Panch Prayag is a set of five holy river confluences in the Garhwal side of Uttarakhand. According to a legend, as Ganga was descending on earth, Lord Shiva contained its enormous force by dividing it into various streams. After going through five major confluences, River Ganga becomes complete again and surges down to purify humanity. Prayag means confluence in Sanskrit language. Undertaking a Panch Prayag Yatra involves visiting each of these sacred convergences and getting blessed with their purity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
