Char Dham Yatra

India has many spiritual and prayerful places of God and Goddesses. There are more than 330 million pilgrim places and among all these pilgrimages Char Dham Yatra is the most schismatic and most visited religious places in India.

Char Dham Yatra is also furcated in 2 parts:

Char Dham Yatra
Chota Char Dham Yatra

What is Char Dham Yatra?

As the name suggests, the Char Dham Yatra refers to the four sacred pilgrimage sites in India, located in each direction: Badrinath Dham in the North (Uttarakhand), Rameswaram in the South (Tamil Nadu), Puri in the East (Odisha), and Dwarka in the West (Gujarat). Additionally, there is the Char Dham of Uttarakhand, also known as the “Chota Char Dham,” which includes Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath Dham, Yamunotri Dham, and Gangotri Dham.

Here’s everything you need to know before embarking on the Char Dham Yatra 2022 or Chota Char Dham Yatra, including significance, weather, places to visit, things to carry, opening and closing times, Aarti times, and more.

According to Indian Philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, the original Char Dham Yatra includes Yatra of these 4 Dham- Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram among which 3 pilgrims belong to Lord Vishnu and 1 belongs to Lord Shiva.

Badrinath Dham

Badrinath Dham is the first religious place for Char Dham Yatra, located in North region of Uttarakhand lies on the banks of Holy Alaknanda River, Between famous Nar and Narayan Mountains. The temple worships Lord Vishnu known as Badri Narayan. This place is said to have power to break the circle of life . And remove rebirth thereby attaining salvation and is land of meditation and penance.

Unknown Facts– According to mythological facts Lord Vishnu sat in meditation and Goddess Lakshmi protected him from harsh weather in the form of Badri tree.
Places to Visit– Places to visit in Badrinath Dham are Badrinath Temple, Neelkanth, Tapt Kund and Vasudhara Falls.
Opening and Closing Time– 4:30am- 1pm, 4pm- 9pm
Aarti Time– 10:30 am- 11:30 am
Dedicated to- Lord Shiva

Rameswaram

Rameswaram is the second religious place for Char Dham Yatra, situated in the South of India in Tamil Nadu Region. According to Hindu Mythology this place is said to be the place where Lord Rama built Rama Setu Bridge to Shri Lanka. This place is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Shiva ling in this temple is said to be one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva i.e. Radiant Sign of Lord Shiva.

Places to Visit– Places to visit in Rameshwaram are Rameshwaram Temple, Dhanushkodi Temple and Agnitheertham.
Opening and Closing Time– 5am- 1pm, 3pm- 9pm
Dedicated to– Lord Shiva

Puri

Jagannath Puri is the third religious place for Char Dham Yatra located in East India in Odisha. The main deity worshipped in Lord Krishna also known as Lord Jagannath. Puri is the only temple in the world where Lord Krishna’s sister, Goddess Subhadra is worshipped along with Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama.

Places to Visit– Places to visit in Puri are Jagannath Puri Temple, Puri Beach, Markandeshwar Temple, Sudarshan Museum and Sakhigopal Temple.
Opening and Closing Time– 4:30am- 1pm, 4pm- 9pm
Dedicated to– Lord Krishna

Dwarka

Dwarka is the last religious place for Char Dham Yatra in located in West India in Gujarat. According to mythological facts Dwarka is said to be the dwelling town of Lord Krishna. The main deity worshipped here is Lord Krishna and the place is said to be submerged 7th city that has been built in this area.

Unknown Facts- According to mythological facts Lord Vishnu sat in meditation and Goddess Lakshmi protected him from harsh weather in the form of Badri tree.
Places to Visit– Places to visit in Dwarka are Dwarkadhish Temple, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Dwarka Beach and Rukmini Devi Temple.
Opening and Closing Time– 6:30am- 1pm, 5pm- 9:30pm
Dedicated to– Lord Krishna

These four places are the known as the Original Char Dham Yatra. Here are all the details about Char Dham Yatra (significance, weather, places to visit, things to carry, opening- closing time, Aarti time etc) you must know before heading for Chota Char Dham Yatra.

