The Char Dham is the most important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in the Indian Himalayas. Located in the Garhwal section of the state of Uttarakhand (formerly the northwestern section of Uttar Pradesh), the circuit consists of four sites—Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. While each site is unique in its own fashion, inclusion in the Char Dham has, over time, caused them be viewed together in popular imagination and actual pilgrimage practice. |
| |
The origins of the Char Dham are obscure. The appellation Char Dham used to be reserved for India's most famous pilgrimage circuit, four important temples—Puri, Rameshwaram, Dwarka, and Badrinath—grouped together by the great 8th century reformer and philosopher Shankaracharya (Adi Sankara), into the archetypal All-India pilgrimage circuit to the four cardinal points of the subcontinent. At some point, Badrinath, the last visited and the most important of the four sites in the original Char Dham, also became the cornerstone site of a Himalayan pilgrimage circuit dubbed the Chota (little) Char Dham. Unlike the original Char Dham, the sites of the Chota Char Dham do not share a single sectarian affiliation. Instead, the three major sectarian movements in modern devotional Hinduism all have representation, with the Vaishnava site Badrinath joined by one Shaiva site Kedarnath and two Devi sites (Yamunotri and Gangotri). |
| |
As late as the mid-twentieth century, the "Chota" designation was still used consistently to delineate the Himalayan version of the Char Dham. This usage probably reflects the relative importance of the circuit for most of its history. Accessible until recent times only after a two-month trek that repeatedly exceeds 4000 meters, the Chota Char Dham was long dominated by wandering ascetics and religious professionals, along with a handful of devoted retirees and wealthy patrons (who could afford an entourage). While the individual sites and the circuit as a whole were important to Hindus on the plains below, they were not a particularly visible aspect of yearly religious culture. After the 1962 war between India and China, however, accessibility to the Chota Char Dham improved drastically, as India's short-lived efforts at Himalayan expansionism required massive infrastructure investments. As pilgrim buses began to arrive, the Chota appendix seems to have dropped away, though the prefix "Himalayan" (Hindi: Himalaya ki Char Dham) is sometimes still added to avoid confusion. |
| |
With infrastructure improvements, the importance of the Char Dham as both an actual destination and an object of the national Hindu religious imagination has increased significantly. Buoyed by the development of new forms of bourgeois "religious tourism" and by the rise of a conservative Hindu population compelled by sites that speak to the existence of an all-India Hindu culture, the Char Dham has become an important destination for pilgrims from throughout South Asia and the diaspora, particularly Bengalis, Marwaris, Marathis,Gujaratis, Delhites- and people from U.P, and of course citizens of Uttarakhand. Today, the Char Dham sees upwards of 250,000 unique visitors in an average pilgrimage season, which lasts from approximately April 15 until Diwali (sometime in November). The season is heaviest in the two-month period before the monsoon. Once the rains come (sometime in late July), travel is extremely dangerous: extensive road building has critically destabilized the rocks, and fatal landslides and bus/jeep accidents are a regular yearly occurrence, with mortality rates for a season often surpassing 200. Despite the danger, pilgrims do continue to visit the Char Dham in the monsoon period, as well as after the rains end. Although temperatures at the shrines in the early winter months (October and November) are inhospitable, it is said that the incredible mountain scenery that surrounds the sites is most vivid after the rains have had a chance to moisten the dust of the plains below. |
| |
|
CHARDHAM
YATRA BUDGET PACKAGE |
|
Day 01: Haridwar/
Rishikesh |
|
 Pick
up from Haridwar railway
station and drive
to Hotel. Evening
visit of Ghats and
excursion Hardwar
visiting Mansa Devi
Temple and participation
in Ganges puja Overnight
Stay at SGAR GANGA
RESORT.
Hardwar or haridwar
are two names for
the same piece. The
whole of uttrakhand
is dotted with temples
of vishnu & shiva.
Vishnu is known as
hari and shiva as
har dwar means gate,
and it is for this
reason that this place
is known as haridwar
or hardwar, as it
is the gateway to
shri badrinath and
shri kedarnath, the
holy shrines of hari
and har. The hindu
pantheon allows freedom
of worship of gods
in any form. Uttarakhand
abounds in shrines
of gods & goddesses
and haridwar from
time immemorial has
been the gateway to
these shrines.
Rishikesh
 Rishikesh
is situated on the
trisection of three
districts of garhwal
division and most
of the city lies on
the right bank of
the River Ganga, the
place of sages is
a celebrated spiritual
town on the bank of
ganga and is surrounded
by shivalik range
of the himalayas on
three sides, it is
said that when raibhya
rishi did hard penances,
god appeared by the
name of hrishikesh
and this area henceforth
came to be known as
rishikesh.
