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| {{Redirect-distinguish|Hemkund|Homkund}}
| | #REDIRECT [[Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib]] |
| {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
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| {{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
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| {{Infobox settlement
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| | name = Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib
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| | native_name =
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| | native_name_lang =
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| | other_name = Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib
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| | settlement_type = pilgrimage site; Gurudwara
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| | image_skyline = Hemkunt-003.jpg
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| | image_alt = A stone building is surrounded by partially frozen ponds. Pilgrims can be seen on the paths
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| | image_caption = Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib
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| | nickname =
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| | pushpin_map = India Uttarakhand#India
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| | pushpin_label_position =
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| | pushpin_map_alt =
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| | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Uttarakhand, India
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| | coordinates = {{coord|30|42|0.78|N|79|36|57.54|E|display=inline,title}}
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| | subdivision_type = Country
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| | subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
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| | subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
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| | subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
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| | subdivision_name1 = [[Uttarakhand]]
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| | subdivision_name2 = [[Chamoli district]]
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| | established_title = <!-- Established -->
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| | established_date =
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| | founder =
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| | named_for =
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| | government_type =
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| | governing_body =
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| | unit_pref = Metric
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| | area_footnotes =
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| | area_total_km2 =
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| | area_rank =
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| | elevation_footnotes =
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| | elevation_m = 4632.96
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| | population_total =
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| | population_as_of =
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| | population_footnotes =
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| | population_density_km2 = auto
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| | population_rank =
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| | population_demonym =
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| | demographics_type1 = Languages
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| | demographics1_title1 = Official
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| | demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi language|Hindi]]<ref name="langoff">{{cite web|title=52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA|url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|website=nclm.nic.in|publisher=[[Ministry of Minority Affairs]]|access-date=9 October 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>
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| | demographics1_title2 = Regional
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| | demographics1_info2 = [[Garhwali language|Garhwali]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Garhwali |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gbm |website=Ethnologue |access-date=24 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
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| | timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
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| | utc_offset1 = +5:30
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| | postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
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| | postal_code = 249401
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| | registration_plate = UK 11
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| | website = {{URL|www.hemkunt.in}}
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| | footnotes =
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| }} | | }} |
| '''Hemkund Sahib''' (also spelled Hemkunt), formally known as ''[[Gurudwara]] Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji'', is a [[Sikh]] place of worship and pilgrimage site in [[Chamoli district]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]. It is devoted to [[Guru Gobind Singh]] (1666–1708), the tenth [[Sikh gurus|Sikh Guru]], and finds mention in ''[[Dasam Granth]]'', a work presumed dictated by Guruji himself, but insufficiently verified, where mythological components exist in the work. With its setting of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks, each adorned by a [[Nishan Sahib]] on its cliff, it is according to the Survey of India located in the [[Himalayas]] at an elevation of {{convert|4160|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref>[https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=30.698745,79.618349&spn=0.021698,0.035577&z=15 Hemkunt Sahib at Google maps] ''Satellite view: lake, Gurudwara building on west shore, zigzag pilgrim path from Ghanghariya (2 km west) to west shore. Terrain view: Hemkund Sahib at 4,160 m, Ghanghariua at 3,100 m''.</ref> It is approached from [[Govindghat]] on the [[Rishikesh]]-[[Badrinath]] highway. The main town near Gobindghat is [[Joshimath]]. The altitude of the lake at Hemkund is approximately {{Convert|13650|ft|m|abbr=out}}.
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| ==Etymology==
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| Hemkund is a [[Sanskrit]] name derived from ''Hem'' ("Snow") and ''Kund'' ("bowl").
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| [[File:Hemkund Lake.JPG|thumb|right|Hemkund Lake, September]]
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| ==Travel==
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| [[File: Pilgrims crossing the Hemkund Glacier..jpg|thumb|Pilgrims going across the Hemkund Glacier to visit Gurudwara Sri Hemkund Sahib]]Hemkund is inaccessible from October through April because of snowbound paths and glaciers. Sikh pilgrims arrive in May and set to work to repair the damage to the path over the winter, which tradition is called ''kar seva'' ("selfless service"), a concept which forms an important tenet of the Sikh faith.
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| The take-off point for Hemkund Sahib is the town of [[Govindghat]], about {{convert|275|km}} from [[Rishikesh]]. The {{convert|9|km}} trek is along a reasonably well-maintained path to the village of [[Ghangaria]] (also called Govinddham). This path can be covered either by walk or by pony and a [[Gurudwara]] here gives shelter to pilgrims. In addition, there are a few hotels and a campground with tents and mattresses. A {{convert|1100|m|ft|adj=on}}climb on a {{convert|6|km|adj=on}} of stone paved path leads to Hemkund. Overnight stay is not allowed at Hemkund Sahib, so it is necessary to leave by 2 PM to make it back to Govindghat by dusk.
