Char Dham Yatra
Char Dham is the epicenter of spiritual activities for Hindus in India. Char Dham is the major attraction of the Uttarakhand. The culture of India is full of variety and rich beliefs. India is indeed a paradise for the ones who seek tranquility and spirituality. Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand boasts of some most visited pilgrimage centres. It is said that the Hindus must visit the place once in their lifetime. The place exhibits a different sense of peace to the body and soul.
What is Char Dham?
Uttarakhand is known for four well-known dwellings of the Hindu Gods known as Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The four pilgrimage sites are located in the four different districts of the state. Char Dham Yatra is the journey up in the mountains to these four pilgrimages.
Yamunotri Dham: This is the first Dham en route, named after the Goddess Yamuna. It is believed that if you take a bath in the holy water of Yamuna, all your sins will be washed off and you will attain true moksha. So, if you believe that you have sinned by mistake or intentionally and regret doing it, this is the best place to gain mental peace. It is situated at a height of 3,291 metres.
Gangotri Dham: This is the second temple that falls into the space and is the birthplace of river Ganga. Situated in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand and is nestled on the banks of Bhagirathi river. It is located at a height of 3,100 metres and the entire town and temple is surrounded by pure white snowcapped hills for a majority of the year. This temple marks the origin of river Ganga. According to the legends, King Bhagirath performed severe penance for several centuries and thus Goddess Ganga took a form of river to wash away the sins of the King Bhagirath.
Kedarnath: Kedarnath has the highest number of jyotirlinga and is known as the land of Lord Shiva. It is situated on the banks of Mandakini river. The temple has a view of extremely beautiful snowy backdrop. Situated in the Garhwal region at a height of 3,584 metres. The place is so special because it is said that in the 7th and 8th century, Lord Shiva had released holy Ganga river from this place. It is also said that after the Kurukshetra war, the Pandavas brothers, as advised by the sage Vyasa, had visited the place in order to seek forgiveness from Lord Shiva for killing their cousins.
Badrinath: This place is named after Lord Badri (Vishnu) and is situated on the banks of Alakanda river. Situated at an elevation of 3,133 metres it is a part of a whole bigger lot of the Char Dham and stands beautifully falling into the Garhwali region. There are many legends related to the auspiciousness of this place but one major is that Lord Vishnu went to Badrinath to perform deep meditation. He meditated for a very long time in the yogic position of Padmasana. The Vishnu idol inside the temple is said to be in the same aasan in which Lord Vishnu was meditating.
