Revered as the goddess "Kalindi" and the daughter of Surya (the Sun God) and sister of Yama (the God of Death), the Yamuna River is the second most sacred river in India and the largest tributary of the Ganga. Born from the frozen Champasar Glacier beneath the Kalindi Peak and Bandarpoonch massif at an elevation of 6,387 meters in Uttarkashi district, the young Yamuna flows through deep, rugged gorges before watering the western valleys of Dehradun.
The Holy Shrine of Yamunotri
Situated at 3,291 meters, Yamunotri is the first stop in the traditional Char Dham Yatra. Devotees bathe in the natural thermal sulphur spring of Surya Kund, where rice and potatoes wrapped in cloth are boiled instantly by the subterranean volcanic heat as sacred prasad.
The Mighty Tons River Confluence
Downstream from Purola, the Yamuna meets its largest Himalayan tributary: the roaring Tons River. Interestingly, the Tons carries significantly more water than the Yamuna at their confluence near Kalsi, having drained the massive alpine amphitheaters of Har-ki-Dun and the Rupin-Supin valleys.
Dakpathar Barrage and Asan Confluence
At Dakpathar in western Dehradun, the Yamuna is regulated by a major barrage that channels water for hydroelectric generation and irrigation, creating the serene Asan Conservation Reserve wetland, a globally recognized winter sanctuary for migratory waterfowl.
Ecological Purity in the Himalayan Stretch
Unlike its heavily polluted urban plains stretch downstream of Delhi, the Yamuna in Uttarakhand is crystalline, highly oxygenated, and teeming with native snow trout (Schizothorax) and rich riparian biodiversity.