Char Dham Yatra: Pilgrimage Tours in India & The Yatra to Moksha

Uttarakhand in India is popularly known as Devbhumi & has numerous Gods & Goddesses temples. Char Dham Yatra is one of them. Char Dham Yatra is most popular pilgrimage in Hinduism. It has four places which includes four holy shrines: Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. All temples are situated in Uttarakhand. Gangotri is dedicated to Goddess Ganga while Badrinath is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Yamunotri & Kedarnath is dedicated to Yamuna River & Lord Shiva respectively. Char Dham is also popular among foriegners who wants to see the heavenly natural beauty & Himalayas.

Kedarnath Temple: The Lord Shiva Temple

Kedarnath Temple (Kedarnath Mandir) is one of the most popular temple of Char Dham Yatra. Kedarnath Dham is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Temple is opens at the end of April or May starting on the evening of Akshaya Tritriya and Closes in the month of November (Kartik Purnima - The Autumn full Moon) every year. It is situated in breathtaking location, Himalayan range near the head of Mandakini River, Kedarnath, at an altitude of 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level, Uttarakhand in India. Kedarnath Mandir was constructed by Pandavas and revived by Adi Sankaracharya in 8th Century. It is one of the 12 Jyotir Lingams & also important temple (Mandir) among the Panch Kedar (Group of 5 Lord Shiva Temple(Mandir) such name as: Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar, Kalpeshwar & Kedarnath). The motorable road is going till Gauri Kund. After that 18 kilometers Uphill trek from Gauri Kund to Kedarnath Temple. Khachar, Palanquins( Doli) & Helicopter services are easily available.

Weather in Kedarnath:

• Avg. Max temperature: 10-20 Degree Celsius

• Avg. Min temperature below the 0 Degree Celsius mark.

Kedarnath Kapaat Opening Date in 2018:

• Open: 29 April 2018 at 6:15 AM.

• Closing: Oct last or November Starting

Festivals Celebrated in Kedarnath:

Badri-Kedar Festival, Shravani Annakoot Mela August, Samadhi Puja

Best Time to Visit:

April/May to June & September to November.

Top Places to See in and around Kedarnath:

Kedarnath Temple, GauriKund, Chorabari Tal, Bhairav Temple, Vasuki Tal are some of the memorable sites around Kedarnath Dham.

New Delhi To Kedarnath Route Map >> 467 km (approx.) New Delhi to Rishikesh 232 km ( 6 Hours) >> Rishikesh to Srinagar, Uttarakhand 113 km (3 h 30 min) >> Srinagar to Gauri Kund 104 km (3 h 34 min) >> Gaurikund to Kedarnath Temple (By Trek) 18 kms ( 6-8 hours).

Badrinath Temple: The Lord Vishnu Temple

Badrinarayan Temple or Badrinath Dham is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu ( Narayan). It is one of the Dham of the Char Dham Yatra and most visited pilgrimage centres of India. It is located in Chamoli District at an elevation of 3,133 meters (10,279 ft) above sea level & situated at the banks of the Alaknanda River, Uttarakhand in India. Badrinath Mandir is also one of the 108 “Divya Desams” or holy shrines of Lord Vishnu. The temple was constructed by Adi Shankara over thousand years ago. The motorable road is going to Badrinath Dham & the temple can be reached by walking distance.The temple is open for six months every year.

Badrinath Kapat Opening & Closing Dates 2018

• Opening: 30 April 2018 at 4:30 AM.

• Closing: First Week of November in 2018.

Festivals Celebrated in Badrinath:

Mata Murti Ka Mela, Badri Kedar Festival,Krishna Janmashtami

Weather in Badrinath:

• Avg. Maximum Temperature 10-20 Degree Celsius

• Avg. Minimum below 0 Degree Celsius mark

Top Places to See in and around Badrinath Dham:

Badrinath Temple, Tapt Kund, Brahma Kapal, NeelKanth Peak, Mata Murti Mandir, Charanpaduka, Sheshnetra, Vasundhara Falls, Valley of Flowers, Hemkunt Sahib, Mana Village-The Last Village in the India-China Border.

Best Time to Visit: April/May to June and September to October/November.

New Delhi to Badrinath Dham Route Map: 524km(approx.)

New Delhi to Haridwar 200km >> Haridwar to Rishikesh 20km >> Rishikesh to Devprayag 74km >> Devprayag to Srinagar 38km >> Srinagar to Rudraprayag 33km >> Rudraprayag to Joshimath 115km >> Joshimath to Govindghat 20km >> Govindghat to Hanumanchatti 13km >> HanumanChatti to Badrinath 11km.

