Uttarkashi
—  city  —
Uttarkashi Location of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand and India
Coordinates	30°44′N 78°27′E / 30.73°N 78.45°E / 30.73; 78.45Coordinates: 30°44′N 78°27′E / 30.73°N 78.45°E / 30.73; 78.45
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand
District(s)	Uttarkashi
Population	16,220 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 1,352 metres (4,436 ft)

Uttarkashi (Hindi: उत्तरकाशी ), meaning Kashi of the north, is a holy town in Uttarakhand, India. It is the district headquarter of Uttarkashi district. Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of river Bhagirathi at an altitude of 1352 m above sea level. Uttarkashi is home to a number of ashrams and temples and also to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. The name of the town reflects its similarity to and location (as north of) the city of Kashi (Varanasi). Similar to Varanasi, town of Uttarkashi is situated on the Ganges, lies next to a hill named Varun Parvat, on confluence of two rivers Varuna and Asi, has a ghat called Manikarnika Ghat and has a temple dedicated to Shiva (Kashi Vishwanath Temple)in the center of the town.

Geography[link]

Uttarkashi is located at 30°44′N 78°27′E / 30.73°N 78.45°E / 30.73; 78.45.^[1] It has an average elevation of 1,165 metres (4,436 feet). most of the terrain is hilly. RIVERS- there are many small and big rivers in Uttarkashi district. The Yamuna and the Ganges (Bhagirathi) are biggest and holiest among them, their origin is Yamunotri and Gangotri (Gomukh) respectively. Asi ganga , jad ganga are some of the tributeries of the Ganges

Morning at Uttarkashi Town

Demographics[link]

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[2] Uttarkashi had a population of 16,220. Males constitute 57% of the population and females 43%. Uttarkashi has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 71%. In Uttarkashi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Most citizens of Uttarkashi are Garhwali, with large numbers of Punjabi, Kumaoni and people from other parts of Northern India. It also has a significant population of the Bhotiya Jadh people.

Places of interest[link]

Yamunotri temple, one of holiest shrines of Hinduism lies in the district, as does its source

• Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM): NIM is one of the few mountaineering institutes in India. It conducts various mountaineering and climbing training courses and besides organising climbing expeditions. Bachendri Pal, India's first woman to climb Mount Everest, is an alumnus of NIM.
• Kandar Devta Mandir
• Vishwanath Temple
• Ganga Kinare (bank of the Ganges)
• Ujeli (constellation of sages): Ujeli is a neighborhood on the north of the town, where many ashrams are located.
• Tiloth Power Plant: Located in Tiloth village at the fringe of Uttarkashi town; Stage 1 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric project
• Maneri Dam: Located at Maneri (15 km from Uttarkashi town); Stage 1 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric project
• Bhali Dam: Located in Joshiyara village at the lower fringe of the town. Stage 2 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric project
• Nachiketa Tal
• Kuteti Devi temple: Located on a small hill across Bhagirathi River
• Gyansoo and Palla Gyansoo: Old suburbs of Uttarkashi town, located en route to New Tehri
• Joshiyara: A village across Bhagirathi River. Now becoming a neighborhood. It has a famous temple, Kaleshwar Mandir, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• Matli: A battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police is located here
• Mahidanda: Another battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police is located here

Adventure sports white water river rafting, Uttarkashi is known for its excellent trekking tracks and mountaineering.

See also[link]

1991 Uttarkashi earthquake

References[link]

External links[link]

• Uttarkashi city, Official website
• Uttarkashi at Uttaranchal Tourism website
• Uttarkashi City Guide
• [1]