History of Gangotri
According to the Hindu mythology, Ganga was the daughter of the Heaven. King Bhagirath performed a long and deep meditation or tapsaya so that Ganga came down to Earth. He did this for the salvation of his 60,000 predecessors who once disturbed the meditation of a sage while searching for their stolen horse. The sage turned them into ashes and they could attain salvation only if holy Ganga touched them with the sacred water. Thus, Bhagirath mediated at the place and the river Ganga descended from Heaven. Lord Shiva gave her shelter in the coils of his hair to minimize the immense impact of her strong fall on the earth. And the place where Shiva released Ganga, it formed as River Bhagirathi where the water touched the ashes of the predecessors and they attained salvation.
