Journey
Panch Prayag
The Panch Prayag are the five sacred confluences on the Alaknanda's descent through Garhwal, from Vishnuprayag at Joshimath to Devaprayag where the Alaknanda meets the Bhagirathi and the river becomes the Ganga proper. Together they map the Ganga's formation as a five-stage ritual sequence woven into the Char Dham Yatra.
Stops (5)
- Vishnuprayāg · Alaknandā + Dhaulīgangā
First stop on the upstream-to-downstream sequence, at 1,372 metres. Pilgrims descending from Badrinath cross this Alaknanda-Dhauliganga confluence at Joshimath and offer tarpana, beginning the ritual descent through the five prayags. It anchors the journey's high-altitude upper end, tying Badrinath directly to the Panch Prayag sequence.
- Nandaprayāg · Alaknandā + Nandākinī
Second stop on the descent, where the Nandakini joins the Alaknanda at 914 metres. Pilgrims stop for snana and pinda daan at the confluence ghats, invoking Yashoda's foster son. It marks the transition from the highest Chamoli reaches into the middle Alaknanda valley on the Panch Prayag route.
- Karnaprayāg · Alaknandā + Pindar
Third stop, at 788 metres, where the Pindar joins the Alaknanda. Pilgrims offer tarpana particularly for ancestors, invoking Karna's mythic penance. The confluence marks the mid-point of the Panch Prayag descent and gives access eastward to the Roopkund and Pindari glacier treks, expanding the journey's Kumaon connections.
- Rudraprayāg · Alaknandā + Mandākinī
Fourth stop, at 610 metres, where the Mandakini from Kedarnath joins the Alaknanda from Badrinath. Pilgrims descending from Kedarnath rejoin the Panch Prayag sequence here, making Rudraprayag the geographical and ritual pivot of the entire Char Dham circuit as well as of the five-prayag journey.
- Devaprayāg · Alaknandā + Bhāgīrathī
Fifth and final stop, at 475 metres, where the Alaknanda meets the Bhagirathi to form the Ganga proper. Pilgrims complete the Panch Prayag circuit here with a culminating snana at the sangam. The Raghunathji temple above marks the ritual completion point, and the Ganga formally begins from this confluence.