Shivling Peak Uttarakhand

Part of the Gangotri group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalayas, Shivling Peak is situated at Tapovan in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The peak has been named after the holy symbol of the Lord Shiva, whereas the early Europeans visitors called it Matterhorn Peak because of its similarity in the appearance to that of the Alpine Peak in Swiss Alps. Residing just 4 km away from the Hindu sacred site of Gaumukh; which is the source of the Bhagirathi river, provides the amazing views of this dramatic mountain. With an elevation of 6,543 m, this phenomenal peak of Uttarakhand gives a challenging experience to the adventurist having a keen interest in trekking and peak climbing. The peak has got two summits, in which the northeast summit is slightly higher than the southwest summit. Being on such a height, the peak provides inspiring views of the nearby mountains and glaciers.

Famous among the explorers and adventurist, the Shivling peak has popularised Uttarakhand tourism not only in India but in all over the world. It is one of the peaks in Uttarakhand that poses almost impossible trails that has witnessed many failed mountaineering attempts, but was finally climbed in 1974 by an Indo-Tibetan Border Police team led by Hukam Singh via the west ridge. Other than this, the North face route is another popular route to reach to its summit. The peak has steep rock on all its sides except the west face that has moderate sloping where the snow gets accumulated which makes climbing to the summit somewhat easier. The trek for Shivling starts from Rishikesh and from there the route follows Uttarkashi-Gangotri-Bhojwassa-Gaumukh finally reaching Tapovan which act as a base camp for climbing the Shivling peak. Rishikesh offers easy connectivity to the tourists from different states of India interested in exploring the untouched beauty of Uttarakhand.