Char Dham Yatra
Char Dham (meaning: four abodes) is a collection of four tourist destinations in India. It is believed that visiting these sites helps to achieve moksha (salvation). The four dams are Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram. It is believed that all Hindus should visit Char Dhams during their lifetime. Char Dham as described by Adi Shankaracharya contains four sites for Hindu pilgrimage. Another small district in Uttarakhand of the four trips to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath is called Chota Char Dham.
About Char Dham Yatra Uttarakhand is known as Dev Bhoomi (Land of Gods), as it is a land of great pilgrimages, sacred temples and places, which attracts millions of pilgrims and spiritual seekers to gain enlightenment. The 4 Dhams tours of the Garhwal region are considered to be the holiest sites in India: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
These four ancient temples also represent the spiritual source of the four sacred rivers: The Yamuna (Yamunotri) River, the Ganga or Ganges River (Gangotri), the Mandakini River (Kedarnath), and the Alaknanda (Badrinath) River.
Why Char Dhams?
Char Dhams are four famous sacred sites of the Hindu Pilgrimages, located in the middle of the high Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand. The Hindu pilgrimage circuit of Char Dham consists of four sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. All these places are believed to be very sacred by the Hindu religion. It is the great desire of all Hindus to visit the holy places at least once in a lifetime for salvation (Moksha).
Why should go on Holy Yatras?
According to Hinduism the pilgrimage tirtha yatra (Teerth Yatra), is one of the five works of all Hindus, as well as Dharma, Worship, Sanskaras and the Observation festival. Travelling abroad is a vigorous exercise, with humility and faith, in which the devotees go to often difficult places, leaving their problems at the feet of the Godhead and forgetting everything except God.
A journey is an intimate experience, a direct connection between the seeker and the holy. A devout person goes on a pilgrimage to the holy men and women, worshipping in the holy places, having a darshan of Deities living in ancient sanctuaries. The journey to see God has a life-changing, joyous, and enduring relationship with God.
About Char Dham temples
Hindu philosopher and reformer Adi Shankaracharya launched
the 4 Dham Yatra to revive the Hindu religion in the eighth century. Now,
thousands of volunteers from all over the world are taking part in it.
Kedarnath Yatra: Kedarnath is one of the most sacred shrines of Lord Shiva in the Rudraprayag region of the Garhwal district in Uttarakhand. Kedarnath is one of the Char Dham in Uttarakhand and the most important dhamma among the Panch Kedar. Kedarnath is located at an altitude of 3586 meters, at the foot of beautiful mountain peaks and near the head of the Mandakini River, the Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in Lord Shiva.
Badrinath Yatra: Located between the two mountains Nar and Narayan, Badrinath Dham is the most beautiful and important place in Char Dhams. Lakh tourists come every year to the holy city of Badrinath to seek blessings and discover the famous Shri Badrinathji temple.
Yamunotri:
The temple of Yamunotri at an altitude of about 1,600 feet [3185 m] is the most
important religious site for Hindus and an important pilgrimage.
Yamunotri is famous for its hot springs and glaciers are part of the famous Char Dham Yatra. Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna River.
Gangotri:
Gangotri is a major religious centre within the four tourist regions of Char
Dham, located in Uttarkashi, closely related to the goddess Ganga, the river we
know as the Ganges.
The Gangotri Temple, located at an altitude of 30,000 feet [3048 m], is in the middle of the precipice, one of the most important pilgrimages for devout Hindus and produces the most revered aura.
