Char Dham Yatra- A Religious trip to the Land of God - By: Amit Kothiyal

If you are one of those who want to go for a pilgrimage tour to India, what better choice than a chardham yatra? Considered to be one of the most religious tours of the Hindus, the Chardham Yatra comprises of four pilgrim sites namely Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Nestled in the mighty Himalayas, your journey to these holy sites will be both challenging and soul stirring. With the picturesque surrounding and devotees chanting names of their god together; the atmosphere of this place becomes one that of divineness having all the qualities of cleansing the malice of your soul. Thus the Chardham tour will surely provide you great peace in mind.

Your journey for the Chardham Yatra would begin from the holy city of Haridwar. You should head for Yamunotri from here via Rishikesh. You need to start in early morning from Haridwar since Yamunotri is an entire day’s journey from here. Yamunotri is the seat of goddess Yamuna and the source of Yamuna River. It is situated at the western flank of the snow covered Bandarpoonch Peak and is famous for thermal springs like the Surya Kund. You will find that these thermal springs, which are a tank full of boiling water, are used to cook rice and potatoes for prasad. The actual temple of Yamunotri is a 6 Km walk from the town of Hanuman Chatt and houses the idol of goddess Yamuna, which is made up of black stone.

After touching the soil of the origin of Yamuna River, you need to move towards the source of the Ganga River, the most respected river amongst all other Indian rivers. Gangotri is at a two day’s journey from Yamunotri and is believed to be the seat of the goddess Ganga. The temple in Gangotri was built in the 18th century by Amar Singh Thapa, a Gurkha General. You can see the impressive aarti ceremony of this temple which is held on the banks of the gushing Ganga River. You can rest in one of the few guesthouses and restaurants located here. In case you have time you can also opt to make an overnight 17 Km trip to the real source of Ganga River, i.e. the Gaumukh. Your Chardham in India will remain incomplete if you do not take time out to visit this place.

Moving ahead to Kedarnath from Gaurikund after a 13 Km long journey, you can spend the night at Garurchatti from where you can easily watch the magnificent temple of Kedarnath. With the dazzling background of gigantic white dome wrapped with snow, this temple is a captivating beauty. Besides being the seat of Lord Shiva, Kedarnath is also the site of saint Adi Shankar’s samadhi.

Your last halt on this Chardham Yatra would be Badrinath which is at a two day journey from Kedarnath. Badrinath is the most venerated site of all the four sites and is the seat of Lord Vishnu. The Badrinath Temple, built by Adi Shankar in the 9th century, is the place where you should be reaching this place. Out of the numerous murtis present in this temple, the most important one is that of Lord Vishnu carved of black stone. The temple is simply magnificent in its style and architecture. You will find a large statue of the Nandi Bull built out of heavy, large and evenly cut grey slab outside this temple door.

There is something markedly spiritual about these four places. The loftiness of the mountains, the vastness of the rising hills, the deepness of the ravines, the gentleness of the wafting wind and a continual sense of being – all these will surely touch your heart and the mind.

About the Author

Explore the Devine Land of Uttarakhand with Chardham Yatra. Char Dham Yatra is one of the most popular holy pilgrimage tours that start in the month of April-May and end on November every year in the Garhwal Himalayas.

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