Char Dham Yatra

The state of Uttaranchal is considered the holy land or the Devbhoomi. The Garhwal division of Uttaranchal is famous for the Char Dham Yatra. It includes the dour most revered and holy destinations of Garhwal Himalayas, namely, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It is generally believed by the pilgrims that undertaking pilgrimages to these places not just wash away one's sins but also liberates from the cycle of birth and death. It is also believed that earlier all these dhams were placed together and with the onset of the Kalyuga, the distance between the four grew and they drifted apart. The Char Dham Yatra must be initiated from left to right or west to east, beginning from Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.


Yamunotri
Yamunotri is situated at an altitude of 3,235 m above the sea level in the district of Uttarkashi. The source of River Yamuna lies about 1 km further ahead at the altitude of about 4,421 m. Yamunotri can be reached by a 13 km trek from Hanuman Chatti. Maharani Gularia of Jaipur constructed the temple of Goddess Yamuna in the 19th century AD. It was destroyed twice and was rebuilt. The temple remains closed from November to May because of heavy rainfall. There is a quite a few thermal springs in the vicinity of the temple, which flow into several pools. The most important of these springs is the Surya Kund. Divya Shila is a rock pillar worshipped before entering the Yamunotri Temple.

How to Reach

By Air: The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant, which is 196 km from Yamunotri.

By Rail: The nearest airport is at Dehradun at a distance of 172 km and Rishikesh at a distance of 213 km from Yamunotri.

Road: Yamunotri can be reached from Dharasu, Tehri, Rishikesh and Dehradun.


Gangotri
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga - the daughter of heaven, took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagirath's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries. Lord Shiva received Ganga into his matted locks to minimize the impact of her fall. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga from Devprayag onwards where it meets the River Alaknanda. On the right bank of the Bhagirathi is the temple of Gangotri dedicated to the Goddess. At an altitude of 3,042 m, a Gorkha Commander, Amar Singh Thapa, constructed the temple in the early 18th century AD. Gangotri remains close from November to April due to heavy snowfall and the Goddess retreats 12 km downstream to her winter abode to Mukhba. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, which is further 18 km trek along the Gangotri glacier. The place got its name because of strong resemblance with the face of a cow.

How To Reach

By Air: The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant in Dehradun, 226 km from Gangotri.

By Rail: The nearest railhead is at Rishikesh, 249 km from Gangotri.

By Road: Gangotri is well connected by surface network with Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and Delhi.


Kedarnath
Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India. Nestled at an altitude of 3,584 m at the origin of the river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is most venerated amongst the Hindu pilgrims. According to Hindu mythology, the Pandavas wanted to wash off their sins of killing their own brothers in the battle of Kurukshetra by seeking the blessings of the Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva continuously eluded them and took refuge in the form of a bull at Kedarnath. When Pandavas followed him to that place, he dived into the ground leaving behind his hump on the surface. This hump is worshipped as linga at the temple. The remaining parts of bull like the arms showed at Tungnath, mouth at Rudranath, navel at Madmaheshwar and hair at Kalpeshwar. All these places together with Kedarnath are known as the Panch Kedar. The place remained close from November to April due to heavy snowfall and the temple is submerged under the snow.

How to Reach

By Air: The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant in Dehradun 251 km away from Kedarnath.

By Rail: The nearest railhead is at Rishikesh 234 km from Kedarnath.

By Road: Kedarnath is a 14 km trek from Gaurikund, which is well connected by surface network to Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Dehradun and Haridwar.


Badrinath
Badrinath Temple is located on the banks of the Alaknanda River at an altitude of 3,133 m and can be dated back to the Vedic times. It is believed that Adi Guru Shankaracharya built the temple and had also established a math over here. It is also known as the Vishal Badri and is one of the Panch Badris. The other four Badris are Vriddha Badri, Adi Badri, Yog Dhyan Badri and Bhavishya Badri. The temple remains closed November to April due to excessive snowfall and the god is brought don to its winter abode at Joshimath.

How To Reach

By Air: The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant in Dehradun 317 km from Badrinath.

By Rail: The nearest railhead is at Rishikesh 300 km from Badrinath.

By Road: Badrinath is well connected by surface network with Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and Kotdwar.

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