The famous Sem Mukhem at Tehri Garhwal

Sem Mukhem temple is located in tourism zone 4 of UNWTO Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan (2007-2022). The subproject area is in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand State.

The district of Tehri Garhwal is one of the largest districts of Uttarakhand.

Some important tourist locations in the region are Buda Kedar, Khatling Glacier and popular hill station Chamba. The subproject site is mentioned in almost all tourist guides of Uttarakhand.

It is considered as an important tourist location in Tehri Garhwal. It is one of the important tourist locations for tourists visiting NewTehri and Tehri reservoir.

Temple of Nag Raja (the Serpent King) at Sem Mukhem located in Pratapnagar block of Tehri Garhwal district. The temple is held in high esteem by the people of the area.

People consider it as the fifth dham after Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

The famous Sem Mukhem Mela (fair) is held once in every three years in the last week of November. The fair attracts lakhs of devotees from different parts of the State and beyond, who take blessings after offering prayers.

VIPs including the Chief Minister usually attend the fair. A temporary helipad has been constructed for this purpose.

Sem Nagaraja temple is situated near the village Mukhem in Pratapnagar block of Tehri district, of Garhwal region in Himalaya. Transport facilities are available up to Mukhem village.

The temple is situated at the top of a hill involving 2 km trek from a fair ground located at foothill.

This district is considered to be one of holy place in the state, and it is located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range. There are many places that one can visit during trip to Tehri Garhwal, as there are numerous temples in the region and also many old forts built during 823 AD –886 AD.

It is believed that in the Dwapar Yug brave Gangu Ramola used to live at Garh Mukhem. On hearing about his strength, Krishna took the guise of a Rishi to test him. The lord sought alms at his home but Ramola’s wife said that the alms would be given after he returned home from the forest. Angered at this, Lord Krishna turned Ramola and his 180 buffaloes to stone, which can still be seen at the site.
She realized who the Rishi was and sought her husband’s life back from Krishna, who refused to concede and gave her water instead. Later the Lord lost himself in meditation at this naturally beautiful area.

Now, once in every three years, lakhs of people throng with musical instruments to the fair held here. The normal tourist season is in the month of April, May and June. Mule service is available during festivals on demand. Accommodation is presently provided by the Temple Priests / ‘Pandas’ of the village Mukhem. Apart from that, there is one Ashram of Swami Kulananda, where minimum boarding and lodging is available. Devotees can stay in this ashram (only dormitory facilities are available for 20 persons).

Source : Internet / Asian Development Bank / UNWTO reports

Pics by : Dharam Singh