Gosaikunda

Gosaikunda
Nepal Travel Destination

One of Nepal’s most famous religious places of pilgrimage is Gosainkunda lake situated at an altitude of about 4360 meters.
The lake town is surrounded by high mountains to the north and east and the lake itself is worth the trip alone for its beauty and picturesque surroundings.

There are nine other famous lakes in the area such as Saraswati, Bhairav, Sourya and Ganesh Kunda. Every year during the Janai Purnima festival in August, thousands of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims travel here by foot to take a holy dip in the lake.

Another site to see when traveling to Gosaikunda, besides its glacial lake, is the large rock in the center of the lake. It is said to be the remains of an ancient Shiva shrine. There is a myth that claims the lake is carried by a channel that stretches all the way from Gosaikunda in the Langtang Region to the holy pond 60 kilometers to the south at the Kumbheshwar Temple in Kathmandu’s city of Patan.

The best approach to Gosainkunda for those who do not want to go trekking for too, many days, is through Dhunche. You can take a private vehichle 132 kilometers north-east of Kathmandu or take a bus (regular buses may not be scheduled) to Dhunche. Dhunche is linked with Kathmandu by a drivable yet windy road so those prone to motion sickness should take some medicine before heading to Dhunche by vehicle. You will have to trek to Gosaikunda from Dhunche which takes about two days.

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