Chardham
Yatra is the most popular spiritual yatra starting
from April-May and continues till Oct-Nov every year in
Uttarakhand India. This is the best time to visit Char
Dhams and enjoy the scenic beauty of the environment and
nature. It comprises of 4 destinations namely Yamunotri,
Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
According to Indian ancient stories, Himalaya is the place
where Lord Shiva lives. The religious feelings and faith
of Indian people in a lord Shiva attracts them to visit
on these four religious places. The temples built on such
locations are amazing and people having a huge belief
in worshiping on these temples. From different places
people regularly visit the temples of these four locations.
Hindu community people are reaching these places in the
large amount as their faith is that the sins will be washed
away after visiting these religious places. These spots
are beautiful and fully covered with natural beauty. Because
of such reason's people from different origins are also
reaching to this Char Dham of Indian religion.
The four holy places Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and
Yamunotri are full of beauty full places and their surroundings
with high hills of Himalaya attract the people very much.
These 4 places are having different values.
 Badrinath
This holy town nestles at a height of 3,133 metres, at
the site where a forest of Badri (berry) trees, known
as the mythical Badrivan, once covered the area. Badrinath
is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola
on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.
Badrinath Ji Shrine at Night - Jai Badri Vishal
The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad
stairway leads up to a tall arched gatewayis well-known
as Lord Shiva temple. Badrinath temple is the key destination
in Badrinath town. Here, a black stone impression of Lord
Badrinarayan is made in the Alaknanda River. This river
is also having the religious feelings in Hindu religion.
The hot springs at this is the best examples of nature.
Badrinath Ji Shrine - Jai Badri Vishal
The great Nilkantha peak (6,558 metres) towers over the
temple set deep down in the Alaknanda valley. The rulers
of Garhwal built the present temple of Badrinarayan some
two hundred years ago.
The original Badrinath shrine, built by the 9th century
saint Shankara, has been re-built several times over due
to damage from avalanches and snowfall.
Badrinath City
Badrinath is located 301 km north of Rishikesh
and 48 km from Joshimath. From Gaurikund (near
Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233 km. Badrinath
is generally a two-day-long journey from either Kedarnath,
the site that precedes it in the Char Dham circuit, or
one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. 24
kms from Badrinath is the famous site of Govindghat, the
confluence of the Alaknanda with the Lakshmanganga. This
is also the entry point for the mystical Valley of Flowers
and the Sikh shrine of Hemkund Sahib. The Vasuki Tal at
a height of 4,135 metres is 8 kms from Badrinath.
Tapt Kund - Badrinath - Hot Sulphur Springs
The Tapt Kund, a group of hot sulphur springs just
below the Badrinath Temple, are considered to be medicinal;
many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the
springs before visiting the temple. The springs have a
year-round temperature of 55 °C (131 °F), while outside
temperature is typically below 17 °C (63 °F) all year
round. The two water ponds in the temple are called Narad
Kund and Surya Kund.
The Badrinath temple opens only from May till October.
It closes down for winter in November, when the deity
is carried to Pandukeshwar for worship.
Getting there and around - How To Reach Badrinath
By Air: the nearest airport to Badrinath is the Jolly
Grant Airport near Dehradun. It is about 317 km
from Badrinath.
By Rail: the nearest railway stations to Badrinath are
at Rishikesh and Kotdwar, which are at a distance of 297
km and 327 km respectively.
By Road: Baronet is very well connected with the important
cities like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and the cities
of Kumaon.
Kedarnath Dham latest photo in October 2014
Kedarnath
is also a Hindu holy place situated in Uttarakhand, India.
It is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingams.
It is situated in the Himalayas - the Rudra Himalaya range.
The Rudra Himalaya range is also known as the Pancha Parvata;
its five peaks are Rudra Himalaya, Vishnupuri, Bhramapuri,
Udgari-Kanth and Swargarohini. Kedarnath is 3584 meters
above the sea level. The river Mandakini is present here,
which also have the region's values. The breathtaking
snow-capped peaks are wonderful to watch from this town.
Visiting the Kedarnath Temple is also a different experience
of life. It is the popular destination for Hindu pilgrims.
Kedarnath is named in honor of King Kedar who ruled in
the Satya Yuga.
According to legends, the Pandavas came to Kedarnath to
pray Lord Shiva after great battle of Kurukshetra to atone
for killing their own near and dear ones in the war. It
is said that Lord Shiva kept eluding the Pandavas and
sought refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being
pursued, he plunged into the ground, with his hump exposed
on the earth. Legends has it that his arms surfaced at
Tungnath, his face at Rudranath, belly at Madmaheshwar,
his locks and head at Kalpeshwar. These spots where he
reappeared form the Panch Kedar. It is believed that four
of the Pandavas died on the last of these peaks.