Yamunotri Temple – The Goddess Yamuna Temple

Yamunotri Temple or Yamunotri Dham is one of the temple of Char Dham Yatra. The shrine of Yamunotri is situated at the height of 3,291 meters on the foot hill of Kalind Parvat in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand in India. The Temple was constructed by Maharaja Pratap Shah in 19th Century. Yamunotri Mandir is made of black marble. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna & it’s the source of Yamuna River. Yamunotri is also famous for its glaciers & thermal springs. The motorable road is going to Janki Chatti. It’s the end point of the Motorable road to Yamunotri. After that, 5 Km Trek to the temple from Janki Chatti. Horses, Ponies & Palanquins (Palkies) are easily available for rent.

Yamunotri Kapaat Opening Date in 2018:

• Open: 28 April 2018

• Close: Friday, 9 November (Tentative)

Yamunotri Temple Door(Kapat) opens on the last week of April or May First week on the religious day of “Akshaya Tritya”. And Closed on Oct-November on “Bhai Dooj” Festival.

Festivals celebrated in Yamunotri:

Phool Devi during March, Basant Panchami during Jan-Feb, & Olgia during August

Weather:

• Avg. Max temperature is about 15-20 Degree Celsius

• Avg. Min temperature below the 0 Degree Celsius mark.

Best Time to visit:

April to June or Oct- November

Top Places to visit near & around Yamunotri: Yamunotri Temple, Surya Kund(The Pond of the SUN), Divya Shilla(The Divine Stone), Janki Chatti, Hanuman Chatti, Saptarishi Kund, Kharsali.

New Delhi to Yamunotri Dham Road Route Map:

New Delhi to Rishikesh 232km >> Rishikesh to Narendra Nagar (20km) >> Narendra Nagar to Brahmkhal (56km) >> Brahmkhal to HanumanChatti (161 km) >> HanumanChatti to JankiChatti (8 km) >> JankiChatti to Yamunotri (2 km)

Gangotri Temple: The Goddess Gangotri Temple

Gangotri Dham is a popular among tourist as Gangotri temple. It is an important pilgrimages for hindus & is one of the part of the Char Dham Yatra. It is situated in Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand in India. It’s at an height of 3,100 meters above sea level. Gangotri temple was built by Amar Singh Thapa in 18th century. It is the origin of River Ganga , Gaumukh glacier is 18 kms from Gangotri & tourist or pilgrimages can reach only by foot. It is known as Bhagirathi till it merges with Alaknanda River at Devaprayag, Uttarakhand.

Gangotri Temple Opening in 2018:

• Open: 18 April 2018

• Close: After Diwali festival

Gangotri Kapaat opens on the “Akshaya Tritiya” and The Kapaat (Door) closes after Diwali Festival.

Festivals celebrated in Gangotri: Ganga Dussehra, Diwali, Akshaya Tritiya, Basant Panchami, Maha Shivratri, Kartik Purnima

Weather in Gangotri:

• Yamunotri avg. max temperature is about 15-20 Degree Celsius

• & the avg. min temperature below the 0 Degree Celsius mark.

Best Time to Visit: April to June or October to November

Top Places to visit nearby and around Gangotri: Ganges Glacier, Kedar Tal, Dodi Tal, Gangotri Temple, Harsil, Auden's Col, Dayara Bugyal, Dharali, Kedartal Patangini Pass Trek, Gomukh Tapovan Trek, Tapovan, Jogin Advanced Base Camp, Maneri, Uttarkashi, Vishwanath Temple, Kalindi Khal Trek, Bhagirath Shila, Pandava Gufa

Other attraction here includes Ekadash Rudra Temple, Gangnani, Gaumukh, Gyaneshwar Temple, Kuteti Devi Temple, Nachiketa Tal, Nandanvan, Submerged Shivling and Tehri

Gangotri Road Route Map from Delhi:

Route 1 (Via Dehradun): Delhi to Dehradun 257km >> Dehradun to Mussoorie 33km >> Mussoorie to Chamba 61km >> Chamba to Tehri 11km >> Tehri to Uttarkashi 117km >> Uttarkashi to Bhatwari 31km >> Bhatwari to Gangotri 67km

Route 2 (Via Haridwar): Delhi to Rishikesh (232km) >> Rishikesh to Narendranagar (20km) >> Narendranagar to Tehri (54km) >> Tehri to Uttarkashi (117km) >> Uttarkashi to Bhatwari (31km) >> Bhatwari to Gangotri (67km)