Karnaprayag
Karanprayag is a small town situated near the junction of two holy rivers – the River Alaknanda and Pinder in the Chamoli district of Uttrakhand. Karanprayag is 10 Kms far from Gauchar town, and it takes approx 15 to 20 minutes to reach from Gauchar to Karanprayag. If you are in Gauchar then you can take sharable taxis that are available anytime in Gauchar’s main market to Karanprayag or you can wait for the buses that will be coming from Srinagar and Rishikesh. But we will recommend taking the shareable taxis and saving your time. There are many beautiful places to visit in Karanprayag, some of them are historical sites and popular villages with cultural importance, as we all know that Uttarakhand is known as Devbhoomi.
So let’s see those places which are near Karanprayag and you can visit there very easily.
7 Places to See in Karanprayag
1 – Nauti Village
Nauti village has its own cultural and historic importance regarding the Goddess Nanda Devi. The Nanda Devi Raj jat yatra starts from this village after every 12 years of time span. If you are in Karanprayag then you must consider this village on your visit list. Nauti village is one of the most popular villages in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand because of its cultural importance due to Goddess Nanda Devi. The village is located at an elevation of 369 meters above sea level. When you reach there you will see the beauty of the majestic Himalayan ranges and I can’t explain that beautiful view. The Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra is held after every 12 years. It’s more than 200 Km yatra. Starts from Nauti village and to Roopkund Lake.
2 – Adi Badri
It is an ancient temple located just 3 Km away from Chandpur Garhi where an ancient garhwal fort is located. It is also an interesting destination you must consider visiting when you are in Adibadri or going towards adibadri. It is recommended to visit Chandpur Garhi first, then Adibadri. Because Chandpur Garhi is located before Adibadri Temple if you are traveling from Karnaprayag to Adibadri. Adi Badri is a historic temple of Lord Vishnu and it is one of the temples that come under Panch Badri of Uttarakhand. It is a group of 16 temples belonging to the Gupta period. In this temple, a black stone of Lord Vishnu is enshrined. This place is within the Badrikshetra and Badrinath(name of Vishnu) that’s why the temple is known as Adi Badri. You must visit this holy place once.
3 – Uma Devi Temple
Uma Devi temple is a holy temple of Goddess Parvati/ Gauri which is located in the main market of Karanprayag. Gauri Devi was the daughter of the Himalayas. Uma Devi temple is a must-visit temple in Karnaprayag. The location of Uma Devi temple is just on national highway 7 also known as Badrinath highway. The main gate of the temple is a side of the road which anybody can see clearly and understand that the stairs went up to the Uma Devi temple. And it is now so a long stars trek… it’s just walking distance to reach Uma Devi Temple.
4 – Chandika Devi Temple Simli
Chandika Devi temple is located in the Simli town of the Karanprayag tehsil which is just 5 Km from Karanprayag. The Chandika Devi temple in Simli, Karanprayag is also known as Sri Raj Rajeshwari Chandika Mata Mandir which is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali Mata.
5 – Karna Temple
Karna temple is located in the main Karanprayag city of Uttarakhand, this temple is dedicated to the Karna of Mahabharat.
6 – Nandprayag
Nandprayag is a small village town located at the holy confluence of the Alaknanda and Nandakini rivers. Nandprayag is a small town from where 2 routes get divided, one goes to the Chamoli and another one to the Ghat area.
7 – Benital
Benital is one of the beautiful places in the Chamoli district as the name suggests that there is a tal(lake) and that lake has an interesting story we will cover soon in our next blog. Benital is flat land where a huge lake is located and there are few villages around it.
So these were some places to visit near Karanprayag. If you are planning to visit Karanprayag, Chamoli then you must consider these places to visit.