Devprayag The last Prayag of Alaknanda, best places to travel in india

Devprayag

Devprayag is situated at an altitude of 475mts above sea level at the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River. Devprayag is situated in Tehri Garhwal district and some part of Devprayag comes under Pauri Garhwal district. Devprayag is the last prayag (confluence) of Alaknanda River and from this point the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River is known as Ganga. The town lies on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway, 71kms ahead of Rishikesh.

The town is the seat of the pundits of Badrinath Dham. The town of Devprayag holds great religious importance amongst Hindus as the divine Ganga River takes its real form from here. The town is named after Dev Sharma who led his ascetic life here and it is also believed that he was blessed with a glimpse of god. The place showers the tourists with its serene and divine natural beauty and it is also believed than Lord Rama and King Dushratha did penance here. There is an ancient Raghunathji Temple built above the confluence with massive rocks and it is believed that the temple was built more than ten thousand years ago.

The structure of the town was devastated by an earthquake of 1803 but it was subsequently repaired. The confluence has Brahma Kund on Bhagirathi River and Vashisht Kund on Alaknanda River. There is a place called Baitalshila and it is claimed that a bath in it can cure leprosy. Devprayag can be visited anytime of the year but try to avoid the monsoons as the water is muddy and there are chances of roads getting blocked due to landslides.

PLACES TO SEE IN DEVPRAYAG

Raghunathji Temple : It is one of the oldest temples of Lord Rama situated in India as it is more than 10,000 years old. The temple is made up of huge rocks placed slightly above the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers. The special aarti of the temple is sung on special occasions and even a non believer of god rhymes to its tune. The temple is visited by many devotees all around the year. The shrine of Rama was shattered by an earthquake in 1803 but was subsequently repaired by Daulat Rao Scindia. According to myths and legends, when Lord Rama came back to Ayodhya after his victory over Lanka he did penance here. The temple compound also hosts Annapurna Devi temple, Hanuman temple, Shankaracharya temple and Garud temple.

Dashrathshila This is the place where Raja Dashratha, father of Lord Rama performed penance. There is a small water stream here named after Raja Dashrath’s daughter, Shanta. The seat of Dashrath is one a small hillock called Dashrathachal Peak.