Since time immemorial the pilgrim trail has led the devotee to the Himalayas. They have trekked up the narrow hill tracks, bathed in the icy rivers and faced the dangers of the snow, avalanches and the wild forests. They have trekked up to the shrine to Shiva at Kedarnath, to Vishnu at Badrinath and then along dangerous glaciers to the source of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. At each of these sites there are ancient temples that are open only during the summer seasons and close once the snows block the roads. As the region often faces natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, heavy snow fall and avalanches, all the temples are small simple structures built of heavy blocks of stone.

Ice capped mountains, tumultuous rivers, serene lakes, pine forests and waterfalls have all created a landscape that attracts the spiritual seeker and the adventurer. So this region has seen the presence of pilgrims, philosophers and ascetics for thousands of years. From rishis like Gautama, Kapila and Kashyapa to the Adi Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya of the Hindus to the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh; they have all hiked along these narrow hill tracks, prayed to the sun and meditated by the rivers and lakes.

This region has the biggest concentration of pilgrimage sites in the country, with innumerable temples dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva, the Devi and many other deities and even heroes. Its mythology refers to the heroes of the epics visiting the shrines. It is as if the gods chose this region as their abode and as Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavat Gita, “Out of all immovable things, I am the greatest mountain in the world. I am the Himalayas.”