Yamunotri is located on the western face of Banderpoonch peak,it is primarily considered the first destination in the char dham yatra.The beautiful journey to Yamunotri is along the river Yamuna itself.The main temple here is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna,represented in a black marble idol.The other deity is a white image of Goddess Ganga.Technically,the source of river Yamuna is in Champasar glacier,near Saptarishi Kund,a trek of 1 km above the Yamunotri shrine but it is a very tough trek and is not recommended to the yatris.

According to legend,Surya Dev,the sun god,married Sangya,daughter of Vishwakarma.They had twins,yama and Yamuna but Sangya could not bear the fierce heat of the sun.She created her clone,Chhaya,and begged her to take her to her place.Sangya then left Surya Dev’s home.Chhaya agreed to keep the secret but said she would reveal the truth if ever Surya Dev punished her by pulling her hair.One day,the child yama tried to strike Chhaya with his leg.An affronted Chhaya cursed him that his leg would rot and fall off.Surya Dev was surprised and angered by the severity of the curse,that too from a mother against her own child.Accosting her in anger,he pulled her hair.Chhaya thus revealed that she was not his true wife,and only a stepmother to Yama and Yamuna.It is said that Yamuna came down to earth,did severe penance and successfully saved her brother from the effects of the curse.Yama,the god of death,then offered her a boon.She asked that her devotees be protected from akaalmrityu(untimely death).Hence the belief that a bath in the waters of Yamunotri protects devotees from untimely death and leads to moksha.

In 1816,James Frazer,a British Army officer,reached Yamunotri.He found a 3 foot high temple built of stone and a priest performing worship there.Around 1850,Sudarshan Shah,king of Tehri,had a wooden temple built and the deity consecrated.Later,Pratap Shah rebuilt the temple in stone,but heavy snow occasionally damages the temple,and reconstruction has been done many times.