Himalayan gorges ! ~ road near Joshimutt - way to Badrinath dham

 

The trip to holy Badrinath dham is on winding roads of Himalayas, scenic, winding, filled with trees, rocks, river flowing along the way through many gorges – a thoroughly enjoyable though a bit scary when you see the narrow roads and when one looks down !!

A gorge is a narrow valley with steep, rocky walls located between hills or mountains. The term comes from the French word gorge, which means throat or neck. A gorge is often smaller than a canyon, although both words are used to describe deep, narrow valleys with a stream or river running along their bottom.  A number of natural forces form gorges. The most common is erosion due to streams or rivers. Streams carve through hard layers of rock, breaking down or eroding it. Sediment from the worn-away rock is then carried downstream. Over time, this erosion will form the steep walls of a gorge. The flooding of streams or rivers increases the speed and intensity of this erosion, creating deeper and wider gorges.

Here is a photo taken on 17.9.2026 while travelling near Joshimutt – the  small vehicle on the winding road is  clearly visible clearly giving  a wonderful sense of scale to the enormous mountain landscape. The route to Badrinath Dham features dramatic and deep Himalayan river gorges carved by the roaring Alaknanda River.  The highway (NH-7) cuts through sheer rock faces and deep, steep-sided river canyons flanked by the towering Nara and Narayan mountain ranges.  Stretches near Sirobagad, Lambagad, and Joshimath run right along steep cliff edges plunging straight into the glacial river below.  

Interesting !

Regards – S Sampathkumar

29.9.2026