Devprayag (Deva prayāga) is a town and a nagar panchayat, near New Tehri city in Tehri Garhwal District in the state of Uttarakhand, India, and is the final one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River where Alaknanda meets the Bhagirathi river and both rivers thereafter flow on as the Ganges river or Ganga.

Overview

Traditionally, it is considered to be the place where sage Dev Sharma led his ascetic life, giving birth to its present name, Devprayag. It is one of the five sacred confluences in the hills and is an important place of pilgrimage for devout Hindus. "Devprayag" means "Godly Confluence" in Sanskrit. According to Hindu scriptures, Devprayag is the sacred place of merging of two visible heavenly rivers, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi, to form the holy Ganges. On a terrace in the upper part of the village is the temple of Raghunathji, built of huge stones, pyramidal in form, and capped by a white cupola. There are major four temples located on this Godly Confluence. These temples increase the spiritual importance of Devprayag.

Geography

The Alaknanda rises at the confluence and feet of the

Satopanth Mount Satopanth (7084m) is one of the prominent peaks of the Garhwal range of Himalayas that fall in the Indian subcontinent and also the second highest peak in Gangotri National Park. Location Tibet. The headwaters of the Bhagirathi are formed at Gaumukh, at the foot of the Gangotri glacier and Khatling glaciers in the

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom * Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Gar ...

Himalaya. These two sacred rivers join to form the Ganges (Ganga) in Devprayag. Devprayag is 70 km from

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 ...

. Devprayag has an average elevation of 830 metres (2,723 feet).

Demographics

India census, Devprayag had a population of 2144. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Devprayag has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 74.5%; male literacy is 82% and, female literacy is 72%. In Devprayag, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. The town is the seat of the pandas of the Badrinath Dham.

In popular culture

Devprayag has been featured prominently in the films '' Kisna: The Warrior Poet'' and ''Ponga Pandit''.

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is the

Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun Airport , also known as Jolly Grant Airport, is a domestic airport serving Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, India, located 25 km south of the city. Commercial operations began on 30 March 2008, after a runway extension to accommo ...

near

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 ...

away.

Railway

The nearest railway stations is at

. However, Rishikesh is a small railway station not connected by fast trains. Haridwar railway junction, 24 km farther from Rishikesh, has train connections to most of the major cities in India and is, therefore, the railhead for Devprayag.

Road

Devprayag lies on national highway NH58 that connects Delhi with Badrinath and Mana Pass in Uttarakhand near Indo-Tibet border. Therefore, all the buses and vehicles that carry pilgrims from New Delhi to Badrinath via Haridwar and Rishikesh in pilgrim season of summer months pass through Devprayag on the way to Joshimath and further north. Rishikesh is the major starting point for road journey to Devprayag and regular buses operate from Rishikesh bus station to Devprayag. The road distance from Rishikesh to Devprayag is . * Haridwar to Rishikesh 24 km * Rishikesh to Devprayag 74 km * Devprayag to Srinagar 34 km * Srinagar to Rudraprayag 33 km

Gallery

Devprayag Confluence Oct 2019.jpg, Devprayag after the monsoons in October 2019 Devprayag Bhagirathi Alaknanda.jpg, The Bhagirathi ''(left)'' joins the Alaknanda ''(right)'' at Devprayag Alaknanda devprayag.jpg, The sediment-laden Alaknanda river flowing into Devprayag. Formation of Ganga River.jpg, Devprayag - where Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet and take the name Ganga or Ganges River. Devprayag - Confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda.JPG, Devprayag the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers. The river gets the name "Ganges" (or Ganga) beyond Devprayag VKdevpryag2.jpg, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi sangam at Devprayag. Now the river is known as Ganga Devprayag sangam.jpg, Devprayag sangam

References

External links

Regional Govt Official website

Devprayag
on '' wikimapia'' {{Authority control Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Cities and towns in Tehri Garhwal district