Creativesketchbook at 00:10, 18 April 2026

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{{Short description|Sikh temple in Uttarakhand, India}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Hemkund|Homkund}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name =
| settlement_type = Gurudwara
| image_skyline = Hemkunt-003.jpg
| image_alt = A stone building is surrounded by partially frozen ponds. Pilgrims can be seen on the paths
| image_caption = Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib
| nickname =
| pushpin_map = India Uttarakhand#India
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Uttarakhand, India
| coordinates = {{coord|30|42|0.78|N|79|36|57.54|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Uttarakhand]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Chamoli district]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 4572
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank =
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi]]<ref name="langoff">{{cite web|title=52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA|url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|website=nclm.nic.in|publisher=[[Ministry of Minority Affairs]]|access-date=9 October 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>
| demographics1_title2 = Regional
| demographics1_info2 = [[Garhwali language|Garhwali]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Garhwali |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gbm |website=Ethnologue |access-date=24 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 249401
| registration_plate = UK 11
| website = {{Official website |URL|shrihemkuntsahib.com}}
| footnotes =
}}
'''Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib''' is a [[Sikh]] place of worship ([[gurdwara]]) and pilgrimage site in [[Chamoli district]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]. It is devoted to [[Guru Gobind Singh]] (1666–1708), the tenth [[Sikh Guru]], and finds mention in ''[[Dasam Granth]]''. With its setting of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks, each adorned by a [[Nishan Sahib]] on its cliff, it is according to the Survey of India located in the [[Garhwal Himalaya]] at an elevation of {{convert|4572|m|ft|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hemkund Sahib {{!}} Chamoli District Website {{!}} India |url=https://chamoli.gov.in/tourist-place/hemkund-sahib/ |website=Government of Uttarakhand |access-date=24 September 2023}}</ref><ref>[https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=30.698745,79.618349&spn=0.021698,0.035577&z=15 Hemkunt Sahib at Google maps] ''Satellite view: lake, Gurudwara building on the west shore, zigzag pilgrim path from Ghanghariya (2 km west) to west shore. Terrain view: Hemkund Sahib at 4,160 m, Ghanghariua at 3,100 m''.</ref> It is approached from [[Govindghat]] on the [[Rishikesh]]-[[Badrinath]] highway. The main town near Gobindghat is [[Joshimath]]. The elevation of the lake at Hemkund is approximately 15,000 feet.

==Etymology==
Hemkund is a [[Sanskrit]] name derived from ''Hem'' ("Snow") and ''Kund'' ("bowl"). The [[Dasam Granth]] says that in a former life, Guru Gobind Singh meditated intensely at Hemkund on Akaal.<ref>Rinehart, Robin (2014) "The Dasam Granth". In ''Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies''. Oxford: The Oxford University Press, p. 138. {{ISBN|9780199699308}} {{doi|10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199699308.013.017}}</ref>

[[File:Hemkund Lake.JPG|thumb|right|Hemkund Lake, September]]

==Travel==
[[File: Pilgrims crossing the Hemkund Glacier..jpg|thumb|Pilgrims going across the Hemkund Glacier to visit Gurudwara Sri Hemkund Sahib]]Hemkund is inaccessible from October through April because of snowbound paths and glaciers. Sikh pilgrims arrive in May and set to work to repair the damage to the path over the winter, which tradition is called ''kar seva'' ("selfless service"), a concept which forms an important tenet of the Sikh faith.

The take-off point for Hemkund Sahib is the town of [[Govindghat]], about {{convert|275|km}} from [[Rishikesh]]. The {{convert|13|km}} trek is along a reasonably well-maintained path to the village of [[Ghangaria]] (also called Govinddham). From This 13km trek, 4km can be covered with shared taxi and rest 9km is trek. This path can be covered either by walk or by pony and a [[Gurudwara]] here gives shelter to pilgrims. In addition, there are a few hotels and a campground with tents and mattresses. A {{convert|1100|m|ft|adj=on}}climb on a {{convert|6|km|adj=on}} of stone paved path leads to Hemkund. Overnight stay is not allowed at Hemkund Sahib, so it is necessary to leave by 2 pm to return to Govindghat by 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 {{convert|500|km}} which takes around 18 hours to cover. Recently, an Indian airline company has started a helicopter service between Govindghat and Ghangria. The flight takes about 5 minutes.

