Planning for a Char Dham Yatra soon? If you are also wondering what is the real sequence of Char Dham Yatra, you are at the right place. One should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. Hence, the pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri and proceeds towards Gangotri. Next, they visit the Kedarnath Dham and finally end at Badrinath.
Many Yatris prefer to visit only Kedarnath and Badrinath Temples. This yatra is popular as “Do Dham Yatra”.
Char Dham Name
The name of Char Dham in Uttarakhand is given below.
- Yamunotri
- Gangotri
- Kedarnath
- Badrinath
The Sequence of Char Dham Yatra
The real sequence of Char Dham is actually a circular motion. Hence, pilgrims start their yatra by visiting Yamunotri. The next dham is Gangotri, followed by Kedarnath and ends in Badrinath.
History Of Char Dham Yatra
Char Dham of Uttarakhand is one of the most significant Hindu pilgrimages. These char dhams are also famous as Chota Char Dham. It includes Uttarakhand’s four holiest sites: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
It is unknown when and how these locations are connected in a pilgrimage circuit. Every one of the locations has a unique, storied past. Visiting these holy sites is an experience of a lifetime that everyone should have once.
Char Dham By Helicopter
Up until the 1950s, visiting Uttarakhand’s char dham temples required a challenging walk. The most frequent Yatri to Char Dham was wandering sadhus. Moreover, those who could afford to come with an entourage were the ones to visit Char Dham.
The government made significant investments in improving the infrastructure of the Char Dham circuit. They connected border areas after the 1962 Indo-China War.
Now, one might travel via highways to the holy abodes’ closest locations. This inspired people from various backgrounds to do a journey of the Char Dham in the Himalayas.
Which Char Dham to Visit First
The complete details of Char Dham is given here. Read it before planning your yatra to Chardham.
Yamunotri Dham
This temple is the birthplace of India’s second-most sacred river, the Yamuna. It is the first stop on the Char Dham Yatra. Located in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, this is also one of the hardest to reach.
People believe that bathing in its water will purify all sins. Moreover, it will protect against premature and painful deaths. As per the records, the Yamunotri shrine has stood still since 1839.
Tehri’s ruler, Naresh Sudarshan Shah, was the prime contributor to building the Yamunotri Temple. Aside from Yamuna Devi (goddess), the respected shrine also houses the icon of Ganga Devi.
Surya Kund is the most important of several hot water springs around the shrine. Devotees cook rice and potatoes in the kund and offer it to the devi as Prasad.
Devotees think that the Yamuna Goddess Yama’s twin sister and the daughter of Yamraj. Asit Muni, a sage, is claimed to have lived here and taken baths in the Ganga and the Yamuna.
A stream of Ganga began to pour across the steam of the Yamuna when he was too elderly to travel to Gangotri.
Accommodation Options In Yamunotri
Gangotri Dham
Gangotri Dham is home to the Goddess Ganga. She came to earth from heaven to atone for humanity’s misdeeds. The Gangotri glacier feeds the river at Gaumukh about 18 km from Gangotri.
Amar Singh Thapa, a Gurkha general in Uttarkashi built the original Gangotri temple. This was during the early 19th century.
Sagar the Great performed an Ashwamedha Yagna and dispatched 60,000 of his sons with the horse. But the horse got lost. When the 60,000 sons found it at the ashram of Guru Kapila, they stormed it and startled the guru when he was deep in meditation.
Kapila, enraged, opened his fire eyes, which reduced all 60,000 of his sons to ashes. Anshuman, Sagar’s grandson, later began praying to Goddess Ganga.
He started asking the goddess to descend to earth to purify the ashes of his relatives. He also prayed to bring them salvation.
Finally, Anshuman’s goal was unsuccessful. His grandson Bhagirath’s strict concentration caused Ganga to descend to earth. Lord Shiva bound the Ganga and divided its water into several streams. This was to protect the land from the goddess Ganga’s powerful current.
Accommodation Options In Gangotri
- Punjab Sindh Kshetra
- Birla Mangal Niketan Hotel
- Kaushal Kishorji Mouni Baba Ashram
- Gayatri Niketan Hotel
Kedarnath Dham
Kedarnath is the most remote pilgrimage site in the yatra. It is located in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. According to the Mahabharata, Pandavas erected the initial Kedarnath temple.
Adi Shankaracharya had the current structure built in the 8th century. This was next to the previous temple site. The intimidating design of this temple can survive for a whole millennium.
Despite the hard terrain and bad weather of Uttarakhand, the temple stood strong. it is truly an architectural masterpiece.
So the story goes like this. The Pandavas were looking for lord Shiva. They wanted to be stoned for the crimes they had done on the Mahabharata battlefield.
Lord Shiva decided to transform into a bull. He travelled to the Garhwal side of Uttarakhand because he was not in the mood to forgive them so readily. He dove into the earth when the Pandavas discovered him.
At several locations, various parts of the Lord rose to the surface. The hump appeared at Kedarnath, whereas the arms at Tungnath. The navel resides at Madhya-Maheshwar. Finally, the face is at Rudranath and the hair is at Kalpeshwar.
These five locations are collectively referred to as Panch-Kedar. Pandavas had temples erected at each of the five spots.
Accommodation Options in Kedarnath
Badrinath Dham
Badrinath, located in the Rudraprayag area of Uttarakhand, is the yatra’s farthest location. The Pandavas are thought to have constructed the Badrinath temple at its beginning.
Adi Shankaracharya had the current building built in the eighth century. It was next to the original temple site. The design of this grey stone building is majestic. The endurance of this design over so many years in such a hostile environment is an architectural marvel.
According to one of the myths, after a sage reprimanded Lord Vishnu for his opulent lifestyle, Vishnu came here to meditate as a kind of penance. To protect him from the sun and other abrasive natural elements, Goddess Laxmi transformed into a berry tree.
According to another heavenly story, Badrinath allegedly used to be Shiva’s domain. Shiva was deceived into leaving the location, but Vishnu took his place instead.
Accommodation Options In Badrinath
Char Dham Route Map
FAQs
Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath Dham are all included in Uttarakhand’s Char Dham.
According to Hindu mythology, you must go to Kedarnath first since Lord Shiva gave Lord Vishnu (Badrinath) a place to stay in Dev Bhumi, Uttrakhand, hence Kedarnath comes first.
YatraDham.Org promotes some of the best hotels and Dharamshala in Badrinath and Kedarnath. You can make an advance online booking of your rooms in Badrinath and Kedarnath from our website. We also offer accommodations in Gangotri and Yamunotri.
The distance between these four pilgrimage destinations, which begin in Haridwar and terminate in Rishikesh, is approximately 1,607 kilometers.
The real sequence of Char Dham is actually a circular motion. Hence, pilgrims start their yatra by visiting Yamunotri. The next dham is Gangotri, followed by Kedarnath and ends in Badrinath.
Lack of oxygen is measured in terms of air pressure or as a percentage of less oxygen. At Kedarnath, the atmospheric oxygen content is only 40% of what our body requires. The lungs must breathe more quickly here. The heart must pump more forcefully to keep the body’s oxygen level stable.
It is a belief that visiting Char Dham aids in receiving moksha (salvation). Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram are the four Dhams. Every Hindu should travel to the Char Dhams at least once in their lives. According to Adi Shankaracharya, the original Char Dham are Badrinath, Rameshwaram, Dwarka and Puri.
