Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib
Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib is a Sikh place of worship and pilgrimage site in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh, 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. 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 and Kund. The Dasam Granth says that in a former life, Guru Gobind Singh meditated intensely at Hemkund on Akaal.Travel
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, a concept which forms an important tenet of the Sikh faith.The take-off point for Hemkund Sahib is the town of Govindghat, about from Rishikesh. The trek is along a reasonably well-maintained path to the village of Ghangaria. 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 climb on a 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 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.
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. 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.