Chardham A Great Spiritual Tour Of Hindu

Char Dham are considered the sacred pilgrimages that every Hindu should visit at least once in a lifetime. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are the four places that form Char Dham. Apart from the religious importance, these sites offer wonderful insight into nature’s beauty. The places attract tourist from all over the world, defying the boundaries of religion and culture.

Sri Badrinath Dham

Badrinath, the town that lies in the shadow of Nilkantha peak is one of the four sites that come under the Char Dham is located 301 km north of Rishikesh. From Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233 km.

Sri Badrinath Dham is the most important of the four sites of Char Dham. It is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. With the splendid Neelkanth Mountains as the backdrop, Badrinath becomes even more wonderful place to visit.

The Vimana and the Gopurams are the distinctive characteristics of the Southern style. The present temple was built about two centuries ago by Garhwal Kings. It is a conical structure, 15 meters tall and has small cupola of a gilt bull and spire. There are 15 idols in the temple complex, each sculpted in black stone.

Besides the main temple of Badrinath there are four other smaller badri temples. These are collectively called the panch badris or five badris. The other temples Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Bridha Badri and Adi Badri, however, have few visitors. Devotees take a holy dip in the natural thermal springs of Tapt Kund on the banks of the river Alaknanda, before entering the Badrinath Temple. The water of the kund is believed to have medicinal properties.

Apart from the temples, the place offers several other mesmerizing sites that are a feast to the eyes. Hemkund Lake lies 43 kilometers from the valley. An important pilgrimage of the Sikhs and Hindus, the lake has a beautiful temple on its banks.

Reaching Badrinath easy with the Rishikesh railway station situated 300 kms from here and Kotdwar station at 327 kilometers from the pilgrim. One can also reach Badrinath by road as it is well connected with Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun, Kotdwar and other hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon region.

Sri Gangotri Dham

Gangotri, the origin of the River Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga, is another of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The origin of the holy river at Gaumukh is 18 km trek from Sri Gangotri Dham. Gangotri can be reached in a day from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. Gangotri is also accessible directly by road. For a large number of tourists, Gangotri town serves as the starting point of the Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan and Gangotri-Kedartal trekking routes.

Sri Yamunotri Dham

The seat of Goddess Yamuna in Hindu mythology, Sri Yamnotri Dham is situated in Garhwal hills, approximately 30 kilometers North of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. The chief attraction at Yamunotri is the temple devoted to the Goddess Yamuna and the holy thermal springs at Janki Chatti. The actual source, a frozen lake of ice and glacier (Champasar Glacier) located on the Kalind Mountain at a height of 4,421 metres above sea level, rarely has visitors. Its inaccessibility forced the shrine to be located on the foot of the hill.

The temple of Yamuna, on the left bank of the Yamuna has a beautiful black marble idol of the deity. Close to the temple are hot water springs gushing out from the mountain cavities. The springs add to the scenic beauty of the temple. Jolly Grant is the nearest airport from here. One can also reach Yamunotri by road from the Rishikesh-Gangotri road that turns towards Yamunotri at Dharasu.

Sri Kedarnath Dham

Kedarnath is a place that can be visited in the summers. Out of the four locations of Char Dham, the Uttarakhand town is the most remote site. Hindus from across the globe come to visit the place but the place has much to offer for the non-religious too.

One can reach Kedarnath either on foot or by helicopter. The path for coming on foot is 14 kilometers trek from Gaurikund, where one can also find palanquins and horses for hiring. Gaurkund is well connected with Rishikesh, Haridwar,Dehradun and other known hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon regions by road. The helicopter services are available at Rudra Prayag.

The temple of Kedaarnath opens on Akshya Tritiya (April end or first week of May) and closes on Bhai Duj (October end or 1st week of November) due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold weather during winter.