| Reply 1 : Char Dham yatra literally means the four abodes and the purpose of the Char Dham Yatra of the himalayas is pilgramages to the heavenly abode. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Jedarnath and Badrinath, all in the beautiful mountain state of Uttarakhand, are pilgrim's focus. (Not to be mistaken with the longer Char Dham Yatra to the pilgrimage of Jagannath Puri, Rameshwaram, Dwarka and Badrinath shrines).
The Char Dham Yatra generally starts at Haridwar which is why some people refer to Haridwar as gateway to Himalayan pilgrimage and moves from west to east. The pilgrim's first halt is Yamunotri and then they proceed to Gangotri, onto Kedarnath and then yatra finally ends at the holy site of Badrinath.
Yamunotri - This is the place of origin of sacred riven Yamuna. The temple of godess iis situated here.
Gangotri - This is believed to be the origin of the river Ganga, the holiest of all rivers, through the glacier from which the river originally gets its water lies a little north of Gaumukh. At Gangotri, which is accesible to vehicles, temples are sparkled across the landscape and the aarti performed at the banks of the river is mesmerising.
Kedarnath - The third venue in the Char Dham Yatra, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Kedarnath is one of the only twelve jyotirlingas and is one of the holiest sites for Hindus. The temple, it is believed was built in 8th century AD by Adi Shankaracharya himelf.
Badrinath - The last destination of the yatra is Badrinath, the shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The small town and the temple lie at the height of approximately 3750 m from sea level. The legend goes that when Lord Vishnu was residing in this place, goddess Lakshmi, his wife, took the form of Badri, a local berry tree, to protect Vishnu from the direct heat of sun.
Pleased, Vishnu pronounced that his temple would be named after the goddess, hence the name Badrinath for the temple.
Apart from the four attractions of the yatra, there are other picturesque villages and tourist spots nearby.
Barkot - Adjeascent to Yamunotri, is fast gaining its place as a natural tourist and adventure spot. Sprinkled with apple orchards, it sits at 1200 m, offering awesome views of snow capped Himalayan peaks, the most prominent of which is Bandarpoonch.
Guptkashi - Another abode for Lord Shiva, lies enroute to Kedarnath and is known for its ancient Vishwanath temple, which shares its name with the one in Varanasi. Another temple, the Ardhananarishwar, also dedicated to Lord Shiva, house the deity in the form of half man and half woman, resonating the Hindo concept of the co-existence of Shiva (Universe) and Shakti (Energy).
Gaurikund - This is one of the most important pilgrimage on the way to Kedarnath, for Hindus. Legend has it that Parvati, also known as Gauri, did penance here to win over Lord Shiva. Shiva finally accepted her love and married her. Lord Ganesha is believed to have got his elephant counternance in this place, which makes the site extremely important for Hindus.
Pilgrims throng to the hot springs here too.
The entire yatra takes ten to eleven days to complete. The ideal time for the Yatra is May to July and from September to October.
The Char Dham Yatra usually starts at Haridwar, which is connected by air - Jolly Grant, near Dehradun and rail to the rest of India. |
