Pilgrimage to Char Dham Yatra 2023
Char Dham of Uttarakhand is one of the most important Pilgrimages for Hindus in India. The Char Dhams are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Each of these places has its own story and history to know. Its greatness and mysticism have qualified them to form a sacred pilgrimage tour.
A human, if wants to achieve Moksha afterlife, should at least once visit all 4 of these places. The Char Dham Yatra tour traditionally begins from the west and ends to the east.
The Char Dham yatra tour was suspended in times of pandemic but it started back in 2022. The Char Dham Yatra 2023 is more religious for some devotees as they believe they have some pursuit left in life that’s why they were saved from the pandemic.
Know more about the Dhams
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town located in the Garhwal Himalayas, on the banks of the Alaknanda river in the state of Uttarakhand. The Badrinath temple is also known as Badrinrayan Temple. It has a growing pilgrimage every year thus becoming the most important hub of religious travel in the whole of northern India. The temple remains open for six months a year. It becomes inaccessible in winters due to heavy snowfall. You can also visit the Dhams one at a time or take the Char Dham Yatra Package.
History of Badrinath Temple
The sanctuary observes notice in a few old texts like the Bhagavata Purana, Skanda Purana, and Mahabharata. According to the Bhagavata Purana, there in Badrikashram the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his manifestation as the sages Nar and Narayana, had been going through extraordinary compensation since days of yore for the government assistance of all living entities”.The Skanda Purana expresses that there are a few holy places in paradise, on the planet, and in hellfire; yet there is no sanctum like Badrinath”. The region around Badrinath is additionally celebrated in Padma Purana as having large amounts of otherworldly treasures. The Mahabharata venerated the blessed spot as the one which can give salvation to enthusiasts showing up near it, while in other sacred spots they should perform strict ceremonies. It is accepted that Shankara lived in the spot for quite some time from AD 814 to 820. He lived a half year in Badrinath and the remainder of the year in Kedarnath. Hindu devotees affirm that they found the divinity of Badrinath in the Alaknanda River and cherished it in a cavern close to the Tapt Kund hot springs. A customary story declares that Shankara ousted every one of the Buddhists in the area with the assistance of the Parmar ruler lord Kanak Pal. The inherited replacements of the ruler administered the sanctuary and invested in towns to meet its costs. The pay from a bunch of towns in transit to the sanctuary was utilized to take care of and oblige travelers.
Tourists attractions of Badrinath –
- Vasudhara falls
- Satopanth Tal
- Hemkund Sahib
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is the second holy pilgrimage place out of Char Dham. It is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand in India. It is situated at a height of 3584 meters above sea level near the head of the Mandakini River. It is visited by thousands of devotees every year. The Char Dham Yatra by helicopter has made it accessible for the aged population to win their religious beliefs. The doors are closed from November to April amidst heavy snowfalls. There are no direct roads to reach the divine temple.
History of Kedarnath Temple
The statue of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), 223 km (139 mi) from Rishikesh, on the shores of Mandakini waterway, a feeder of Ganga, is a stone structure of obscure date. It isn’t sure who assembled the first Kedarnath sanctuary and when. The name “Kedarnath” signifies “the master of the field”: it gets from the Sanskrit words kedara (“field”) and natha (“ruler”). The text Kashi Kedara Mahatmya states that it is alleged on the grounds that “the harvest of freedom” develops here.
A society legend about Panch Kedar connects with the Pandavas, the legends of the Hindu amazing Mahabharata. The Pandavas crushed and killed their cousins – the Kauravas in the awe-inspiring Kurukshetra war. The punishment for the wrongdoings of carrying out fratricide (gotra hatya) and Brāhmanahatya (killing of Brahmins – the cleric class) during the conflict. Subsequently, they gave over control of their realm to their kinfolk and left looking for master Shiva and to look for his endowments. To begin with, they went to the heavenly city of Varanasi (Kashi), accepted to be Shiva’s number one city and known for its Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Be that as it may, Shiva needed to stay away from them as he was profoundly angered by the demise and deceitfulness at the Kurukshetra war and was, in this way, heartless toward Pandavas’ petitions. Consequently, he expected the type of bull (Nandi) and stow away in the Garhwal district.
Yamunotri
Yamontri’s yatra starts from May to October, which begins from Yamunotri to Gangotri and finally to Kedarnath and Badrinath. Yamunotri is the second most sacred river after the Ganges. Char Dham Yatra 2022 can be started from Yamunotri to reach Kedarnath towards the end. It is auspicious to begin the Yatra from Yamunotri as it signifies the cleansing of the material body before going to the next Dhams. The other tourist attractions are Kharsali, Saptarshi Kund, and Hanuman Chatti.
History of Yamunotri
As per the ancient legend, sage Asit Muni had his isolation here. For his entire life, he bathed daily bath in the Ganges and the Yamuna. Incapable to go to Gangotri during his old age, a surge of the Ganges showed up inverse Yamunotri for him. The temple and the place open consistently on the favorable day of the Akshaya Tritiya. The sanctuary generally closes on the day of Diwali in mid-October – the first seven-day stretch of November, with a concise service. The temple staff returns to their towns and for the remainder of the time, the valley is held in no-man quietness and covered with a white sheet of snow. With the liquefying of the snow the following summer, the sanctuary re-opens. Sangya is the origin of the Yamuna in the Champasar Glacier (4,421 m) just underneath the Banderpoonch Mountain. The mountain nearby the stream source is committed to her dad and is called Kalind Parvat, (Kalind being one more name for the sun divinity – Surya). The Yamuna is known for her Karma, a characteristic that she created in light of the fact that, as indicated by a typical story, Yamuna’s mom would never look her amazing spouse directly in the eyes.
Gangotri
Gangotri Dham is located at the height of 3100 meters on the Great Himalayan Range in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand. It holds a very special place in the hearts of Hindus. The Ganga River originates from the Gangotri Glacier at Gaumukh. It is said that the Goddess Ganga came to earth in order to wash away the sins of King Bhagirathi’s ancestors. It’s more of a spiritual calling than a religious duty if you ever go to the Gangotri Dham.
History of Gangotri Dham
As indicated by Hindu culture, Goddess Ganga appeared as a waterway to wash the sins of King Bhagiratha’s ancestors, following his serious compensation of a few centuries.
Gangotri, the beginning of the River Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four locales in the Chota Char Dham journey circuit. The first Gangotri Temple was worked by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa. The waterway is called Bhagirathi at the source and procures the name Ganga (the Ganges) from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The beginning of the heavenly stream is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km journey from Gangotri. The sanctuary is shut from Diwali day consistently and is resumed on Akshaya Tritiya. During this time, the symbol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba town, close to Harsil. Ceremonial obligations of the sanctuary are administered by the Semwal group of pujaris. These pujaris hail from Mukhba town.
Megamax Aviation services have started their helicopter services for Char Dham Yatra 2023. Book your Char Dham Yatra Packages and start your spiritual journey.