Chota Char Dham Yatra

Yamunotri Dham

Yamunotri Dham is the first place to visit in Char Dham Yatra and is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, located at the source of river Yamuna. It is believed whoever takes a holy dip in this river would attain salvation and not be taken to hell. According to Hindu mythological facts Lord Yam (i.e., God of Death) is said to be happy when one prays to her sister i.e., Yamuna Devi.

Unknown Facts– Muni Sage used to bath in Ganga and Yamuna River. During his old age when he could no longer visit Gangotri Dham. A small stream of Ganga River appeared opposite to Yamunotri for him.
Places to Visit- Places to visit in Yamunotri Dham are- Yamunotri Temple, Saptarishi Kund, Surya Kund and Divya Shila
Opening and Closing Hours– 6 am- 8 pm
Aarti Time- 6:30pm- 7:30pm
Dedicated to – Goddess Yamuna

Gangotri Dham

Gangotri Dham is the second place to visit in Char Dham Yatra and is dedicated to Goddess Ganga, located at the source of river Ganga and is ultimate source of purity and sanctity. According to mythological belief King Bhagirath did his penance here to bring Ganga on Earth to attain salvation to his ancestors.

Unknown Facts- According to mythological facts, Goddess Ganga took a form of holy river to cleanse the ashes and liberate the souls of King Bhagiratha’s ancestors to attain them salvation.
Places to Visit– Places to visit in Gangotri Dham are Gangotri Temple, Bhagirath Shilla, Submerged Shivling and Pandava Cave.
Opening and Closing Time– 6:30- 2pm, 3pm- 9:30pm
Aarti Time– 3:00pm- 9:30 pm
Dedicated to- Goddess Ganga

Kedarnath Dham

Kedarnath Dham is the third place to visit in Char Dham Yatra and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located near Mandakini River. It is known for attaining salvation and removing all sins. According to mythology, the Kedarnath Temple was built by the Pandavas from the Mahabharata.

Unknown Facts- Nar and Narayan prayed here and pleased Lord Shiva and asked a boon from Lord Shiva to take a permanent seat as Jyotirlinga at this religious place.
Places to Visit- Places to visit in Kedarnath Dham are Kedarnath Temple, Gandhi Sarovar, Shankaracharya Samadhi and Bhairon Temple.
Opening and Closing Time- 6:30- 3pm, 5pm- 9:30pm
Aarti Time- 5:00pm- 9:30 pm
Dedicated to– Lord Shiva

Badrinath Dham

Badrinath Dham is the Last place to visit in Char Dham Yatra and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is the only temple that is part of both Char Dham Yatra- Original Char Dham Yatra as well as Chota Char Dham Yatra. It is said to have power to break the circle of life and remove rebirth thereby attaining salvation.

Unknown Facts– According to mythological facts Lord Vishnu sat in meditation and Goddess Lakshmi protected him from harsh weather in the form of Badri tree.
Places to Visit– Places to visit in Badrinath Dham are Badrinath Temple, Neelkanth, Tapta Kund and Vasudhara Falls.
Opening and Closing Time– 4:30am- 1pm, 4pm- 9pm
Aarti Time– 10:30 am- 11:30 am
Dedicated to– Lord Shiva

Why to Visit Char Dham Yatra?

Char Dham Yatra are the most religious sites or sacred Hindu pilgrimage. Chardham Yatra by helicopter offers a convenient way to visit these holy shrines. Each and every holy shrine is said to achieve salvation. It is believed that the completion of these consecrated Char Dham Yatra washes away all sins for utmost salvation. According to Hindu mythology, there are four goals of life: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. This is believed to help attain the fourth goal, Moksha.

Also Read: Siruvapuri Temple: Timings, Temple History, and Essential Visitor Guide

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