Sangrali - An Off-Beat Village in the Vicinity of Uttarkashi Town

On my last visit to Uttarkashi in October 2022, the top portion of the dome of a temple on a mountain top was visible from Eagles Nest Homestay, 4 kms from Uttarkashi town. I was curious to know as to which was the temple and how to reach there - by road or by trek. Apart from my interest in the temple, I was sure that the view from the mountain top of the Bhagirathi valley would be spectacular. Since we did not have spare time to visit the mountain top, the matter was not keenly pursued. Even during my April 2023 visit to Uttarkashi, the idea of visiting the temple on a mountain top did not strike me. But I was destined to visit the place.

For our visit to Nelong Valley, my friend, Tilak Soni had arranged a SUV (Scorpio) which was to be driven by one Sandeep Semwal. He was introduced to me at the start of the journey as Sarpanch (Gram Pradhan) of Sangrali village close to Uttarkashi town. During the journey to Nelong Valley, he suggested me that we should visit his Sangrali village where Kandar Devta temple is located and revered by people of his village and other surrounding villages. He also generated interest in me by saying that from the temple, one gets a breathtaking view of snowclad mountains and the valley. He offered to take us on his village tour on the day we return to Uttarkashi after lunch. So, it became clear that the temple visible from the Eagles Nest was Kandar Devta temple.

Sandeep Semwal, the Sarpanch of Sangrali village with his vehicle on Nelong road. On the left is my son.

Driving route to Sangrali village.

After 3 nights of stay in Harsil, we returned to Uttarkashi in the forenoon. On reaching Eagles Nest, we came to know that Sandeep Semwal who was to take us to his village Sangrali that afternoon had gone out of the town on some work. So, we resigned to our fate that on this occasion also, we would not be able to make it to the temple as the next day after breakfast, we would leave Uttarkashi for Dehradun.

Next day, after the breakfast, we were ready for the departure from Eagles Nest for Dehradun. The vehicle came in time. At that time, my son suggested that we should take a detour to Sangrali village and then drive to Dehradun which would require at least an additional hour. The driver agreed provided we pay for the extra kms of drive. We agreed. At last, the plan to visit Sangrali village with Kandar Devta temple and the mountain top view from there is going to fructify.

From Eagles Nest, after crossing Thekla bridge and moving towards Uttarkashi town, the immediate right 'U' turn on the ascending road goes to Sangrali village. The 11-km zig-zag drive was on the excellent road surface. We reached the gate of Sangrali village in less than 30 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised that despite the hilly terrain, the Gram Panchayat had created a parking space on a plain surface sufficient to cater to at least a dozen vehicles. We got down from the vehicle and the first thing we saw was the snowcapped Bandharpunchh range in a clear blue sky.

Bandharpunchh West and Bandharpunchh East both on the right from Sangrali.

Kandar Devta temple on the left foreground with snow-capped mountain in the background. The middle gap is Bhagirathi valley. A local person told me that the peak on the left is Draupadi Ka Danda.

A partial view of the Sangrali village from the cemented pedestrian path.

The topography of Sangrali village is such that Kandar Devta temple is located on the top of the mountain. The houses are located around the temple in layers in descending orders according the to the height of the place. All the houses are well connected with the cemented pedestrian path. Most houses have slat roofs though there are few bungalows. At lower levels, there are terraced fields. I had talked to a couple of people in the temple premises who told me that Sangrali village is located on Varnavrat mountain. Around 110 families stay in the village. The literacy rate is high as apart from primary school in the village, the students have easy access to higher secondary schools in Uttarkashi town.

For the people of Sangrali and the surrounding villages, Kandar Devta is their protector. He is the manifestation of Lord Shiva. People believe that everything in the life of villagers - education, marriage, farming, inter-personal disputes etc are decided by Kandar Devta.

Kandar Devta temple.

Idols inside Kandar Devta temple.

View from Kandar Devta temple.  Gangori village off Bhagirathi River with Bandarpunchh West and Bandarpunchh East in the background.

Another snow-clad mountain view from Kandar Devta temple. The peak on the left is Draupadi Ka Danda according to a person from the village.

Panchayat Bhawan, Sangrali village.

Coming out of the Kandar Devta temple gate.

View of Bandharpunchh range from Parking lot of Sangrali village.

Since we had only limited time at our disposal, we just visited the peripheral of the village around the temple only. There are lot more to see in the village from the other side towards Uttarkashi which we could not do. The priest also told us that a visit to Vimleshwar temple, located off the road about 2-3 kms from Sangrali village was also a good point for the view. This involves about 2 kms of climb to reach the temple. In short, one needs to have almost 5-6 hours to complete the visit on Varnavrat mountain top. Within the limited time at our disposal, we could get a feel of the village. Probably, in our next visit to Uttarkashi, we will keep one full day for Varnavrat Mountain top.