India is a sacred nation with countless destinations having religious significance. Sacred places of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri are collectively referred to as Char Dhams, and visiting these places is the dream of a Hindu devotee. Char Dham is situated in the splendid Himalayas and the journey to all these on a single journey is the dream of a Hindu devotee. Char Dham is situated in the splendid north Indian state of Uttarakhand. These places are considered sacred as Gangotri is the source of sacred Ganga, Yamunotri is the source of sacred Yamuna, Badrinath is the land of creator god Vishnu and Kedarnath is the home to mighty Lord Shiva. All this can be experienced by going on a soulful Chardham Yatra by Helicopter. Badrinath Dham If one is interested in visiting these places on a single journey, it is advisable to first visit Badrinath followed by Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, or its reverse is also recommended. This is based on the location of these places. Badrinath is located on the extreme east, and then comes Kedarnath, then Gangotri, and finally Yamunotri on the eastern side. The route of the journey from sacred Haridwar to Badrinath - the place where the sacred river Ganga enters the plains of India - involves places like - Rishikesh - Devprayag, the meeting place of Alaknanda and Mandakini, the tributaries of Ganga - Gopeshwar - Joshimath and finally the abode of Lord Vishnu, Badrinath. All these places en route to the Badrinath have had certain religious significance since the beginning of Hindu culture. Joshimath is the last town on the route and has countless temples. It is said that Jyoti (eyes) of goddess Parvati fell here when Lord Shiva performed Tandava with the dead body. She immolated herself when her father insulted Lord Shiva by not inviting him to a Yajna. Badrinath lies in the Alaknanda valley and is said to derive its name from a berry plant believed to be eaten by lord Vishnu when he performed meditation here. This plant is extinct now from here. The landscape here is a barren, rocky gorge created by Alaknanda and its tributaries like Vishnu Ganga. The mighty Neelkanth, named after Lord Shiva is the most prominent one in the landscape of this place. This place was founded by Adi Shankaracharya who traveled from the south Indian state of Kerala. Surprisingly, the priest of the temple is not a local resident but a Namboodiri Brahmin. This tradition is still intact. The temple, the main attraction and the destination of countless devotees is located on the west bank of Vishnu Ganga and is painted with colors-blue, pink, red, and green-it is the only colored building in the town. During the yatra period from May-July, the place becomes extremely crowded and devotees have to wait for hours to have a glimpse of their lord. This temple was established in about 900 AD by Adi Shankaracharya. The temple door remains closed during the winters when the place is inaccessible and a silver image of lord Vishnu is taken to a predetermined place at Pandukeshwar the priest then presides over another temple of significance, Narasimha Temple at Joshimath. This ritual is done annually and is done with great respect. The lord is taken back to the Badrinath temple in the month of May. One can feel oneness with nature in such places and feels like meditating. It is here that one can feel the meeting of soul and mighty supreme power. Another place of pilgrimage branches off at Joshimath - Hemkund - pilgrimage center for Sikhs and valley of flowers national park. Kedarnath Dham The next destination is Kedarnath-the abode of Lord Shiva. One has to reach back to Rudraprayag and the route to Kedarnath is from here. Unlike Badrinath, one has to walk in order to reach Kedarnath. This temple was also established by Adi Shankaracharya. The significance of this temple lies in the fact that Kailash Mansarovar-the ultimate abode of Hindu god Shiva lies near these mountains on the other side of Tibet. The trek from Gaurikund to Kedarnath is about 14 kms and is a reasonable one. If one is not interested in walking then ponies etc. are available. The view of the temple is magnificent as it lies in a broader valley with snow-clad peaks forming the backdrop. It seems that the river Mandakini is originating directly from these snow peaks. It is a true Shiva abode in the majestic grandness of nature. The beauty is unparalleled and mesmerizing. One can feel Lord Shiva meditating here. Amazing landscape. The original temple was established about a thousand years ago and was destroyed in an earthquake the temple stood now and is about 200 years old. Like Badrinath, the deity is taken in a colorful procession to Ukhimath in winter after closing the doors of the temple. A lake near the temple is named after Mahatma Gandhi as his ashes are immersed here. It is named Gandhi Sarovar. Mandakini is the main river here. Gangotri Dham Gangotri is the next destination. It is the source of the river Ganga which begins its thousand kilometers journey from here as Bhagirathi. It is believed that Ganga descended here from the heavens after she was asked to do so due to the long Tapasya of king Bhagirath who wished to wash his ancestor’s sins by sacred waters of Ganga. It is one of the most sacred destinations for Hindus from all parts of the globe. The journey involves reaching Rudraprayag from Kedarnath - to Devprayag where Bhagirathi meets Alaknanda and Mandakini - Tehri Town - Uttarkashi - Harsil - Lanka - Gangotri. Gangotri is a crowded place during the May-July as numerous devotees arrived from all parts of the country to visit this sacred place. Best for a nature lover is - to visit the temple here and try to move out of the town at the earliest. The next place here is Gaumukh-the Cow’s mouth is about 14 kms from Gangotri and is here that Ganga begins to flow as Bhagirathi. The trek to the Gaumukh is a steady climb but is very mesmerizing in contrast to the noisy crowded Gangotri. There are beautiful locations named Chirbasa Place of pines and Bhojbasa Place of Birches. At Gaumukh Bhagirathi emerges from the glacier as a milky white viscous fluid and is a beautiful sight. Pilgrims try to wash their sins at the direct source of Ganga. If one wants to merge with nature and have a glimpse of nature’s rawness then one must visit Tapovan-meadows of green carpets of grass, water, and wildflowers. Tapovan is about 5 kms from Gaumukh and is truly a heaven on earth. The climb is extremely steep and very tough but rewarding. This is a protected area and the topography of Tapovan resembles that of artic Tundras. The milieu here is mesmerizing and the mighty Shivling peak seemingly emerges from the meadows. Tapovan is the base camp for various mountaineering expeditions. Anyone can fall into meditation here. A must-visit for true nature lovers and believers in god. Yamunotri Dham The last place in this exhausting and tiring journey is the source of the river Yamuna-Yamunotri. One has to reach Uttarkashi from where the route to Yamunotri is there. River Yamuna originates from glaciers above the Yamunotri and has great religious significance as lord Krishna-an incarnation of Lord Vishnu has inhabited the banks of this river in Mathura. The Yamuna meets Ganga at Allahabad after traveling hundreds of kilometers. Yamuna goddess is the sister of lord Yama-the god of the dead and daughter of Lord Sun. The bathing here has significance as it is believed that it rids a person of the fear of sudden violent death. At one stage, Yamunotri was very less developed and devoid of basic facilities but now it is reasonably developed with all basic facilities.
Yamunotri leaves the Himalayas at Kalsi near Rishikesh and enters the plains like Ganga. The main temple is built about 20 years ago as the earlier temple was a temporary structure that was rebuilt every winter. The temple premises have one idol of the Yamunotri goddess and Gori Ganga - the former is of a carving on dark stone and the latter is of white marble. The contrast in their colors is striking. The temple premises have tanks bathing where warm spring water is mixed for pilgrims to rid of their sins. It has hot springs of water where food is also cooked for use on temple premises. This completes the Chardham Yatra Package. Anyone interested in undertaking this journey must have the physical capacity to undertake this tiring, arduous and tough journey. Secondly, one must have a reasonable time to enjoy spiritually and physically these beautiful landscapes. The minimum time for undertaking these journeys is 10 days. This is a must-visit place for all Hindu devotees.
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