chamoli

Gopeshwar is a town in Garhwal hills and a municipal board in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. Located 1400 meters above sea level, it is famous for its temples & pleasant weather & is quite cold in December and January. A sports stadium in the form of police ground is also situated next.

A very famous temple in Gopeshwar, it attracts pilgrims in large numbers. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, was built by Raja Saggar. As per the legend, the king saw a cow giving milk on Shiva Lingam daily & he constructed a temple there. Today, it is one of the main attractions of the place.  

Kalpavriksha is an ancient tree & a popular tourist spot in Joshimath & one of the oldest trees in India is almost 1200 years old. According to a legend, Adi Guru Shri Shankaracharya, a well-known Indian sage, meditated under this tree. The circumference of this mulberry tree is approximately 21.5 meters. This ancient tree now bears only flowers and not fruits. Another tourist spot worth visiting is the cave near this tree where Adi Guru Shri Shankaracharya used to live.

Nanda Devi National Park is a tourist hotspot, located at a distance of 24 km from Joshimath. It covers an area of 630 square kilometers & surrounded by the Nanda Devi Mountains. In 1988, this park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Nanda Devi National Park offers an opportunity to observe snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, serow, brown bear, ruby throat, bharal, langur, grosbeaks, Himalayan musk deer, and Himalayan tahr. This national park is a natural habitat of around 100 species of birds.

Narsingh Temple is devoted to Lord Narsingh, the 4th incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu. The statue of Lord Narsingh enshrined in this temple is getting smaller gradually. This deity’s left wrist is thin & is getting thinner with every passing day & according to the beliefs, the day the wrist separates from the forearm, the road to Badrinath will be blocked permanently due to a landslide. 

Bansi Narayan Kalpeshwar is a beautiful valley located at a distance of 12 km from Joshimath. It is famous for a beautiful cave called Kalpeshwar. Bansi Narayan temple, at a distance of 10 km from this place, is also a place worth visiting for its scenic beauty.