SSC
The Mandakini river originates from the Chorabari (Sumeru) glacier above which famous temple?
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Answer: Option C — Kedarnath
Detailed Solution
The Mandakini river rises from the Chorabari glacier, near the Chorabari Tal (also called Gandhi Sarovar), above the Kedarnath temple in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.
Course of the Mandakini:
- It flows south from Kedarnath, past Gaurikund and Sonprayag (where it is joined by the Songanga), through the Kedar valley.
- It is about 81 km long.
- It joins the Alaknanda at a confluence in the Rudraprayag district, one of the sacred confluences of the Alaknanda.
Kedarnath temple:
- It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and one of the Char Dham shrines of Uttarakhand.
- It stands at about 3,583 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas.
- According to tradition, it was built by the Pandavas and later revived by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century; his samadhi is located behind the temple.
The temple is open only from about April-May to October-November because of heavy snow in winter. During winter, the deity is worshipped at Ukhimath.
2013 Kedarnath disaster:
- In June 2013, extremely heavy rainfall and the bursting of the Chorabari Lake caused devastating floods and debris flows in the Mandakini valley.
- Kedarnath town was largely destroyed, though the temple itself survived, protected by a large rock (now called Bhim Shila) that lodged behind it.
- Thousands of people died across Uttarakhand.
- The disaster led to large-scale reconstruction of Kedarnath and greater attention to disaster management in the Himalayas.
Panch Kedar:
- Kedarnath is the first of the Panch Kedar, five Shiva temples of the Garhwal region: Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar.
- Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world.
Kedarnath ropeway:
A ropeway from Sonprayag to Kedarnath was approved in 2025 to reduce the difficult trek.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Badrinath is a Vishnu temple in the Chamoli district.
- ✗Gangotri is a Char Dham shrine in Uttarkashi district, and Tungnath is another of the Panch Kedar temples.
Quick tip
Remember: Mandakini rises from the Chorabari glacier near Kedarnath; 2013 Kedarnath floods; Kedarnath = Jyotirlinga and Char Dham.
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Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's drainage system: the Himalayan rivers (the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems), the peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi and Mahanadi), their tributaries and origins, waterfalls, lakes, and the major dams and multipurpose river projects. Exams ask about the origin of a river, its tributaries, the cities on its banks, and the river on which a dam is built. For example, the Bhakra Nangal Dam is on the Sutlej, the Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi, and the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada. Remember that the Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea, while most peninsular rivers flow east. Practise the rivers, lakes and dams of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.