| Pilgrimage
Tours > > Char dham
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| Char dham of garhwal or the four pilgrimage
centers are the four most hallowed shrines in the
Himalayas. Char dham comprises of badrinath, kedar nath,
gangotri and yamunotri are frequently visited by the
religious minded as well as the others looking for
natural beauty. The holy ganges and her tributaries flow
past the four dhams. It is believed the goddess ganga
descended upon the earth in the form of a river to help
the suffering humanity. It was split into four channels
which flow past the four dhams, namely Bhagirathi in
Gangotri; yamuna in yamunotri; Alaknanda in badrinath
and Mandakini in Kedarnath. |
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Click here for Char
Dham Packages
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| Badrinath |
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| Badrinath, the abode of Vishnu, one
of the ‘four dhams’, is one of the most celebrated
pilgrimage spots of the country and is situated at the
height of approximately 3,133 meters above sea level. It
is on the left bank of river Alaknanda. It is guarded on
the either side by the two mountain ranges ‘ Nar’
and ‘Narayan’ with the towering Neelkanth peak in
the back. There is a hot water spring near the temple
known as ‘Tapt kund’. This revered spot was once
covered with wild berries and was known famous as the
Badrivan.Badrinath temple is dedicated to lord Vishnu.
This 15 mts. High temple is built in the form of a cone
with a small cupola of a filt bull and spire. |
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| Kedarnath |
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| Dedicated to lord
shiva, the destroyer, the Kedarnath shrine is situated
against the backdrop of the majestic kedarnath range at
an altitude of 3581 mts above the sea level. On the
banks of river Mandakini. Kedar nath is one of the 12
Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.According to a legend, this temple was
built by the pandavas to redeem themselves of the guilt
of killing their brothers ‘Kauravas’ during the
famous Mahabharata war. The present temple was built in
18 th century A.D by Adi Shankaracharya adjacent to the
site of earlier temple built by Pandavas. |
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| ACCOMMODATION |
- Arti Bhawan
- Bitko Cottage
- (3) Janata Dharamshala
- Kali kamli Dharamshala
- Gujarat Bhawan
- Nepali Dharamshala
- J .K. Griha
- Bhajan Ashram
- Bharat Sewa Ashram
- Bombay Bhawan
- Madras Bhawan
- Travellers Lodge
- Saraf Cottage
- Chan Cottage
- Modi Bhawan
- Birla Bhawan
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| Yamunotri |
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| The shrine of yamunotri is situated
at an elevation of 3235 mts above the sea level.
Yamunotri is the source of river yamuna, which is the
main tributary of the holy river, Ganges. Yamunotri is
one of the four dhams. The shrine is situated in the
direction apposite to the Gangotri. According to a legend, Yamunotri was the
house of Asit muni, a famous sage of ancient times.
Maharani gularia of jaipur built the temple in the 19th
century. It was destroyed twice in the present century
and rebuilt again. A number of thermal springs are present
around the temple flowing into many pools. Surya kund is
the most famous. There is also a rock pillar named
divyashila which is also wotshiped before entering the
temple. |
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| ACCOMMODATION |
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Dharamshalas are available at Yamunotri. Alternative
accommodation available. There is a Tourist Rest House (GMVN)
at Jankichatti. |
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| EATING
OUT |
- Only local eating houses (dhabas) are available.
- Non-vegetarian food and alcoholic drinks are
prohibited in Yamunotri.
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| Gangotri |
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| This famous and sacred shrine is situated
in uttrakhand at the height of 3048 mts, is on the right
bank of the river bhagirathi. The temple is constructed
by the Gorkha General Amar singh thapa in the 18th
century. This temple is dedicated to goddess Ganga who
is believed to have descended from heaven as the
‘stream of life’ in response to king Bhagirath’s
penance. It is also believed that the pandavas came here
to perform the great deva yagna to atone the death of
their brothers and relatives in the war of Mahabharata.
There is a submerged shivling near the temple. According
to the mythology, this natural shivling is the place
where lord shiva sat to receive ganga in his matted
locks. This shivling is visible in winter months when
there is a decrease in the level of water. |
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