For the pilgrims coming from across the nation and abroad, having a bath at Gangotri is no less than a challenge. People have to take a devotional dip in the Bhagirathi river here risking their lives because the bathing ghats were destroyed by the flash floods last year and have not been repaired so far by the authorities.
Hundreds of deovtees take a dip in the river along is roughly kilometre long banks here every day. But this year, the pilgrims do not have the facility of bathing ghats and have to access the river from its boulder strewn uneven banks. In such a situation, the rising levels of the Bhagirathi waters in the coming monsoon season could cause a mishap.
Som Bhai a pilgrim from Gujarat said that his family had come here from far off to get a glimpse of the origin of Mother Ganga and take a holy dip in the river but in the absence of proper bathing ghats they could not muster the courage to take a dip in the river. Rambihari Singh, a pilgrim from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh also said that as the level of the river keeps on rising the ebbing, it is necessary to make the bathing ghats safe for the pilgrims.