most demanding pilgrimages in India. The final 6 kilometres from Ghangaria climb 1,100 metres on a steep stone path in thin air at about 15,000 feet, and a study found that almost one-third of pilgrims suffered acute mountain sickness. Pilgrims are advised to acclimatize at Ghangaria, walk slowly, and begin the descent by 2 pm, since no overnight stay is allowed at the shrine.

What else is near Hemkund Sahib?

About 3 kilometres from Gobinddham lies the Valley of Flowers, a national park in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve — a favourite second stop for Hemkund pilgrims, best seen in July and August. On the shore of Hemkund Lake itself stands the ancient Lakshman Lokpal Mandir, sacred to Hindus.