Uttarkashi , meaning Kashi of the north, is a holy town in Uttarakhand, India. It is the district headquarter of Uttarkashi district. Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of riverBhagirathi at an altitude of 1352 m above sea level. Uttarkashi is home to a number of ashrams and temples and also to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. The name of the town reflects its similarity to and location (as north of) the city of Kashi (Varanasi). Similar to Varanasi, town of Uttarkashi is situated on the Ganges, lies next to a hill named Varun Parvat, on confluence of two rivers Varuna and Asi, has a ghat called Manikarnika Ghat and has a temple dedicated to Shiva (Kashi Vishwanath Temple) in the center of the town. This district has one degree college affiliated to garhwal university. There are two intercollege for boys and girls besides many schools. For higher education in technology there is polytechnich institute situated in joshiyara around 3-4 km away from main city.
Geography
Uttarkashi is located at 30.73°N 78.45°E.It has an average elevation of 1,165 metres (4,436 feet). Most of the terrain is hilly. There are many small and big rivers in Uttarkashi district. The Yamuna and the Ganges (Bhagirathi) are biggest and holiest among them, their origin is Yamunotri and Gangotri (Gomukh) respectively. Asi ganga and jad ganga are some of the tributaries of the Ganges.
Places of interest
Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM): NIM is one of the few mountaineering institutes in India. It conducts various mountaineering and climbing training courses and besides organising climbing expeditions. Bachendri Pal, India's first woman to climb Mount Everest, is an alumnus of NIM.
Kandar Devta Mandir
Vishwanath Temple
Ganga Kinare (Bank of the Ganges)
Nachiketa Tal
Ujeli (constellation of sages): Ujeli is a neighborhood on the north of the town, where many ashrams are located.
Tiloth Power Plant: Located in Tiloth village at the fringe of Uttarkashi town; Stage 1 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric project .
Maneri Dam: Located at Maneri (15 km from Uttarkashi town); Stage 1 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric project .
Bhali Dam: Located in Joshiyara village at the lower fringe of the town. Stage 2 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric project
Kuteti Devi temple: Located on a small hill across Bhagirathi River.
Gyansoo and Palla Gyansoo: Old suburbs of Uttarkashi town, located en route to New Tehri .
Joshiyara: A village across Bhagirathi River. Now becoming a neighborhood. It has a famous temple, Kaleshwar Mandir, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Matli: A battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police is located here .
Mahidanda: Another battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police is located here
Adventure sports white water river rafting, Uttarkashi is known for its excellent trekking tracks and mountaineering.
