Chota Char Dham

Chota Char Dham

Char Dham (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath & Kedarnath) are one of the most religious places for the Hindus in India. Char Dham is mentioned to the four Hindu religious places in Uttarakhand state of India. These places are in the lap of Himalayas and the center of religious activity in India. Traditionally, the Chardham yatra is moved from the west to the east. That’s why the yatra starts from Yamunotri, then move to Gangotri and lastly to Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Because of religious important of these sites, Devotees come here to feel the eternal bliss from all over the world. During the summer season, Char Dham holy journey become very popular among hundreds of devotees.

Each Of These Four Religious Places Is Devoted To A Specific Deity.

Among the Char Dhams, Yamunotri is dedicated to goddesses Yamuna. It is thought that a bath in the waters of the Yamuna protects the follower from untimely death.

Gangotri is dedicated Goddesses Ganga.  Kedarnath is devoted to God Shiv and Badrinath is dedicated to God Vishnu. It is on the bank of the Alaknanda River. It is believed; Lord Vishnu meditated here while his wife Lakshmi took the form of a berry (Badri) tree to offer him shade.

Besides, devoties likewise visit Hemkund Sahib, which is one of the highest religious places in the nation. In this manner, pioneers visit every one of these spots in desire of washing ceaselessly their sins and to attain salvation, by the gifts of the Lord.

Tourists Attractions

Badrinath

The Badrinath temple positions in a beautiful valley on the bank of the Alaknanda River and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

The temple is separated into three parts- the Garbha Griha or sanctum sanctorum, the Darshan Mandap and the Sabha Mandap.   Tapt Kund and Surya Kund are the hot Springs with the water temperature of 55c. There are four other Badris or shrines that can be visited from Badrinath. These are Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Bridha Badri and Adi Badri.  42 km far from Badrinath is Joshimath, the winter stay of Shri Badrinathji.

There is the beautiful Valley of Flowers and the holy lake of Hemkund in Badrinath. The tenth Guru of the Guru Govind Singh meditated on the banks of Hemkund.

Kedarnath

According to legend, the Pandavas visited here to atone in front of Lord Shiv after their win in the battle of Kurukeshtra. However, Lord Shiva kept escaping them and sought refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being trailed, he plunged into the ground, leaving only the hump out on the earth, which is worshipped at now. At present the Kedarnath temple stands adjacent to the ancient temple built by the Pandavas.

Gangotri

Eighteen kilometers downstream from Gaumukh is Gangotri. The glacier is the original source of the Gangotri River. There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga and there is the holy stone where Raja Bhagirath was worshipped Shiv. It is believed that Lord Shiva to have got the Ganges (called Bhagirathi) in his locks.

Yamunotri

The temple of Yamunotri is dedicated to the Goddess Yamuna (Yamuna River). The temple of Goddess Yamuna is the main pilgrim place and there are many springs in the area. There is also a Divya Shila, a rock pillar that is worshipped before ingoing the Yamunotri Temple.

Origins and the original Char Dham

The Char Dham comprises Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram a set of four pilgrimage places in India. Hindus believe that visiting these pilgrimage e places helps achieve "Moksha" (salvation). Adi Shankaracharya defined the four Hindu pilgrimage Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram places as Char Dham. According to the Hindus customs every Hindu must visit the char dhams in one's lifetime.

The First Dham , Badrinath became prominent in the Sath-Yug when Nar-Narayan who was an avatar of Vishnu, did Tapasya there. During that time this sites was filled with berry trees. In Sanskrit language berries are known as badri that’s why this place was Badrika-Van (the forest of berries).  Thus It is known as Badri-Nath.

The second Dham, Rameswaram got its importance when Ram worshiped Shiv to get the blessings of him in the Treta Yug.

The third Dhaam, Dwarka got its importance when Krishna started to live in Dwarka and made his residence in the Dwapara Yug.

The fourth Dham, Puri has got its own importance.  Vishnu getting worshiped here as Jagannath who is Avtar for Kali yug.

There is another small Char Dham circuit in Uttarakhand -  Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. This Chota Char Dham is closed in winter due to snowfall and open again for pilgrims with the starting of summer.

Pilgrimage

Visit these Pilgrimage Places in the following order:

Yamunotri : It is the source of the Yamuna (River  Yamuna ) and the head of the goddess Yamuna.

Gangotri :Iit is the source of the Ganges (River Ganga) and head of the goddess Ganga.

Kedarnath : Hindu god Shiva is respected as one of the twelve Jyotirling.

Badrinath : The Hindu god Vishnu in his aspect of Badrinarayan.

Best Time to Visit

The Char Dham Yatra started again in May 2014, after 2013 Uttarakhand floods. Situation has been improved due to positive actions taken by the government of Uttarakhand.

Char Dham Yatra starts on Akha-Teej (in the month of May).  Yatra usually closes 2 days after Diwali, on the day Bhai Dooj.

There are probabilities of roadblocks due to rainfall in late July and August. a large number of Tourists like to visit in May and June that’s why become very crowed. So there is very less time offered for ‘Darshan’.  The best time is for Char Dham Yatra in Mid-May to July and September to October.

How to Reach

By Air - The Nearest airport is Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport with nationwide connectivity.

By Rail - The bordering railway stations to Badrinath is at Ramnagar or Kotdwar station. For Gangotri and Yamunotri, the Dehradun Railway Station is the best option. Haridwar or Rishikesh are more suitable for better connectivity.

By Road - Char Dham Yatra are connected by highways with the main towns of Uttarakhand. Taxis and busses are also easily available on these routes, from Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun.