Char Dham Yatra is one of the most sacred pilgrimages in the world. Here, pilgrims visit four religious temples, which are located in seclusion, among the mighty Himalayan peaks. In ancient times, it was considered that a person who succeeds in visiting all four dhams will attain salvation.
Char Dhams basically refers to temples of Ganga, Yamuna, Vishnu, and the mighty Shiva, who exists in their purest incarnations up there. For followers of Hinduism, visiting these temples is similar to meeting the almighty in-person. The reason is that pilgrims experience heavenly bliss on these highly spiritual sites.
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What Are Char Dhams?
Sometimes, Char Dham Yatra is also referred as Choti Char Dham Yatra to separate it from the big circuit of Char Dhams, which involve Dwarika puri, Jagannath puri, Badrinath Dham, and Rameshwaram. In the small circuit, pilgrims visit Yamunotri Dham, Gangotri Dham, Kedarnath Dham, and Badrinath Dham.
Yamunotri Dham: Yamunotri Dham is named after the goddess Yamuna, who is incarnated in the form of Yamuna river. This is the first site en route to the yatra. According to legends, a person who takes bath in the holy waters of the Yamuna river is said to cleanse off all his sins. Also, holy dip into the Yamuna river prevents a person from untimely death.
Gangotri Dham: Second site en route to the Char Dham Yatra is the Gangotri Dham, which is said to be the origin of the holy river Ganges. According to legends, king Bhagiratham, who belonged to Ikshvaku dynasty brought sacred river Ganges to earth from the heaven. As, the flow of the river was extremely high that it could destroy the entire earth. So, Bhagiratha worshiped lord Shiva, who then contained the river in his Jata. Since, then the river is flowing across the country. And, the place of origin of this river depicts Shiva Jata.
Kedarnath Dham: Kedarnath Dham is the third site en-route to the Char Dham Yatra. This site is also one of the twelve Jyotislingas, as it is known as the land of lord Shiva. According to legends, the original temple of Kedarnath was built by Pandavas, which was later revamped by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century AD. Next to the temple, there flows the river Mandakini. Taking a holy dip in this river relieves out all pain of pilgrims. Also, the snowy backdrop of the temple gives a mesmerizing experience to visiting pilgrims.
Badrinath Dham: Badrinath Dham is named after Lord Badri (Vishnu). This site is located on the banks of river Alaknanda. This site is also known as the northern site of the big Char Dham Yatra network. This temple stands beautifully on the mid of Garhwal Hills, where pilgrims can witness Godly presence due to its golden head and fluttering red flags.
Where To Start Char Dham Yatra?
The gate of Char Dham temples open for the visitors on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya of Vaishakh month and closes after bhai dooj of Kartikh month. At present, due to the availability of transportation facilities, pilgrims may take only around 13-14 days to commence the entire tour. Pilgrims can start their journey from New Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, or Dehradun. Among these, Rishikesh and Dehradun are preferred locations to start the journey, as visitors can find taxis easily from these locations. In addition to private services, there is the availability of bus facility. However, bus services are not feasible as their timing and services are not good. This is why it is advised to look for a char dham yatra package from private travellers.
Well, if anyone is not comfortable to accommodate four dhams in a single go, they can opt to visit Badrinath and Kedarnath first.