Kedarnath Temple timing
Kedarnath Temple is open for devotees from 6 am to 2 pm
and 5 pm to 8 pm. Shingar Darshan is from 5 pm onwards
and Aarti is performed at 6:45 pm. Sharavani Annakoot
Mela is celebrated on the day before Raksha Bandhan during
August. Special Samadhi puja is help on the closing day
of Kedarnath.
Festivals Badri Kedar Festival - Held in the month of
June, nothing could be a perfect manifestation of Hindu
religion and culture. The Badri Kedar festival is held
in the sacred shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath in the
month of June. The festivities go on for a stretch of
eight days. The festival makes an attempt to bring under
one platform, the greatest artists of the country.
How to Reach Kedarnath
There are 2 ways to reach Kedarnath: 1) By foot for a
steep 14 km trek through a paved path (horses or palanquins
are available for rent) from Gaurikund, which is connected
by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other known
hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon regions in Uttarakhand
2) Through helicopter service.
Getting there and Around By Road :
Kedarnath is connected by road with Badrinath (242 KM),
Dehradun (268 KM), Delhi (450 KM), Haridwar (250 KM),
Kotdwar (256 KM), and Rishikesh (226 KM).
Route : Rishikesh to Kedarnath vai Rudraprayag :- Rishikesh
-> Rudraprayaga -> Agastamuni -> Kund -> Gupta kashi ->
Phata -> Soneprayag -> Gauri Kund.
Gauri Kund to Kedarnath is 14 KM. This distance has to
be covered by foot, ponies, palkies.
By Rail : The nearest convenient railway station are Dehradun
and Haridwar. These are well connected with Delhi, Mumbai,
Calcutta and rest of India through Rail network.
By Air : The nearest convenient Air port is Jolly grant
at Dehradun (121 Kms).
Gangotri
is another town situated in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand
state, India. This Hindu pilgrim place is located on the
banks of the canal Bhagirathi. The height of this town
is more than 3,100 meters from the sea level. Gangotri
glacier is the source destination of River Ganga, and
it is the one of the four valuable sites of Char Dham.
The well-known river Bhagirathi is the source which acquired
the name Ganga from Devprayag. Then it meets the Alaknanda
River. The starting point of this holy river is at Gaumukh,
which is set in Gangotri Glacier. This one spot of char
dham is easily reachable from Rishikesh as it will take
just one-day journey.
There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga and the sacred
stone where King Bhagirath is believed to have worshipped
Lord Shiva. There is a natural Shivlinga submerged in
the river (It is believed that Lord Shiva received the
Ganges here).
Yamunotri
is the center from where the river Yamuna starts. It is
also a valuable place among four char dham spots. Yamunotri
is also known as the seat of the Goddess Yamuna. This
place is situated at a good height of 3,293 meters from
the sea level. The major place to visit at Yamunotri is
the temple dutiful to the Goddess Yamuna. The thermal
springs at Janki Chatti are also a finest example of natural
beauty. The real source of Yamuna River is from the ice-covered
lake and glacier located on the Kalind Hills. Approach
to the extreme height of the hill is impossible hence
reaching the temple is quite enough for visitors. The
main spot for a tourist is a temple of Yamuna, which was
constructed by Maharaja Pratap Shah.
Yamunotri is very picturesque with beautiful views of
a number of waterfalls. There are two trekking routes
from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri, the one along the right
bank proceeds via the Markandeya Tirth, where the sage
Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana, the other route
which lies on the left bank of the river goes via Kharsali,
from where Yamunotri is a five or six hours climb away.
Two hot springs are also present at Yamunotri offering
relief to tired hikers at a height of 3,292 metres (10,801
ft), Surya Kund, has boiling hot water, while Gauri Kund,
had tepid water suitable for bathing. The Yamunotri temple
is a full day's journey from Uttarakhand's main towns
- Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun
Things to keep in mind for a Char Dham Yatra Tour :-
Yamunotri,
Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
are
very cold places so people should get the warm clothes
along with them.
The gates for Char Dham Yatra opens during Akshay
Tritiya. The date of opening the temple at Yamunotri is
May 6, Gangotri is May 6, Kedarnath is May 8 and Badrinath
is May 9. Visitors must map their trip consequently.
One more important thing is the Himalaya hills are fully
covered of snow so the temples are opened for limited
period as well. Those who are planning to visit the mentioned
places should go through opening details. The cold weather
of such areas can freeze the body so people should take
the warm clothes along with them.
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Char
Dham Yatra from Haridwar
