Article on Char Dham Yatra

Author: Ms. Shobhana Surbramanian

Char Dham. Uttarakhand, often referred to as dev bhumi or the land of the gods, is a scenic state in northern Indian known for its many Hindu temples and pilgrimage centers. Located in the Gahrwal region of Uttarakhand are the famous Char Dham sites. Erstwhile known as Chota Char Dham, this circuit includes Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri. 

The longer Char Dham yatra, not to be confused with this Uttarakhand Char Dham includes Badrinath in the north, Rameshwaram in the south, Dwaraka in the west and Puri in the east of the country. While the four sites are unique in their own way, popular culture and their inclusion in the Char Dham circuit cause them to be viewed as a package in pilgrimage practice. This Char Dham circuit includes two Shakti or Devi or Goddess temples in Yamnotri and Gangotri , a Shaivaite or a Shiva temple in Kedarnath and a Vaishnavite or Vishnu temple in Badrinath. This yatra was suspended for some time after the massive 2013 Uttarakhand floods which ravaged the state and brought in great destruction to various pilgrimage sites. After the yatra was restarted in May 2014, there has been a gradual increase in traffic owing to proactive safety measures that have been put in place by the government.

The annual pilgrimage season starts by mid-April, which is when many Indian communities celebrate the beginning of their new year. It usually lasts till the auspicious festival of Diwali, with maximum footfall in the summer months preceding the monsoons. Earlier these temples were accessible only on foot but with growing demand for religious tourism and a burgeoning Hindu consciousness, the Indian government undertook massive roadworks and made progress in various infrastructural developments.

The first shrine that is usually covered on this pilgrimage trail is Yamnotri. This source of the holy Yamuna river is situated almost 3300 feet above sea level in the Gahrwal Himalayas. This temple, o the left bank of the Yamuna has hot water springs in mountain cavities close by. The most important of these springs is called Surya Kund. The temple opens on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya every year and remains open until Diwali. The next pilgrimage site on tis circuit is Gangotri, which is a town situated on the banks of the river Bhagirathi ad is the origin of the Ganges. Hindu mythology has it that the Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to wash away the sins of King Bhagiratha’s ancestors after he performed severe penance. Hence the name Bhagirathi or the daughter of Bhagiratha. The river acquires the name Ganga at Dev Prayag where it meets the river Alaknanda. The third temple on the Chota Char Dham is the Kedarnath temple situated in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. It is the remotest of the four Chota Char Dham sites, located in the Himalayas near the Chorabari Glacier. This Shiva temple remains closed during the winter months and the main deity and the utsavmoorthi are lodged at a place called Ukhimath near Guptakashi. While the 2013 flash floods ravaged the town of Kedarnath, which was indeed the worst affected, a huge boulder that got stuck behind the temple protected it from the furies of nature. Other than the Kedarnath temple, there is also a Bhairava temple in the town. Hindu myth has it that the Kedarnath temple was built by the Pandavas and is one of the 12 holy Jyotirlingas. Behind the temple is the Samadhi mandir of Sri Adi Sankaracharya. The final site on this circuit is the Badrinath or the Badrinarayan temple, dedicated the Lord Vishnu. This temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desam temples, or the snared Vaishnavite temples where Lord Vishnu is worshiped as Badrinath. This temple which is open for six months between April and November every year houses a black stone statue of Vishnu manifested as Badrinarayan. It is considered as many to be one of the eight swayambhu statues of Vishnu. The temple closes on the auspicious day of Vijayadashami for winter. On that day, with elaborate pujas an akhandh jyoti, or a lamp filled with ghee to last six months is lit. Near the temple, a group of medicinal hot Sulphur springs known as the Tapt Kund maintain a year round temperature of 55degrees Celsius while the average outside temperature would be a maximum of 17 degrees all year round. The Badrinath temple is also a part of the main Char Dham Yatra as well as a seat for the Advaita school of Hinduism established by Adi Sankaracharya.