Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra is a festival that stretches for whole three weeks. It is one such Uttarakhand festival that is globally famous. Innumerable people participate in Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra from the Garhwal-Kumaon region, the rest of the country.
Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra Route |
Goddess Nanda Devi is a popular deity at many places of Garhwal & Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Nanda Devi Raj Jat is organised once in every 12 years in Chamoli after royal priests' descendents and the Kunwar royal family make elaborate preprations in the village of Nauti and in Kansuwar respectively. It is primarily a religious pilgrimage spanning for 280 Kilometers. The trek takes about 20 days to be completed.
This Raj jat yatra originates from the Nauti village 20 km of Karnaprayag tehsil of Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Kunwar of village Kansua inaugurates the ceremony. The legend is this that Nanda Devi, consort of Lord Shiva left her village and went to the nanda devi parbat. Therefore when the yatra starts, heavy rain occurs as if the devi is crying. This yatra covers many villages and in between the Devi meets her sister in the Bhagwati village.
This yatra is very tough on account the landscape it goes through. In between the yatra there comes a Lake Roopkund where lies the hundreds of skeletons. It is said that once the King took some dancers to this sacred place due to which heavy snow fell and people died and the dancers got transformed into stone which can be sen in Patarnachonia. The other myth is this that king Yasodhwal's wife was pregnant and while she was giving birth to her child, her placenta flowed down to Roopkund and this in turn caused the death of the people on that place. That is why the river Nandakini lost her significance and the Nandprayag is not considered sacred as the other Panch Prayags like Devprayag, Vishnuprayag, Karanprayag and Rudraprayag.
August 18 Yatra begins from Nauti village and reach Idabadhani
August 19 Idabadhani to Nauti
August 20 Nauti to Kansuwa
August 21 Kansuwa to Sem
August 22 Sem to Koti
August 23 Koti to Bhagwati
August 24 Bhagwati to Kulsari
August 25 Kulsari to Chepdnue
August 26 Chepdnue to Nandkesari
August 27 Nandkesari to Faldiagaon
August 28 Faldiagaon to Mundoli
August 29 Mundoli to Wan
August 30 Wan to Gairoli Patal
August 31 Gairoli Patal to Bedni
September 01 Bedni to Patar Nachaunia
September 02 Patar Nachaunia to Shilasamudra
September 03 Shilasamudra to Homkund and Chandaniyaghat
September 04 Chandaniyaghat to Sutol
September 05 Sutol to Ghat
September 06 Ghat to Nauti
How to reach :-
By Air - Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun in Garhwal & Pantnagar, Udham Singh Nagar in Kumaun region of Uttarakhand.
By Rail -The nearest railway stations are Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and Kotdwar in Garhwal. Kathgodam, Haldwani & Tanakpur in the region of Kumaun.
By Rail -The nearest railway stations are Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and Kotdwar in Garhwal. Kathgodam, Haldwani & Tanakpur in the region of Kumaun.
By Road :
If you want to go by bus than chamoli distict is well connected with Dehradun, Haridwar and Rishikesh .From Kumaun Chamoli distict is connected with Rudrapur, Ramnagar and Tanakpur. Main station of this Yatra is Karanprayag which is connected with Garhwal and Kumaun. We can also attend the yatra from Chandpur gadi, Ujwalpur, Nandkesari and Tharali.
Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Night Hault
No. Night Hault Distance(km)
1 Nauti to Eda Bandhani 10 Kms.
2 Eda Bandhani to Nauti 10 Kms.
3 Nauti to Kansuwa 7.5 Kms.
4 Kansuwa to Sem 17.3 Kms.
5 Sem to Koti 12 Kms.
6 Koti to Bhagoti 11.5 Kms.
7 Bhagoti to Kulsari 15.4 Kms.
8 Kulsari to Chepdue 10.8 Kms.
9 Chepdue to NandKesari 4.7 Kms.
10 NandKesari to Faldiya 7.9 Kms.
11 Faldiya Gaun to Mundoli 7.7 Kms.
12 Mundoli to Vaan 20.2 Kms.
13 Vaan to Geroli Patal 6.8 Kms.
14 Geroli Patal to Patar Nachoniya 6.9 Kms.
15 Patar Nachoniya to Sila Samundra 3 Kms.
16 Sila Samundra to ChandniyaGhat 12.3 Kms.
17 ChandniyaGhat to Sutol 20.9 Kms.
18 Sutol to Ghat 18 Kms.
19 Ghat to Nauti 41.6 Kms.
Photo Gallery -
Nauti to Eda Bandhani 10 Kms. |
Eda Bandhani to Nauti 10 Kms. |
Nauti to Kansuwa 7.5 Kms. |
Kansuwa to Sem - 17.3 Kms. |
Sem to Koti 12 Kms. |
Koti to Bhagoti 11.5 Kms. |
Bhagoti to Kulsari 15.4 Kms. |
Kulsari to Chepdue 10.8 Kms. |
Chepdue to NandKesari 4.7 Kms. |
NandKesari to Faldiya 7.9 Kms. |
Faldiya Gaun to Mundoli 7.7 Kms. |
Mundoli to Vaan 20.2 Kms. |
Vaan to Geroli Patal 6.8 Kms. |
Geroli Patal to Patar Nachoniya 6.9 Kms. |
Patar Nachoniya to Sila Samundra 3 Kms. |
Sila Samundra to ChandniyaGhat 12.3 Kms. |
ChandniyaGhat to Sutol 20.9 Kms |
Sutol to Ghat 18 Kms. |
Day 19 - Ghat to Nauti... Return Back.......................