Tungnath, Hindu temple village in Chamoli district, India
Tungnath is a village in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, known chiefly for its Hindu temple. The settlement sits at an elevation of 3,680 meters (12,073 feet) in the Garhwal Himalaya mountains.
The temple was built more than a thousand years ago and is considered one of the oldest stone structures in the region. Adi Shankaracharya is said to have rediscovered and restored the site in the 8th or 9th century.
Priests from the Semwal family perform the rituals, following a tradition found only in this region. The prayers and ceremonies follow a fixed pattern that has barely changed over centuries.
The village is accessible from May to November, after which the route closes due to heavy snowfall. The deity is then moved to a lower valley and worshipped there until spring.
The five-kilometer walk from Chopta passes through rhododendron forests and across alpine meadows. From the top, you can see several peaks of the central Himalayan range, including Nanda Devi.
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