Description
The most beautiful of all Himalayan flowers, the blue Primula can be seen blooming in thousands in the valley. The best time to see the Valley Of Flowers in full bloom is from mid-July to mid-August. To reach the valley one has to trek from Govind Ghat, on the route to Hemkund Sahib, up to Ghangaria, 12 kms ahead. Few furlongs ahead of Ghangaria the trek route to the valley takes a detour towards left. The valley is about 5 kms from Ghangaria. The high altitude serine lake, known as Hemkund (4329 mts.) lies in heavenly environs. A steep trek from Ghangharia leads one to this spot in about four to six hours.
It is an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, as well as for people from other faiths. There is a Sikh Gurudwara and a Lakshman temple built on the bank of the lake. Encircled by seven snow clad peaks and their associated glaciers, it reflects its surroundings enchantingly on its crystal clear serene waters. The glaciers from Hathi Parvat and Saptrishi peaks feed the lake and a small stream called Himganga flows out of this lake. As alluded to, in the holy Granth Sahib, Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikh faith had meditated on the bank of this lake in one of his earlier births. It is widely believed among Sikhs that Guru Govind Singh introduced the features now universally associated with Sikhism.