It is the starting
point for the char
dham pilgrimage of
the hindus in which
pilgrims go to yamunotri,
gangotri, kedarnath
and badrinath to seek
spiritual salvation.
On the way to the
garhwal himalayas
and the sikh shrine
at hemkund sahib one
passes rishikesh.
Rishikesh adventurous
visitors, Rishikesh
is the place for starting
their trekking expeditions
and excursions towards
the Himalayan peaks,
10 km upsteam at shivpuri
is the site for river
running, rafting activities,
on the roaring white
water of ganga, from
October to May. The
international yoga
week, which attracts
participation from
all across the world,
is held here every
year from 2nd to 7th
Feb. on the bank of
ganga river.
Places to see: triveni
ghat, lakshman jhoola,
ram jhoola, bharat
mandir, shivanand
ashram & the divine
life society)
|
| |
|
Day 02 : Haridwar
– Synachatti |
|
Morning drive to Synachatti.
Overnight hotel KALINDI. |
|
|
|
Day 03 : Synachatti
- Yamunotri - Synachatti |
|
Morning trek to Yamunotri
(14 km) after visit
of the holy Shrine
trek down five km
to Janki Chatti .
Overnight hotel KALINDI.
Trek to yamunotri
temple (13 km) YAMUNOTRI:
situated at a elevation
of 3235 meters above
sea-level, the shrines
of yamunotri is one
of the tour dhams
of uttakhand. The
source of yamuna lies
about 11 km ahead
at an attitude of
about 4421 meters.
The approach is extremely
difficult and pilgrims
therefore offer pooja
at the temple itself.
Hanumanchatti or 5
km from jankichatti.
Darshan pooja trek
back or come down
to jankichatti 6 km
below the temple |
| |
|
Day 04 : Synachatti
- Uttarkashi |
|
After breakfast, trek
nine kms . Our vehicle
will pick up and drive
to Uttarkashi. Overnight
hotel SHIVALINGAM. |
| |
|
Day 05 : Uttarkashi
- Gangotri |
|
Morning drive to Gangotri.
Check into hotel afternoon
visit of Gangotri
Temple , Bhagirathi
Shila ( the Penance
place of King Bhagirathi
) and Ghats. Overnight
hotel BIRLA HOUSE. |
| |
|
TEMPLE GANGOTRI |
|
 As
legend goes raja bhagirath
used to worship lord
shiva at the sacred
stone near which the
temple is located.
It is believed that
goddess, ganga first
descended to earth
from heaven at this
stone. Amar singh
thapa, the gokha commander
of garhwal, in the
18th century A.D.
constructed this temple.
It is also believed
that the pandavas
come here to perform
the great deva yagna
to atone the death
of their kinsmen in
the bettle of MAHABHARATA |
| |
|
Day 06 : Gangotri
– Rudraprayag |
|
Morning Drive to Rudraprayag.
Check into hotel.
Overnight hotel |
| |
|
Day 07:Rudraprayag
- Gaurikund - Trek
to Kedarnath |
|
Morning drive to Gaurikund
afterwards trek to
Kedarnath ( 14 kms
) thru the panoromic
valley of Mandakini.
The gushing sound
of river and cascading
waterfalls provides
a romantic atmosphere
for trekking. |
| |
|
KEDARNATH TEMPLE |
|
 An
imposing sight standing
in the middle of a
wide plateau surrounded
by snow covered peaks.
The present temple
built in 18th century
A.D. by Adi shankaracharya,
stands adjacent tot
he site of earlier
temple built by the
pandavas. The inner
walls of the assembly
hall are decorated
with fitures of various
deities and scenes
from mythology. Outside
the temple door a
large statue of the
nandi bull stands
as guard.
Dedicated to lord
shiva, the exquisitely
architectured, kedarnath
temple is considered
to be more than 1000
years old. Built of
extremely large heavy
and evenly cut grey
slavs of stones. It
evokes wonder as to
how these heavy slavs
had been handled in
the earlier days.
The temple has a "Garbha
Griha" for worship
and mandap appt. for
assemblies of pilgrims
and visitors. A concial
rock formation inside
the temple is worshipped
as lord shiva in his
sadashiva form. Rest
at bunglow visit to
kedarnath ji temple
for aarti, darshan |
| |
|
Day 08 : Kedarnath
- Gaurikund - Guptkashi |
|
Morning visit temple.
Afterwards trek down
to Gaurikund. Drive
to Guptkashi. Overnight
hotel. |
| |
|
Day 09: Guptkashi
- Joshimath |
|
Morning drive to Joshimath.
Overnight hotel DRONAGIRI. |
| |
|
Day 10 : Joshimath
- Badrinath |
|
After breakfast visit
Adi Guru Shankarayacharya
temple and then drive
to Badrinath. Overnight
hotel. |
| |
| |
