The current Gangotri Temple was built in the early 18th century (circa 1700-1720) by Amar Singh Thapa, the Gorkha military general who conquered the Garhwal region. The temple was constructed as part of the Gorkha consolidation of Uttarakhand, which involved building infrastructure for pilgrimage routes. In the early 20th century, the Maharaja of Jaipur undertook major renovations, reinforcing the structure against the harsh Himalayan winters and adding the approach ghats along the Bhagirathi.
The temple was damaged in the 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake and again during the 2013 Kedarnath floods, though the main structure withstood both. The temple is administered by the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Board, established in 2019. The original 18th-century idol of Goddess Ganga — a silver image standing on a crocodile — remains the primary object of worship.
