Hemkund Sahib (also spelled Hemkunt), formally known as Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji, is a Sikh place of worship and pilgrimage in the Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the 10th Sikh guru, and is mentioned in Dasam Granth. With its configuration of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks, each adorned by a Nishan Sahib on its cliff, according to the Survey of India, it is located in the Himalayas at an elevation of 4,160 meters (13,650 feet). It is reached from Govindghat on the Rishikesh-Badrinath road. The main city near Gobindghat is Joshimath. The altitude of the lake in Hemkund is approximately 13,650 feet. Waheguru
Travel
Hemkund is inaccessible from October to April due to snowy trails and glaciers. Sikh pilgrims arrive in May and go to work repairing the road damage during the winter, the tradition of which is called kar seva (“selfless service”), a concept that forms an important tenet of the Sikh faith.
The launch point for Hemkund Sahib is the town of Govindghat, about 275 kilometers (171 miles) from Rishikesh. The 9-kilometer (5.6-mile) hike takes place along a reasonably well-maintained path to the village of Ghangaria (also called Govinddham). This path can be traveled on foot or by pony and a Gurudwara here gives refuge to pilgrims. In addition, there are some hotels and a campsite with tents and mats. A 1,100-meter (3,600-foot) climb on a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) stone paved road leads to Hemkund. It is not allowed to stay overnight in Hemkund Sahib, so it is necessary to leave at 2pm. m. to return to Govindghat at dusk.
From Delhi, tourists take the train to Haridwar and then travel by bus to Govindghat via Rishikesh. It is also possible to drive from Delhi to Govindghat, a distance of about 500 kilometers (310 miles) that takes about 18 hours to travel. Recently, an Indian airline company has started a helicopter service between Govindghat and Ghangria. The flight takes about 5 minutes.
The recent helicopter service started between Govindghat and Gangaria.
A recent study examining altitude sickness in Hemkund Sahib found that nearly a third of pilgrims traveling to Hemkund suffered from acute mountain sickness (a form of altitude sickness). As approximately 150,000 pilgrims are believed to travel to Hemkund Sahib each trekking season, nearly 50,000 people are at risk of developing acute mountain sickness each year. The authors pointed to the difficult nature of the hike, limited water consumption, and lack of awareness of altitude sickness as the main contributing factors.
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