Gangotri Dham Closes for Winter, Goddess Ganga’s Doli Departs for Mukhba

November 10, 2026

Uttarkashi: The doors of Uttarakhand’s famous Gangotri Dham were closed for the winter season on November 10th at 12:05 pm with Vedic chanting and religious rituals. This year, the temple’s doors were opened for devotees on April 19th. On the occasion of the closing of the doors, the entire temple was decorated with 5 quintals of flowers. Following this, Mother Ganga’s festive palanquin departed for its winter sojourn amid the melodious tunes of the army band.

Doli to reach Mukhba after a 25-kilometer journey

After the doors close, Mother Ganga’s palanquin will travel approximately 25 kilometers to reach Mukhba village. The palanquin’s first stop will be the Bhairav ​​Temple, located approximately 8 kilometers from Gangotri Dham. From here, the palanquin will travel approximately 16 kilometers to the Markandeya Temple, where it will rest for the night.

On November 11th, the palanquin will travel approximately one kilometer from here to the Mukhba Temple. For the next six months, worship of Mother Ganga will be performed in Mukhba. During this period, devotees will also be able to visit Mukhba to have darshan of Mother Ganga.

Morning Temperatures Reached -10 Degrees

On the day of the closing of the doors, the morning temperature at Gangotri Dham was recorded at -10 degrees Celsius, while the daytime temperature ranged between -2 and -3 degrees Celsius. Around 200 devotees were present in the temple premises in the morning, but the number of devotees increased to over 1,000 before the closing of the doors.

As of October 20th, 945,168 devotees had visited Gangotri Dham this pilgrimage season. The temple committee expects the total number of devotees to exceed 1 million by the time the doors close.

Find out when the doors of Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath will close

The closing dates for other temples under the Chardham Yatra have also been set. The doors of Yamunotri and Kedarnath will close for the winter season on November 11th at 10:28 am and 8:30 am, respectively. The doors of Badrinath will close on November 16th at 9:37 pm.

During the winter season, Yamunotri will be worshipped at Kharsali, Kedarnath at the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath, and Badrinath at Pandukeshwar and Joshimath.