Char Dham

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.

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

Historical Description

The four Shankaracharya Peeth (Seats) at the Chaar Dham created four Hindu monastic institutions. He organized four Hindu Maṭhas at Dvaraka Math (मठ) in the West,  Sringeri Sharada Peetham Math in the South, Jagannatha Puri Math in the East and Badrikashrama Math in the North.

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 so the place was named Badrika-Van (the forest of berries).  Thus it is known as Badri-Nath.

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

The third Dham, Dwarka got its position when Krishna made Dwarka 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.

The four associated places of the Char Dham

According to the Puranas, Vishnu and Shiv are mentioned as eternal friends. It is believed wherever God Vishnu resides, God Shiv resides there. In this way the Chaar Dhaam follows this. So Kedarnath is thought as the pair of Badrinath. Rama Setu is thought the pair of Rameshwaram. Somnath is thought as the pair of Dwarka.

Puri

Puri located in the state of Odisha, India. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the country. It is located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The main deity is Shri Krishna, worshipped as God Jagannatha. This is the only temple in India, where Lord Krishna sister goddess Subhadra is worshipped sideways with her brothers Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balabhadra. The temple is about 1000 years old.

The Puri temple is well-known for its annual Ratha yatra or chariot festival. In this festival three main deities are pulled on decorated temple cars. The image of Jagannath is made of wood that is replaced every twelve or nineteen years.

Shree Jagannath Temple is sacred to all Hindus and mainly various great saints, such as Ramananda and Ramanuja. They were closely connected with the temple. Ramanuja also set up the Emar Mutt and the Govardhan Mutt that is the seat one of the four Shankaracharyas.

Rameswaram

Rameswaram is situated in the south state of Tamil Nadu. According to traditions Lord Ram along with his brother Lakshman and Hanuman made a bridge (Rama Setu) to reach Sri Lanka. Rameswaram got its importance when Ram worshiped Shiv to get the blessings of him. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple is the temple of Lord Shiva which is believed to have been consecrated by Shri Rama Chandra. It also is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Rameswaram is important for the Hindus as a pilgrimage place.

Dwarka

Dwarka situated in the west is in the state of Gujarat in India. The word ‘dvar’ is the meaning GATE in the Sanskrit language. It is located meeting to where the Gomti River merges into the Arabian Sea. Dwarka got its importance when Krishna started to live in Dwarka and made his dwelling place.

Badrinath

Badrinath is situated in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand. Badrinath has interesting sightseeing spots like Vyas Gufa, Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka and Bhimkund. Badrinath is one of the four Maths established by Adi Shankaracharya.

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.

Badrinath Dham only opens for pilgrims from April to October each year. On the other side three other Dhams remain open throughout the year.

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.

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 : it 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.

How to reach and Best time to visit the Char Dham

HOW TO REACH PURI

By Air : Nearest airport to Puri is Bhubaneshwar's Biju Patnaik airport. Daily flights connect this airport with Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

By Rail : Puri railway station is the nearest Railway station. Puri Railway Station is around 28 KM away from Jagannath Temple.

By Road : Puri is well linked to several parts of the country by road. State transport buses are also available.

Best time to Visit

Between October and February is the best time to visit Puri.

HOW TO REACH DWARKA

By Air : Nearest Airport to Dwarka is Jamnagar airport. It is about  45 kilometers away from Dwarka. Tourists can hire bus or taxi to reach Dwarka.

By Rail : Dwarka railway station is the nearest Railway station. Many express trains run on this route and connect with Dwarka.

By Road : State transport buses and Taxi are available to reach there.

Best time to visit

Followers visit Dwarka throughout the year but the best time is to visit in between the months of October to March, the weather is pleasant and cool.

Krishna Janmashtami which comse in the month of July and August is also the good time for visiting.  There is a different look during this period with a lots of devotees arrive in Dwarka to celebrate the occasion.

HOW TO REACH RAMESHWARAM

By Air : The nearest airport to Rameshwaram is Madurai Airport, is far 149 kms from the city. Buses and taxis can be taken from outside of the airport to reach Rameshwaram easily.

By Rail : The nearest railway station is the Rameshwaram railway station. It  is directly connected to all major stations of Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Thanjavur and Chennai.

By Road : Rameshwaram is well linked to various parts of the country by road. State transport buses are regularly available.

Best time to Visit

Rameshwaram can be visited any time of the year. The best time is to visit it from October to April. These months are enjoyable.

HOW TO REACH BADRINATH

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. 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.

Best time to visit

The best time is for Char Dham Yatra in Mid-May to July and September to October.

Badrinath Dham only opens for pilgrims from April to October each year. On the other side three other Dhams remain open throughout the year.