Overview
Gangotri is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Situated on the Greater Himalayan Range at a height of about 3,100 metres (10,200 ft), it lies roughly 99 km from Uttarkashi, the district headquarters.
The town is set on the banks of the river Bhagirathi, which is regarded as the origin of the river Ganges. Gangotri is one of the well-known Hindu pilgrim destinations in the region and is associated with veneration of the goddess Ganga.
According to a popular Hindu legend, the goddess Ganga descended at this place when the god Shiva released the mighty river from the locks of his hair. This tradition forms the spiritual backdrop for the town's importance among pilgrims who visit the upper reaches of the Bhagirathi valley.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Gangotri.