Panch Prayag means the five confluence of rivers namely Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Mandakini, Pinda & Dholi Ganga,. Panch Prayags are located in Uttarakhand on the Badrinath route.
At the prayags, people take a bath before going to the temple for worship. Also, people come here to perform Shraad rituals for their departed ones.
Devprayag:
It is situated 70 km from Rishikesh, at the confluence of Alaknanda & Bhagirathi rivers which form the holy river Ganga. Devprayag is believed to be as holy as the Sangam in Allahabad where Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet. Devprayag is among the 108 divya desham of Vaishnavities.
Rudraprayag:
It is situated 140 km from Rishikesh, at the confluence of Alaknanda & Mandakni river. Rudraprayag is the point where the two roads branch off to the holy shrines of Kedarnath (84 km) and Badrinath (159 km). The temple of Rudra and Goddess Chamunda are located here.
Karanprayag:
It is situated 170 km from Rishikesh, at the confluence of Alaknanda & Pindari rivers. It is believed that Karan did penance here and acquired the kavach and kundal from his father, the Sun God. Swami Vivekananda had also meditated here for 18 days. There is a temple where the deity of Goddess Uma Devi, Parvati, Shiva and Ganesha are present.
Nandprayag:
Nand Prayag is at a height of 914m and 191km from Rishikesh. It is the confluence of the Alaknanda and Mandakini (flowing from a glacier near Nanda Devi Peak) rivers. There is a temple of Gopal ji located here which is a form of Lord Krishna.
Vishnuprayag:
Formed by the confluence of the impetuous Vishnu Ganga (known after this point as the Alaknanda) and the Dhauliganga river, Vishnu Prayag, 1372 m and 272 km away from Rishikesh. has an ancient temple called Vishnu Kund.
HISTORY:
Ganga, the most sacred of Indian rivers, is worshipped as the life-giving Goddess who brought salvation to this land. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganga on auspicious days and her waters are used for purification rituals. This great river, emerging from the icy glaciers of the Himalayas, descended on earth with such force that the Gods had to be called in to prevent a complete deluge. The mighty Ganga was split into 12 channels to tamper her force and the siblings again unite into one single stream after Devprayag, where the two great streams of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi meet. Four other confluences higher up add up to form the five holy confluences or Panch Prayag, which pilgrims visit for worship.
WEATHER:
The area which encompasses the Panch Prayag is one of the high mountains, with low temperatures through much of the year. Although all the Prayags can be reached by road throughout the year, it’s better to give them a miss during the winter months, when it gets very cold.
