Dev Bhoomi – Place To Attain Moksha

Uttarakhand, also called Devbhoomi. Uttarakhand is home to many temples and its welcomes devotees all year. As we all know India is a religious country. In Uttrakhand, the countless devotees among the lots of religious sites and circuits. One of the most prominent is the Char Dham Yatra. This pilgrimage is a tour of four holy sites Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In Hindi, the meaning of Char Dham is ‘char’ means four and ‘Dham’ refers to religious destinations.

All four pilgrimage locations are situated at high altitudes.  The shrines remain closed for around 6 months a year. The shrines are opened in April or May and close with the onset of October or November. It is the belief of most of the people, that one should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. Hence, the char dham yatra starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, then Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath.  The devotee can complete the journey by road or by air. Helicopter services are also available to complete the yatra. 

Char Dham Yatra is all about travelling to four different places in Uttarakhand. As the name describes, Char Dham yatra is about travelling to four locations in Uttarakhand. These places are also known as the four Pilgrimages. Char Dham is a religious place for Hindus. People visit Char Dham for lord Shiva and lord Vishnu worship. In Char Dham Yatra, the locations, we cover are Gangotri Yamunotri Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Description of Char Dham Yatra 

For people who love to travel, Uttarakhand is a complete package to travel.

Gangotri: Gangotri is the head of the goddess Ganga and a source of the Holy River Ganga.

Yamunotri: Yamunotri is the head of the goddess Yamuna and the source of the holy river Yamuna and the head of Goddess Yamuna.

Badrinath: Badrinath is the temple of lord Vishnu in respect of Bhagwan Badrinath and Alaknanda, Saraswati from Badrinath ji.

Kedarnath: Kedarnath is 12 jyotirlingas and the temple of lord Shiva, Mandakani river from Kedarnath. People come to worship lord shiva and take the blessing of lord shiva

Another  Char Dham Yatra of India is Badrinath, Rameshwaram, Jagannath Puri and Dwarka which were founded by saint Adi Shankaracharya. It is the belief of all Hindus, that people must visit all these four places in their lifetime to wash away their sins. if they complete all four places to attain Moksha.

Char Dham Yatra Opening Cumulative Dates & Time

Char Dham Yatra cumulative opening date and time. All this information helps devotees to visit all four pilgrims in Uttarakhand.

The Yamunotri temple is located in a narrow gorge and is close to the source of the River Yamuna. Yamuna is the second-most sacred Indian river after River Ganga. In Uttarkashi district, Yamunotri is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. 

The Gangotri is dedicated to Goddess Ganga, the most sacred of all Indian rivers in the district of Uttarkashi. Kapat is open now for darshan from April to June and September to November.

Badrinath temple is believed to have been established by sage Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. With Lord Vishnu as its presiding deity, the temple remains open for 6 months a year. In winter it becomes inaccessible due to heavy snowfall. Kapat is open now for darshan from May to October. The temple is closed from October or November and is reopened around April.

Kedarnath town is nestled in the mighty Garhwal Himalayas. The town, built around the revered Kedarnath temple, is located at an altitude of 3,580 m, near the Chorabari glacier, which is the source of the Mandakini River. Dedicated to Lord Shiva. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his “Sadashiva” form. The historical name of this region is “Kedar Khand” and legend says, the Pandavas from the epic Mahabharata, after having defeated the Kauravas, felt guilty of having killed so many people and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption.

Kapat is open now for darshan From May to October is the best time to visit Kedarnath. During winter months, the town remains closed due to heavy snowfall.

• Gangotri Temple Opening Date 2024: 10, May 2024 on Akshaya Tritiya.

• Yamunotri Temple Opening Date 2024: 10 May 2024 on Akshaya Tritiya.

• Kedarnath Temple Opening Date 2024: 13 May 2024, Time 6:20 am. This time and date are tentative date and time.

• Badrinath Temple Opening Date 2024: 14 May 2024, Time 7:10 am. This time and date are tentative date and time.

FAQ

• What if I didn’t register myself for the Yatra? 

   You can also do registration between travelling through the various Tourist Care websites of the Uttarakhand portal and also visit the nearby registration offices.

• How to reach Yamunotri? 

Yamunotri is the first stop in the Char Dham yatra. First, you have to travel to Janki Chatti, which is around 220 km by road from Rishikesh. Road Transportation like Taxis and busses are easily available. Pony and Doli services are available.

• How many minimum days are needed for the yatra and the best way to plan the yatra?

The Char Dham tour by road requires 12 days. However, the same tours from Rishikesh and Haridwar require 10 days. there are various other options is also available.

• How to book packages?

Char Dham packages can be booked online at https://travelacharya.in/ or any nearby offices in your city:

Conclusion

People can visit all four places using a helicopter as well. Various websites provide different packages to visit all four places in Uttarakhand. Some devotees even do only the Dham Yatra to two shrines: Kedarnath and Badrinath.

The Char Dham Yatra is also a wonderful experience. People also do the Char Dham Yatra by helicopter so that they can easily travel to all four places in less time. There are different packages to visit all four places in Uttarakhand. Devotees can check all the information on the various websites and book different services like hotels, helicopter services, etc.