Panoromis view of the peaks fom Chandrasila Peak

Chandrashila is the summit above

Tungnath Tungnath ( IAST:tuņgnāth) is one of the highest Shiva temples in the world and is the highest of the five Panch Kedar temples located in the Rudraprayag district, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Tungnath (literal meaning: Lord of the ...

temple in India. It literally means "Moon Rock". It is located at a height of about above sea level. This peak provides views of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

, including

Nandadevi Nanda Devi is the second-highest mountain in India, after Kangchenjunga, and the highest located entirely within the country (Kangchenjunga is on the border of India and Nepal). It is the 23rd-highest peak in the world. Nanda Devi was consid ...

Trisul Trisul is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, Uttarakhand, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m. The three peaks resemble a trident - in Sanskrit, Trishula, trident, is the weapon of Shiva. The Trishul grou ...

, Kedar Peak,

Bandarpunch Bandarpunch (lit. Hindi: ''Monkey's tail'') is a mountain massif in the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. The massif has 3 peaks: White Peak (6102 m), also called Banderpunch II, to the west above Yamunotri; almost 5 km east is Banda ...

and

Chaukhamba Chaukhamba is a mountain massif in the Gangotri Group of the Garhwal Himalaya. Its main summit, Chaukhamba I, is the highest peak in the group. It lies at the head of the Gangotri Glacier and forms the eastern anchor of the group.Andy Fanshaw ...

peaks. There are various legends associated with this place. According to one such legend, this is where Lord

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

meditated after defeating the demon-king

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...

. Another legend says that the moon-god

Chandra Chandra ( sa, चन्द्र, Candra, shining' or 'moon), also known as Soma ( sa, सोम), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and ...

spent time here in penance.

Accessibility

A bus can be directly taken up to Ukhimath from Haridwar or

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

or a taxi to Rudraprayag and then Ukhimath takes about 8 hours. There is no taxi service to Chopta from Ukhimath. Chopta is well connected by motor roads with the major towns of Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state. Follow NH58 until you reach Rudraprayag and after reaching Rudraprayag follow the route to Kedarnath and take right turn to Ukhimath. Chopta is situated 29 km from Ukhimath. Chopta is also accessible from Gopeshwar. The nearest railhead to Chopta is Rishikesh situated 209 km away. Rishikesh is well connected by railway networks with the major cities of India. Buses and taxis to Chopta and Ukhimath are easily available from Rishikesh. Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport to Chopta, situated 226 km away in the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand state. The remaining journey has to be either by taxi or bus. Taxis are easily available to Rishikesh, Rudraprayag, Ukhimath and Chopta from Jolly Grant Airport. Another possible route is through

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the righ ...

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in Dehradun district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. It is situated on the right bank of the Ganges River and is a pilgrimage town for Hindus, with ancient sages and saints meditati ...

Rudraprayag Rudraprayag is a town and a municipality in Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, the point of confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. Kedar ...

then

Ukhimath Ukhimath (also spelled Okhimath) is a small town and a Hindu pilgrimage site in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand in India. It is situated at an elevation of 1,311 meters and at a distance of 41 km from Rudraprayag. During the winter, t ...

finally to

Chopta Chopta is a small region of meadows and evergreen forest area, a part of Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary located in Uttarakhand state, India and a base for trekking to Tungnath, the third temple of Panch Kedar which lies away. Located at a dista ...

Chopta distance chart

* Ukhimath to Chopta – 29 km * Delhi to Chopta – 451 km * Meerut to Chopta – 368 km * Rishikesh to Chopta – 200 km * Haridwar to Chopta – 225 km * Pauri to Chopta – 126 km * Dehradun to Chopta – 246 km * Mussoorie to Chopta – 212 km * Devprayag to Chopta – 130 km * Tehri Garhwal to Chopta – 151 km * Kotdwar to Chopta – 229 km * Joshimath to Chopta – 92 km * Srinagar to Chopta – 96 km Chandrashila peak from Tungnath Temple

*Kedarnath to Chopta – 64 km * Rudraprayag to Chopta – 63 km * Gopeshwar to Chopta – 41 km * Badrinath to Chopta – 136 km From Chopta it is a 6 km trek.

Trekking

Chandrashila treks are one of the most popular treks among Indian trekking enthusiasts. The trek to the peak is 5 km. The trek route that starts from

takes one to

(highest Shiva temple in the world), from here it is a kilometre long, and a steep trek. Though shorter in distance, steep climbing makes this trek rigorous. This trek is undertaken throughout the year although during the winter season due to snowfall this trek becomes hard as road to Chopta is closed. Trekkers use a different route during this period (

Deoria Tal Deoria Tal (also Devaria or Deoriya) is a lake about from the villages of Mastura and Sari on the Ukhimath-Chopta road in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas, it has heavily wooded, lush gree ...

- Duggalbitta -

- Chandrashila). NandaDevi from Chandrashila Pk

References

External links

{{Commonscat, Chandrashila
Photos of Chandrashila
Mountains of Uttarakhand

Accessibility

Chopta distance chart

Trekking

See also

References

External links