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| From [[Delhi]], tourists take the train to [[Haridwar]] and then travel by bus to Govindghat via Rishikesh. It is also possible to drive from Delhi to Govindghat, a distance of about {{convert|500|km}} which takes around 18 hours to cover. Recently, an Indian airline company has started a helicopter service between Govindghat and Ghangria. The flight takes about 5 minutes.
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| [[File: Helicopter service.jpg|thumb|The recent helicopter service started between Govindghat and Gangaria]]
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| A recent study examining [[altitude sickness]] at Hemkund Sahib found that almost one-third of pilgrims who traveled to Hemkund suffered from [[Altitude sickness|Acute Mountain Sickness]] (a form of altitude sickness). As approximately 150,000 pilgrims are believed to travel to Hemkund Sahib each trekking season, almost 50,000 people are at risk of developing Acute Mountain Sickness each year. The authors stated the difficult nature of the trek, limited water consumption, and lack of awareness regarding altitude sickness as the main contributory factors.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.4103/0019-5278.116366|pmc=3777282|title=A pilot study on the prevalence of acute mountain sickness at the sikh pilgrimage of hemkund sahib in the Indian Himalayas|year=2013|last1=Sahota|first1=Inderjeets|last2=Panwar|first2=Nidhis|journal=Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine|volume=17|issue=1|pages=12–15|pmid=24082642}}</ref>
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| ==Present Gurudwara==
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| Design and construction of the present gurudwara at Hemkund was started in the mid-1960s, after Major General Harkirat Singh, KCIO, Engineer-in-Chief, Indian Army visited the gurudwara. The engineering brain behind the gurudwara project, Major General Harkirat Singh selected Architect Manmohan Singh Siali of the Military Engineering Services (MES) to head the design and construction effort. Thereafter, Architect Siali made annual trips to Hemkund Sahib and organized and supervised complex construction. M/s Sahib Singh, Harbhajan Singh & Gursharan Singh were the dedicated Gursikh contractors who worked on the construction, overcoming numerous weather, altitude, terrain, and logistic challenges. The unique design and construction are acclaimed as marvels, both of which have borne the test of sustainability over the past many decades.
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| <ref>[https://shrihemkuntsahib.com/design_archi.html Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib: The Design and Architecture]. shrihemkuntsahib.com</ref>
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| ==Valley of Flowers==
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| {{Main|Valley of Flowers National Park}}
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| About {{convert|3|km}} from Gobinddham is the {{convert|5|km|adj=on}} long Valley of Flowers. The Indian Government has declared this valley a national park. It is situated in [[Nanda Devi National Park|Nanda Devi Bio Reserve]], and all activities are carefully regulated to preserve the valley. The best months to visit are July and August, during the [[monsoons]]. According to legend, a flower known as ''Brahma-Kamal'' blossoms. The trek to the valley is for advanced trekkers, especially during an extended period of rainfall. Almost every single rock on the path to the valley of flowers requires a significant level of concentration, so as to avoid potential injuries. It is a popular second destination for pilgrims visiting Hemkunt Sahib.
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| ==Gallery==
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| <gallery caption="Views of Hemkund (Hemkunt) Sahib" widths="130px" perrow="5">
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| Image:Hemkunt-002.jpg|Gurudwara in front of lake
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| <!--Image:Gurdwara-hemkunt-haridwar.jpg| Gurdwara Hemkunt Trust, Haridwar-->
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| Image:Hemkunt-006.jpg| Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib
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| <!--File:Pilgrims crossing the Hemkunt Glacier to reach Hemkunt Sahib.jpg|The road between Joshimath and Gobindghat-->
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| File:Hemkundflower.jpg|Hibiscus flower
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| <!--File:Hemkund2005prayag.jpg|A river-->
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| <!--File:DSCN3657.jpg|Gurudwara-->
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| File:Brahmkamal.jpg|[[Saussurea obvallata|Brahmkamal]]
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| </gallery>
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist}}
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| ==Further reading==
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| * ''Gurdwara in the Himalayas: Sri Hemkunt Sahib'', by Suparna Rajguru, M. S. Siali. Published by Hemkunt, 2001. {{ISBN|81-7010-292-8}}.
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| * ''Pilgrimage to Hemkunt'', by Jaswant Singh Neki. Photographs by Sondeep Shankar. New Delhi, UBSPD, 2002, {{ISBN|81-7476-375-9}}.
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| ==External links==
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| {{Commons category|Hemkund}}
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| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121219061559/http://www.hemkunt.in/index.html Hemkund Sahib Yatra Information]
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| * [http://distancebetween.info/haridwar/hemkund_sahib HemKund Sahib Road Map]
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| * {{Wikivoyage-inline}}
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| * [https://www.facebook.com/GuruDwaraShriHemkundSahib/ Facebook Page]
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| {{Chamoli district}}
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| {{Authority control}}
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| [[Category:Sikh places]]
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| [[Category:Religious tourism in India]]
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| [[Category:Tourism in Uttarakhand]]
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| [[Category:Gurdwaras in Uttarakhand]]
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| [[Category:Chamoli district]]
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| [[Category:20th-century gurdwaras]]
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