[[File: Helicopter service.jpg|thumb|The recent helicopter service started between Govindghat and Gangaria]]

A recent study examining [[altitude sickness]] at Hemkund Sahib found that almost one-third of pilgrims who travelled to Hemkund suffered from [[Acute Mountain Sickness]] (a form of altitude sickness). Approximately 150,000 pilgrims are believed to travel to Hemkund Sahib each trekking season, and almost 50,000 people are at risk of developing Acute Mountain Sickness each year. The authors stated the difficult nature of the trek, limited water consumption, and lack of awareness regarding altitude sickness as the main contributory factors.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.4103/0019-5278.116366|pmc=3777282|title=A pilot study on the prevalence of acute mountain sickness at the sikh pilgrimage of hemkund sahib in the Indian Himalayas|year=2013|last1=Sahota|first1=Inderjeets|last2=Panwar|first2=Nidhis|journal=Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine|volume=17|issue=1|pages=12–15|pmid=24082642 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Present Gurudwara==
[[File: Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib by Panjab Digital Library.jpg|thumb|During the construction of Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib. Digitized by [[Panjab Digital Library]].]]Design and construction of the present gurudwara at Hemkund was started in the mid-1960s, after [[Harkirat Singh (general)|Major General Harkirat Singh]], KCIO, Engineer-in-Chief, Indian Army visited the gurudwara. The engineering brain behind the Gurudwara project, Major General Harkirat Singh selected Architect Manmohan Singh Siali of the Military Engineering Services (MES) to head the design and construction effort. Thereafter, Architect Siali made annual trips to Hemkund Sahib and organized and supervised complex construction. M/s Sahib Singh, Harbhajan Singh & Gursharan Singh were the dedicated Gursikh contractors who worked on the construction, overcoming numerous weather, altitude, terrain, and logistic challenges. The unique design and construction are acclaimed as marvels, both of which have borne the test of sustainability over the past many decades.
<ref>[https://shrihemkuntsahib.com/design_archi.html Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib: The Design and Architecture]. shrihemkuntsahib.com</ref>

==Valley of Flowers==
{{Main|Valley of Flowers National Park}}
About {{convert|3|km}} from Gobinddham is the {{convert|5|km|adj=on}} long Valley of Flowers. The Indian Government has declared this valley a national park. It is situated in [[Nanda Devi National Park|Nanda Devi Bio Reserve]], and all activities are carefully regulated to preserve the valley in pristine condition. The best months to visit are July and August, during the [[monsoons]]. Legend has it that a flower called ''Brahma-Kamal'' blossoms here every 12 years. The trek to the valley is for advanced trekkers, especially during an extended period of rainfall. Almost every single rock on the path to the valley of Flowers is wobbly and requires a significant level of concentration to avoid an unnecessary injury. It is a popular second destination for pilgrims visiting Hemkunt Sahib and worth spending a day.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="130" perrow="5" caption="Views of Hemkund (Hemkunt) Sahib">
File:Photograph of Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib in 1936.jpg|Photograph of Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib in 1936, the year the first Gurdwara was established (pictured)
File:Photograph of Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib in 1960.jpg|Photograph of a group of Sikh pilgrims praying at Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib in 1960
File:Hemkunt-002.jpg|Gurudwara in front of lake
File:Hemkunt-006.jpg|Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib
File:Brahmkamal.jpg|Brahmkamal
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''Gurdwara in the Himalayas: Sri Hemkunt Sahib'', by Suparna Rajguru, M. S. Siali. Published by Hemkunt, 2001. {{ISBN|81-7010-292-8}}.
* ''Pilgrimage to Hemkunt'', by Jaswant Singh Neki. Photographs by Sondeep Shankar. New Delhi, UBSPD, 2002, {{ISBN|81-7476-375-9}}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Hemkund}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121219061559/http://www.hemkunt.in/index.html Hemkund Sahib Yatra Information]
* [http://distancebetween.info/haridwar/hemkund_sahib HemKund Sahib Road Map]
* {{Wikivoyage-inline}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/GuruDwaraShriHemkundSahib/ Facebook Page]

{{Chamoli district}}

[[Category:Sikh places]]
[[Category:Religious tourism in India]]
[[Category:Tourism in Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Gurdwaras in Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Chamoli district]]

Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib - Revision history

Creativesketchbook at 00:10, 18 April 2026