The abode of four pilgrimage sites, namely Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, in the state of Uttarakhand is referred to as Chota Char Dham. The shrines of Hindu deities in these places captivate the attention of myriad religious travelers in the great Himalayas, turning the destinations into the most important religious hubs in Northern India. Puranas and Vedas mention these four pious spots of Garhwal Himalayas as immortally sacred in the Hindu religion. Char Dham Yatra embarks from west i.e., Yamunotri and ends in the east, i.e., in Badrinath.
Each of these Dhams is devoted to distinct deities. Gleaming at an altitude of 3293m in the north of Uttarkashi, Yamunotri is the commencing spot of this pilgrimage and renowned for feeding the river Yamuna. Perched atop Bandar Poonch Parvat, the divine shrine of goddess Yamuna and profound thermal spring at Janki Chatti draw the interest of many spirits. Mythologically, it is believed that people come here to obtain salvation by taking a dip in the Yamuna. Proceeding to the second Dham, Gangotri, where Bhagirathi river meets Alaknanda to originate river Ganga, pilgrims get to ignite their faith in the confluences of nature. Historically, it is believed that this is the place where Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Sagara’s sons and grant them Moksh.
Kedarnath is the third spot in the row that lies in Rudraprayag district and sits on the head of the majestic river, Mandakini. Consecrated to Lord Shiva, this Dham is one of Panch Kedar in the Kedar valley. The legends believe that to escape meeting Pandavas, Lord Shiva incarnated as Nandi and split himself up when Bhim caught him. The body parts then fell apart in the valley, transpiring that the hump fell in Kedarnath. The final trek to Badrinath at an altitude of 3300m above sea level on the banks of Alaknanda culminates the pilgrimage. According to Hindu scriptures, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Nara and Narayan and performed dreadful austerity at Badri for a plethora of years.
The journey drenches in physical as well as mental hardship hence pilgrims should be well-prepared in advance with a customizable Char Dham Yatra package that we offer at Rishikesh.net. Despite the arduous odyssey, the alpines, meadows, long-stretched valleys, waterfalls, confluences of rivers, and enchanting flowers in this pristine landscape rejuvenate and uplift the spirits of people as they move towards the destination.