Char Dham yatra is one of the most sacred moments in everyone’s life, Who believe in divinity. Every person has a dream of completing their char Dham yatra at once in their life. As you may know char Dham yatra includes many places like Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, after visiting these destinations your char Dham yatra will be completed as well.
Moreover You can start your char Dham yatra from Yamunotri which goes to Gangotri and from there you are ready to go to the main and one of the divine places Kedarnath “The Heaven” and it will end at Badrinath. Mostly the time chosen by devotees is between April and may and from October to November and the 15 November is the last date to close the temples and the char Dham yatra will be stopped until the next time in the same months. As we know that there are thousands of devotees who come over these places to explore and visit temples to offer their prayers and wishes to god with full dedication and positivity.
Places To Visit During Char Dham Yatra
During your char Dham yatra you may come across some beautiful places and destinations where you can spend your day and night. As we mentioned some place that you may came across with as following :-
Yamunotri
Yamunotri is one of the parts of your Char Dham yatra and it is the most well-known pilgrim site for Hinduism and this is dedicated to the river Yamuna. Yamunotri is located at the central part which attracts thousands of devotees every year, as we know that Yamuna is the second most holy river after the ganga’s rivers. Thousands of devotees come here to seek blessings at Yamunotri temple .
History
Basically Yamunotri temple was made by king Tehri, called Naresh Sudharshan shah in 1839, but after sometimes it was re-constructed by the queen of Jaipur Gularia Devi in 19th century, moreover after a breakage and massive damage of temple due to earthquake the temple is made up of using granite stones, structured with yellow colour on conical shaped tower with stunning red border at the top of it and it will look great and beautiful and still remain same till yet.
Opening & Closing Time
It will be open all the time, but close in the afternoon between 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
Aarti Timing
The Mangal aarti timings are 6:30am to 7:30 am.
The Shayan aarti timings are 6:30pm to 7:30 pm.
Places to visit near Yamunotri
- Surya kund:
Surya kund is basically a hot water kund with a temperature of 1900 F, although this temperature is good to cook food in just a few minutes. Moreover this water is used to make prasad for the main temple and serve it infront of god. While making the prasad, the priest takes a muslin cloth and puts potato, rice and salt in it, and then they cover and make a knot, after that they dipped it into hot water to make it cook and serve it in the temple.
- Divya Shila:
This place is located near the Yamunotri and Surya kund, as it looks like a stunning stone pillar with the divine light. It is believed that before entering the main temple you need to bend on your knees and do worship in front of this shrine, as it is considered as part of the pooja in Yamunotri temple.
- Shani Dev Temple:
Shani dev temple is the another destination in Uttarakhand, you can visit here after the Yamunotri temple, as it consider as the most oldest temple of Shani dev which is 7,000 ft. above the sea level, or it is located in Kharsali, and the main thing of this temple that it is the winter seat of goddess Yamuna.
Gangotri
This place is one of the best places of char Dhams, it is a small town known for the goddess Ganga along with the temple in this town. This place has glaciers, Himalayas and lush green forests, as known by Hindu people this is the combination of all ganga rivers. As it is located at the height of 3,100 meters on the hill area region in Uttarakhand. This is the most visited place for people to admire its natural beauty and you can enjoy the surroundings.
History
so basically Gangotri is a historic part of tehri Garhwal kingdom when lord Shiva rescue her from his stuck hair to flow as a river on earth, so ganga take place in Uttarakhand as a Gangotri river near a sacred stone where it is believed that she takes place there first. When thousands of visitors come and take a dip into the holy Ganga river to reduce their sins in it.
Places to visit in Gangotri:
- Gangotri temple:
The Gangotri temple is one of the most holy places in Uttarakhand, as it is made up of white marble that is 20 feet high and it is 300 years old, this temple is dedicated to ganga goddess. You can surely get the vibe when you reach this temple and don’t miss the holy aarti in the morning and the evening as well.
The timings of aarti are all day 6:15am to 2:00 pm and in the evening 3:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
- Kalindi khal trek:
It has wonderful landscapes and a stunning natural beauty, this site is an adventurous trekking site as well as challenging for people who do trekking. You will surely memorise the stunning views at the top of the hill. The best time to visit this place is between mid June and the starting of September. You will surely love this place.
- Gangotri National park:
Your Gangotri visit will be incomplete if you do not visit this national park, this place for those who love wildlife and natural beauty of landscapes. There are so many medicinal plants as well in this park which helps a lot by making medicines like saving life drugs. This park was founded in 1955 which is 958 sq. km sand it is a hope of white leopards and many other wildlife species.
- Vishwanath temple:
This temple is located in Uttarkashi and it was established by Parasuraman and it is considered the home of Kedar Khand of Skanda purana. After that it was reconstructed by Maharani Khaneti in 1857, as it contains a lot of Shiva devotees across the world. If you are not brought any puja item you can take from pooja shops that are near the temple.
How to reach:
From Delhi:
The easiest way to reach Gangotri is by taking a bus at Kashmiri gate in Delhi to Uttarkashi or you can go directly to Gangotri.
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is one of the most holy places in the whole Northern India, as it is dedicated to lord Shiva, this temple is located at the mountain peak. Thousands of tourists come here to take blessings and worship of lord Shiva by doing the trek of 16 km either by walking or by the support of animals, as this place is located at 11,755 above the sea level. This will be the best tourist place and you will experience the divine feel here by visiting here, you will find hotels and food hotels and food stalls and many more things.
History
After the battle of Kurukshetra the Pandavas of Mahabharat take them on a journey to Varanasi to take blessings from lord Shiva with the guilt of killing their own persons. Shiva refused to meet him and hide himself in Guptkashi, but when Pandavas went to find him, Lord Shiva converted himself in the form of buffalo so they wouldn’t recognize him. But from 5 Pandavas one of them named Bhima holds a tail and one leg of buffalo to stop him, because lord Shiva has divided and lost while leaving behind his hump which is known as the worship of Kedarnath temple nowadays.
