हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Nandprayag

The confluence of the Nandakini with the Alaknanda, named after King Nanda, who performed a yajna here. The Gopalji temple stands above the sangam.

Built: Sacred confluence; Gopalji templeWhere: Uttarakhand (Chamoli)Deity: Shri Krishna as Gopal30.33° N, 79.32° E
Photo: Fowler&fowler«Talk» · CC BY-SA 3.0

01Nanda’s yajna

Two kathas are told of the name. In one, a king named Nanda performed a great yajna at this confluence and was blessed. In the other, Nanda Baba of Gokul, foster-father of Shri Krishna, did tapas here praying that Bhagwan Vishnu be born as his son, and the boon was granted in the Dvapara Yuga; this is why the temple at the sangam is of Gopal. The Nandakini comes down from the snows of Nanda Ghunti and Trishul and joins the Alaknanda in a broad green pool.

02Kanva’s ashram

Garhwal also places the ashram of Maharshi Kanva near here, where Shakuntala grew up and where King Dushyanta met her; their son Bharata gave his name to this land. The town was a halt on the old pilgrim path to Badrinath, and the Badrinath highway still runs through it.

Visiting

Nandprayag is on the Badrinath highway about 21 km beyond Karnaprayag. The ghat at the sangam is reached by steps from the bazaar.

Nearby

KarnaprayagStanding
Vedic Rishis and the Itihasa

Karnaprayag

The confluence of the Pindar with the Alaknanda, where Karna did tapas to Surya Dev. The temple of Uma Devi stands above the sangam.

TungnathStanding
Vedic Rishis and the Itihasa

Tungnath

The third of the Pancha Kedar and the highest Shiva temple of the five, at 3,680 m on the ridge between the Mandakini and Alaknanda. The arms of Mahadev are worshipped here.

RudranathStanding
Vedic Rishis and the Itihasa

Rudranath

The fourth of the Pancha Kedar, a rock shrine among alpine meadows at about 3,600 m, where the face of Mahadev is worshipped as Neelkanth. It is the hardest of the five to reach.

Adi Badri Temples, ChamoliStanding
The Age of Great Kingdoms

Adi Badri Temples, Chamoli

A cluster of stone temples on the road from Karnaprayag to Ranikhet, counted first among the Panch Badri. Fourteen of the sixteen shrines survive and are protected by the ASI.