These are India's four holiest pilgrimage sites, revered by the Hindu community and together referred to as Char Dham. These holy places are located in four different parts of India: Puri, Dwarka, Badrinath, and Rameswaram. The Char Dham, according to Adi Shankaracharya, consists of three Vaishnavite and one Shaivite pilgrimage destination. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath in Uttarakhand were the pilgrimage destinations known as the Chota Char Dham to differentiate them from the wider circuit of Char Dham locations. That being said, they were also known as the Char Dham in the middle of the 20th century. Badrinath is associated with Lord Vishnu, whereas Kedarnath is associated with Lord Shiva among the four holy sites. Nonetheless, the Goddesses of the Yamuna and Ganga rivers are worshipped in Yamunotri and Gangotri, respectively. Hindus consider it immensely sacred to visit Char Dham at least once in one's lifetime. These four ancient temples also commemorate the spiritual origins of four sacred rivers: the Ganga (Gangotri), Yamuna (Yamunotri), Mandakini (Kedarnath), and Alaknanda (Badrinath).
The Char Dham Yatra is one of the most well-known pilgrimage routes; millions of devotees go to all of these sacred locations in the hopes of atoning for their transgressions and finding redemption through the grace of the Almighty. It is essential to visit the Char Dham in a clockwise direction, beginning with Yamunotri and going via Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. This route follows Hinduism's parikrama tradition. Every year, more than 250,000 pilgrims go from all around India to Char Dham. Every year, from May to October, there are four pilgrimages to Char Dham. You might visit all four locations in a single trip in 10 or eleven days. These days, you may even use helicopter services to see all of the Char Dham sites in two days.
Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district is home to Yamunotri, one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River, is revered as the seat of the goddess Yamuna. This temple, located on Bandar Punch Parvat at a height of 3293 metres, is the westernmost in the Garhwal Himalayas.
Yamunotri is mostly known for the Goddess Yamuna temple. On all sides, mountains surround it. Maharani Gularia of Jaipur built the first temple around the beginning of the 1800s. The temple sustained damage from the earthquakes that occurred in 1923 and 1982. Later on, though, Maharaja Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal, the ruler of this area, fixed it. Yamunotri Temple is located 5 km from Janki Chatti, the nearest roadhead. Yamunotri also has Janki Chatti, Hanuman Chatti, Saptarishi Kund, Barkot, and Kharsali as additional attractions. The Hanuman Chatti – Yamunotri trek, Dodi Tal, and Janki Chatti are a few of the popular hiking routes in Yamunotri.
The temple opens every year on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya, which falls around the last week of April or the first week of May. In October or November, the temple closes for the holy day of Diwali. Yamuna's idol stays in Kharsali throughout the winter. The best months to visit Yamunotri are September to October and May to June.
Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri are the four pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand that comprise the Char Dham circuit. Gangotri is the source of the Ganges River. It is situated in the Garhwal Himalayan Range at an elevation of 3100 metres on the banks of the holy Bhagirathi River. About 19 kilometers from the town of Gangotri, near Gaumukh in the Gangotri Glacier, is where the Ganges River begins. As per the custom, Goddess Ganges took on the form of a river to cleanse the sins of King Bhagiratha's ancestors following his penance. Lord Shiva took her inside his opulent hair to mitigate the might of the River Ganges' powerful flow.
Gangotri is renowned for its spiritual significance and ancient temples. Amar Singh Thapa, a Gorkha commander, built the present Ganga Temple at Gangotri during the beginning of the eighteenth century. Near the temple is a sacred stone where, according to mythology, King Bhagiratha worshipped Lord Shiva. The other sacred locations in Gangotri are Surya Kund, Pandava Gufa, Bhaironghati, and Gaumukh. Gangotri town is where the hiking trails to Gaumukh, Tapovan, Nandanvan, Vasuki Tal, and Gangotri-Kedartal start.
The Gangotri Temple is open from May until November when the Diwali festival causes it to close. The Gangotri temple closes in the winter because of the abundance of snow in the region. The idol's new home is Mukhyamath Temple, located in Mukhba village, 20 miles downstream.
Kedarnath, one of the four primary sites in Uttarakhand that comprise the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage, is a popular vacation spot for Hindus. Situated at the headwaters of the Mandakini River, Chorabari Glacier, rises to a height of 3584 metres. This is the most remote of the four Char Dham sites, nestled among breathtaking snow-capped hills. The well-known Kedarnath temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, receives thousands of tourists each year. Near Kedarnath are several more sacred locations, such as Ukhimath, Vasuki Tal, Deoria Tal, Chorabari Tal, Shankaracharya Samadhi, and Bhairavnath Temple.
To reach the Kedarnath shrine from Gaurikund, one must endure a strenuous 14-kilometer hike on foot or with the help of ponies. Gaurikund rents out horses and ponies. The 2013 flash floods that badly destroyed the Kedarnath region have resulted in changes to the schedule. Now, the 14-kilometer journey takes on a 21-kilometer length, starting and terminating in Sonprayag. To ensure their safety, visitors must submit to a general health screening after registering. From here on, the hike is 7 km up to Bhim Bali and then another 7 km to the next halt in Linchauli. Reaching the Kedarnath temple is the last target, requiring another 7 km of climbing. The historic route from Gaurikund travels through Linchauli (4 km), Kedarnath (3 km), and Rambara (7 km).
The temple is only open for six months, from the end of April to the beginning of November, due to the harsh weather in Kedarnath. The heavy snowfall that falls in the winter renders the settlement uninhabitable. The residents of Kedarnath relocate to lower-altitude communities for the winter, and Lord Kedarnath's Palki is transferred to Ukhimath.
Badrinath is the most important of the four well-known Char Dham pilgrimage sites, the others being Puri, Dwarka, and Rameswaram. In addition to Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri, it is also a stop on the Chota Char Dham Pilgrimage, which takes place in the Uttarakhand Himalaya region. Badrinath is the site of meditation for Nara and Narayana, the two incarnations of Vishnu according to the epic Mahabharata. Another myth holds that the Pandavas stopped in Badrinath en way to heaven. The famous Sage Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata in a cave located close to Mana, around 4 miles from Badrinath.
The cause for Badrinath's prominence is the Badrinath Temple, which is the residence of Lord Badrinarayan, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu. The present temple was founded in the eighth century by the scholar and saint Adi Shankaracharya, according to popular belief. Adi Shankara discovered a Saligram idol of Lord Badrinarayan in the Alaknanda riverbed. He built this god in a cave close to Tapt Kund. The King of Garhwal later transported it to the present shrine in the sixteenth century. In addition to the Badrinath temple, Yog Dhyan Badri, Bhavishtya Badri, Adi Badri, and Vriddha Badri are the other four Panch Badri temples that are well-known in Badrinath. Other attractions in Badrinath include Brahma Kapal, Tapt Kund, Sheshanetra, Vasudhara Falls, Charan Paduka, Satopanth Lake, Neelkanth, and Mana Village. Along the route to Badarinath, there are several more pilgrimage sites: Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, Vishnuprayag, and Pandukeswar.
The best months to visit Badrinath are May and June, as well as September and October. It is advisable to avoid going during the rainy season because landslides frequently occur in the region. Due to the heavy snowfall and icy conditions in the region throughout the winter, it is not a suitable time to visit. In November and April, the Badrinath temple is closed.
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