Places to visit near Kedarnath
- Kalimath:
Kalimath is one of the religious place which is located near the Saraswati river in Rudraprayag district at the height of 1800 miter, this temple is dedicated to the shakti Peeth of goddess kali in India, which offers the divine environment and stunning nature experience.
- Vasuki tal lake:
Vasuki tal lake is located at an highest altitude of 14,200 feet above the sea level in Kedarnath, which is the Dham of Uttarakhand. It is a beautiful lake with clear water and Himalayan flowers blooming around the lake, which makes the aura divinely beautiful.
- Triyuginarayan temple:
Triyuginarayan temple is the perfect place for a wedding destination which is located in Rudraprayag district, this is basically a village with an elevation of 1,980 and offers you the most breathtaking views like snow covered mountains and lush greenery sites. This place is the centre of attraction with Trijugi narayan temple dedicated to lord Vishnu, this is the oldest temple you will find when you are on your trek.
Timings – morning 7:00am to 2:00 pm and evening 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
- Tungnath:
Tungnath is one of the highest temples in the whole world, which is located in Rudraprayag district. This temple is at the height of 3680 meters above sea level and it offers you some Mesmerising hill stations, its natural beauty will definitely awe you. and it is one of the famous five Panch-Kedar shrines of Uttarakhand.
Morning aarti time – 6:00 am
Darshan time in morning – 7:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Evening aarti time – 6:30 am.
Darshan time in the evening – 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
How to Reach
The best way to reach Kedarnath is by flight, the distance is approximately 300+ km from Delhi, or it will take 5 hours approx to reach there. and if you take the bus or train it will take up to 8 hours.
Badrinath
Badrinath temple is the most historical and iconic temple while you are on your char Dham yatra. This temple defines the true eternity love of lord shiv and goddess Parvati also called as Adi-shakti. Although this is the most unique and important pilgrimage, as we know Badrinath is located at an altitude of around 3,100m in Garhwal Himalayas, as you will see the main entrance of this temple is decorated and covered with beautiful flowers and paintings.
History
This Badrinath name was basically originate from the normal word Badri, as it is believed that when lord Vishnu were sat in self mortification in the mountains, but when goddess Laxmi saw him she converted him in a form of berry tree and give shed to him from the harsh sun. Although not only lord Vishnu but there were so many saints who used to meditate there in search of learning.
Opening and closing
The doors of Badrinath temple are open on 12 may 2024 and closed on 9 November 2024.
And the timings will be morning 6:00 am.
The aarti timing in the morning 4:30 am to 6:30 am.
Darshan timings in the morning 6:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Evening aarti time is 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
Evening darshan time is 4:00 am to 7:00 pm.
The Badrinath temple is closed between 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Places to visit near Badrinath
- Charanpaduka:
This is the most popular spot in Badrinath, you should definitely take a visit there to see the footprint of lord Vishnu. As it was believed that when lord Vishnu came to earth, he set his first foot in the region of Himalayas. Although this place is located at the height of 3380 meters which provides you the stunning and panoramic surroundings of snowy Himalayas.Â
- Urvashi temple:
The Urvashi temple is the place of the most beautiful goddess Urvashi, which was created by Narayan after he opened his left leg thigh and created natural female spirits. If we talk about the Hindu mythology the twin brothers nar and narayan choose Badri Vishal for the meditation spot. Although during their meditation process lord Narayana sent some beautiful Apsaras to distract him and in Apsara Urvashi being the most beautiful among them and she led all the spirits to Lord Indra and broke his ego near a pond and then the result is by creating a temple on the honour of goddess Urvashi.
- Bheem pul:
Bheem pul was created naturally by the second Pandav “Bheem” while they were on the journey to heaven. Although Bheem put a very huge stone over the Saraswati river to create a bridge. Moreover, you can enjoy the beautiful view and surroundings of Himalayas.
- Auli:
This is one of the most beautiful and snowy destinations for visitors and this is a well known skiing destination for visitors. You can enjoy various adventurous activities like skiing, ropeway rides and admire the beautiful and snow covered surroundings peaks.
How to Reach
By air your nearest airport will be jolly grant airport, Dehradun. The distance is 317 km from Badrinath. You can take a taxi or bus from Dehradun airport to Badrinath.
If you are going by road to Badrinath you can take the national highway 7, as your journey will take up to 9 hours and the distance is approx 324 km.
Tips While Planning To Go To Char Dham Yatra
- The Chardham yatra is accessible only for six months from May to October, so you should plan it accordingly, when the door opens of all the temples of char Dham.
- While visiting the temple make sure you should cover your head and remove shoes while entering the temple.
- If you don’t know about Kedarnath, the temperature is very low and it’s a snowy area, so you should carry woollen clothes and mufflers with yourself.
- You must carry a woollen blanket, a torch, or an umbrella and a raincoat and canvas shoes with you which helps to do trekking.
- You must carry your routine medicines, because at the point you will reach your destination there is no medical facility, so make sure you take your own medicine.
- Pack some skin care, like moisturiser, creams and sunscreen to make your skin healthy in low temperature.
- If you don’t know the directions, you must ask the shopkeepers and don’t map predictions or ask one or two people for directions.
- For instant energy carry some dark chocolate, dry fruits, glucose D with yourself.
- Please follow the rules and restrictions of the place, if they can’t allow you to open the camera you should not use that.
- Make sure you don’t plan your trip in the rainy season, because it will be risky for trekking.
- You must drink a packed water packet or boiled water.
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