Devprayag

Situated on the Rishikesh - Badrinath road, this mountainous spot is the site of the holy meeting of the rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. When they flow out of here, they are together called the Ganga. An old temple of Ram here is well known. It is believed that the town is named after Deosharma, a sage, who led a life of penance here and succeeded in having a glimpse of God. Devprayag, meaning "holy confluence", is essentially the site of the beginning of the Ganges River. The Ganges begins with the confluence of two streams here, and its considered a place of powerful natural forces as well as spiritual forces. Devprayag is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrimages

It is on the metalled road running from Rishikesh to Badrinath, and about 87 kms. from Narendra Nagar.

The great temple of Raghunathji is claimed to have been erected some ten thousand years ago. It is built of massive uncemented stones, standing upon a terrace in the upper part of the town consisting of an irregular pyramid capped by a white cupola with a golden ball and spire. Religious ablutions take place at 2 basins excavated in the rock at the junction of the holy streams. One on the Bhagirathi known as the Brahm Kund and the other on the Alaknanda called the Vasisht Kund. An earthquake shattered the temple, along with the other buildings of the town, in 1803 but the damage was subsequently repaired through the munificence of Daulat Rao Sindhia. This temple is visited by a large number of pilgrims every year. The town is the seat of the pandas of the Badrinath Dham and possesses a post and telegraph office, a public call office, a police out-post, a dak bungalow of the public works department and a hospital. Besides the temple of Raghunathji, there are Baital Kund, Brahm Kund, Surya Kund and Vasisht Kund, the Indradyumna Tirth, Pushyamal Tirth, Varah Tirth, Pushpavatika, Baitalshila and Varahishila, the shrines of Bhairava, Bhushandi, Durga and Vishveshvara and a temple dedicated to Bharata. A bath at Baithalshila is claimed to cure leprosy. Nearby is the Dasharathachal Peak, containing a rock, known as Dashrathshila, on which Raja Dasharatha is said to have led a life of penance. A small stream, the Shanta running down from the Dasharathachal, is named after Shanta, the daughter of Raja Dasharatha and is considered sacred.