Chardham Tourism
Places of Interest in Chardham
Yamunotri
It
constitutes one of the four most important pilgrimages, collectively called
'Char Dham' of the Garhwal Himalayas. The revered shrine of Yamunotri, source
of the shadow of the 6,315 mts. high Bandarpunchh mountain.
Legend has it that a sage, Asit Muni,used to reside at this secluded spot in
ancient times. The chief attraction at Yamunotri is the temple devoted to goddess
Yamuna and the holy thermal springs at Jankichatti (7km. Away).
The source of the Yamuna lies a further km. Ahead at an altitude of approximately
4421 mts. Since the approach is extremely difficult, pilgrims usually offer
obeisance at the temple itself. The present temple was constructed by Maharani
Gularia of Jaipur in the nineteenth century.
Gangotri
The revered shrine of Gangotri, situated at an altitude of 3,200 mts. about
sea-level amidst sylvan surroundings, constitutes one of the most important
pilgrimages for the devout Hindu.
Visited by hundreds of thousands pilgrims every year, this 18th century temple
constructed by Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa , is near the spot where the
goddess Ganga is said to have first descended on earth from heaven, in answer
to the prayers of King Bhagriath.
Lord shiva received her into his matted locks to break the great force of her
fall. From there it emerged into many streams and the one which started from
Gangotri was called Bhagirathi.
The Pandavas, it is said, came here to perform the great 'Deva Yajna' to atone
for the death of their kinsmen in the epic battle of Mahabharat. The temple
itself is situated on the right bank of the Bhagtathi . There are a number of
ashrams locked on the other side of the ashrams locked on the other side of
the Bhagirathi, many of which provide accommodation facilities to the travellers.
Sri Kedarnath ji
One
of the twelve "Jyotirlingas" of Lord Shiva, Kedarnath is amongst the
premier pilgrimage centres in the country. Situated at and altitude of 3,581
mts. above sea level, against the backdrop of the awe-inspring Kedarnath range
, the temple of Sri Kedarnath is visited by hundreds of devotees every year.
It was at Kedarnath, narrates the epic Mahabharat, that Yudhishthir, the eldest
of the Pandava brothers, departed to Heaven; another legend has is that the
Pandavas of the Mahabharat epic underwent severe penances here to atone the
killings of their kith and kin in the great battle of Kurukshetra and so estanlished
this shrine. At the entrance to the temple is a statue of Nandi, the divine
the bull. The interiors of the Kedarnath temple are exquisitely carved with
images.
Sri Badrinath ji
Cradled in the twin montain ranges of nar and narayan is the holiest of the
four main shrines , badrinath along the lift bank of the river alaknanda . With
the backdrop, it is an important destination on the sacred itinerary of every
devout hindu . Once the spot was carpeted with 'badris ' or wild berries and
hence was famous as 'badri van '
The
revered shrine is still alive with myriad legends from mythology . its sanctity
is emphasised in the ancient scriptures as "there are many sacred spots
of pilgrimage in the heavens , earth and the nether world ,but there has been
none equal to badri , nor shall there be " Legend has it when the ganga
was requested to descend to earth to help the suffering humanity ,
The earth was unable to withstand the force of its descent . therefore the mighty
ganga was split into twelve holy channesl . alanknanda was one of lord vishnu
or badrinath .
The temple of shri badrinathji on the bank of the alaknanda river , dates back
to the alaknanda river , dates back to the vedic times , situated at an altitude
of 3,133 mts . , the present temple is believed to have been built by adi guru
shankaracharya - an 8th century 's philosopher -saint , who also established
a math here . also known as vishal badri , badrinath is one of the panch badris
. The temple remains closed duriing the winter season and is open from april
- may to octobr - november .
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