Rudraprayag district is located at. It has an average elevation of 895 metres. Many of the newer buildings and particularly the Sangam area was severely damaged in the 2013 Uttarakhand floods. A footbridge over the Mandakini river, and also a road bridge six km downstream at Raitoli was washed away. The layout of the Sangam has altered significantly. The road along the Mandakini valley, leading to Kedarnath, was damaged at many points.
Demographics
2011 census population of Rudraprayag city is 9,313, of which 5,240 are males while 4,073 are females. Female Sex Ratio of Rudraprayag is 777 against a state average of 963. Moreover, the Child Sex Ratio in Rudraprayag is around 803 compared to the Uttarakhand state average of 890. The literacy rate of Rudraprayag city is 89.42% higher than the state average of 78.82%. In Rudraprayag, Male literacy is around 93.43%, while the female literacy rate is 84.24%.
The nearest railway station is at Rishikesh. However, Rishikesh is a small railway station not connected by fast trains. Haridwarrailway junction, 24 km farther from Rishikesh, has train connections to most of the major cities in India and is, therefore, the railhead for Rudraprayag.
Road
Rudraprayag lies on national highway NH58 that connects Delhi with Badrinath and Mana Pass in Uttarakhand near the Indo-Tibet border. Therefore, all buses and vehicles that carry pilgrims from New Delhi to Badrinath, via Haridwar and Rishikesh, in the pilgrimage season of summer months, pass through Rudraprayag on the way to Joshimath, and further north. Rishikesh is a starting point for road journeys to Rudraprayag, and regular buses operate from Rishikesh bus station to Rudraprayag. The road distance from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag is via Devprayag and Srinagar.
Rudranath Temple Rudraprayag is named after Lord Shiva, and the temple of lord Rudranath is situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers. According to mythology Narada Muni worshiped god Shiva here to learn music from him. The god then taught him music in his form of Rudra. There used to be a rock called Narad Shila, where Narada is said to have sat in meditation. Dhari Devi Mandir is situated at Kalyasaur in between Srinagar and Rudraprayag. Distance between Srinagar-Dhari Devi and Dhari Devi-Rudraprayag is 16 km and 20 km, respectively. One can reach here with no trouble by taxi or bus from Srinagar and Rudraprayag. Chamunda Devi Temple Chamunda Devi temple is also situated at the confluence of the holy rivers. Chamunda as the wife of Lord Rudra is worshiped here. Koteshwar Koti means crore, and Ishwar means god, is again a temple of Lord Shiva made by natural caves. Shree Tungeshwar Mahadev Ji, Phalasi Near Chopta This temple has been here for centuries. Folklore has it that the Pandavas came here for penance. On the way from Chopta, there are many small temples up to the Tunganath Temple. On the temple walls, are terracotta style seals and Shiva-Parvati figurines. Kartik Swami The Kartik Swami temple is dedicated to Lord Kartikeya - son of Lord Shiva. It can be reached by a 3 km trek from Kanak Chauri village, which is located on the Rudraprayag-Pokhri route, 38 km from Rudraprayag. Visitors can see the snow-clad Himalayan range from the Kartik Swami temple. Basukedar Basukedar is where Shiva reputedly lived, before coming to Kedarnath. It's a Shiva temple constructed by Pandavas. The architecture and idols seem to be at least 1000 yrs old. It is a good place for meditation and dhyana yoga. It is around 35 km from Agustmuni. around 1.30 hr by drive. This is actually an old track to visit Kedarnath. It is said that Lord Shiva stayed a night in Basukedar while he was travelling to Kedarnath; this is the reason this place is called Basukedar
