Why Should You Plan a Char Dham Yatra in 2022?

Char Dham Yatra has a special significance in Hinduism. Char Dham refers to four sacred abodes that are said to be holy owing to their religious significance and mentions in the Hindu scriptures. The Himalayan Char Dham pilgrimage circuit or the Chota Char Dham consists of four holy spots in the state of Uttarakhand namely, Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath & Badrinath. While Yamnotri and Gangotri are both Shakta sites, Badrinath is Vaishnava and Kedarnath is a Shaiva site. All these are particularly considered holy by the four sects of Hinduism.

All the Char Dhams are located in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, specifically in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Badrinath and Chamoli districts. With the massive improvement in transportation infrastructure, it has become easier for pilgrims to complete the whole journey in just 15 days.

Considered as one of the most beautiful and pious areas in the world, the Char Dhams are known for their spiritual aura. Hindus from around the world come to visit the Char Dhams and it is considered a duty of a Hindu to visit the char dhams once in a lifetime.

• Yamunotri

Yamunotri Dham is the first of the four dhams and is said to be the source of Yamuna River. Pilgrims visit the shrine of Goddess Yamuna to participate in the Aarti that takes place from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm and have darshan of Goddess Yamuna that is idolized in the form of a silver statue inside the Yamunotri Temple.

According to legend, sage Asit Muni used to bathe in Ganga and Yamuna rivers. As old age gripped the sage, he was unable to visit Gangotri up the hills and the same emerged opposite to Yamunotri to give him respite in his old age.

Apart from the Yamunotri temple, one can visit Saptrishi Kund- the actual source of river Yamuna, Surya Kund- the thermal springs and Divya Shila- the strong rock pillar.

• Gangotri

Situated in Uttarkashi at an altitude of 3048 meters, Gangotri is an important spot for pilgrims. Pilgrims pray Goddess Ganga at the Gangotri Dham who is said to take the form of a river and descend to earth when King Bhagirath meditated and prayed to her to liberate his predecessor’s souls. According to another legend, Goddess Ganga is said to be born out of kamandalu of Lord Brahma.

As Ganga is said to be the most pious rivers in Hinduism, devout pilgrims come to Gangotri dham to pray and seek blessings of the river goddess.

• Kedarnath Dham

Said to be the seat of Lord Shiva, Kedarnath dham is situated in between snow-clad mountains of the Himalayas. According to the legend, incarnations of Lord Vishnu- Nar & Narayan prayed to Lord Shiva and in return were granted a boon. They requested Lord Shiva to take a permanent seat at Kedarnath as a Jyotirlinga to bless his devotees and free them from their miseries.

• Badrinath Dham

Located in Chamoli District, Badrinath dham is said to be the seat of Lord Vishnu and people come here to worship him in the form of Badrinarayan. Interestingly, Badrinath is also one of the spots in the ancient char dhams. According to the legend, Pandavas crossed Badrinath on their journey to heaven and the Nar and Narayana meditated here. Ved Vyasa is also said to have written Mahabharata at a cave near Badrinath. So, this place has a special significance in Hindu religion.

If you are thinking of going on a Char Dham Yatra, but are worried about how will you manage, you can choose to buy a char dham travel package from Shikhar Travels. We have years of experience in organizing char dham yatras and take care of everything from boarding, lodging, travel and transfers. Our superior-grade hospitality and assistance will never let you feel anxious while you are on the holy trip. You just need to focus on spirituality while we take care of everything to make your trip blissful and memorable.

For more information about Chardham or 2 Dham email us: tours@shikhar.com