Nanda Devi Raj Jat
The Himalayan pilgrimage of Uttarakhand — route, halts and terms
About the Raj Jat
The Nanda Devi Raj Jat is a Himalayan pilgrimage centred on the goddess Nanda Devi, undertaken through the high villages and meadows of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, India. The procession carries a palanquin of the goddess along a route that climbs from the temple town of Nauti through forested ridgelines, alpine meadows (bugyals) and high mountain passes toward Homkund, near the base of Trishul and Nanda Devi peak.
Raj Jat, Choti Jat and Badi Jat
The Raj Jat is the great Nanda Devi pilgrimage whose route is mapped on this site, travelling from Nauti to Homkund and back. Lok Jat or Choti Jat is the name general accounts use for a smaller procession. Badi Jat is a name that appears in news and social media posts. These are separate names and this site does not say that any two of them are the same thing.
The route
The surveyed main route runs roughly 257 km across 19 days of travel, passing 17 recorded halts and connecting with 8 other regional Nanda Devi yatras along the way. Two of the best-known halts are Bedni Bugyal, a meadow with a small lake where pilgrims pause and offer tarpan, and Roopkund, a shallow glacial lake at roughly 4,500 m altitude known for the centuries-old human remains found at its edge. The route geometry, halt coordinates and elevation profile on this site are measured from surveyed GeoJSON route data and a Census gazetteer, not estimated by eye — see the interactive map for the full day-by-day breakdown, data sources and quality notes.
Read the guides
- What is the Nanda Devi Raj Jat? — the pilgrimage, the goddess and the route in outline.
- Raj Jat, Choti Jat and Badi Jat — three names, kept separate.
- The route, day by day — 19 days and 257 km measured from survey data.
- Bedni Bugyal and Roopkund — the high meadow and the mystery lake.
- Villages and halts, altitude and safety, how the map was made and a glossary.
Latest information
News, government announcements and social media updates about the Raj Jat and related names are collected from public sources and reviewed before publishing — see the Latest Information page.