Char Dham Yatra Tour and Holiday Packages

Guide for Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand Every year in April-May, the valleys and mountains of the Devbhoomi Uttarakhand get alive when the Chardham Yatra started. Chota Char Dham Yatra is the most popular spiritual visit in India. Millions and thousands of people visit every year to worship their ideal. Chardham means - The four adobes, and they are Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. Every year with the great amid chanting of Vedic hymns or mantras, the gates of holy shrines open in the presence of thousands of devotees, and for the next six months the doors remain open for every devotee who comes to get the darshan of their idol.

Chardham Opening & Closing dates decide Unlike the original Chardham, Chota Char Dham is located in remote areas of the Uttarakhand hills. In winter all the Dham receives high snowfall which makes the place inaccessible. That’s why in winters the Dham gets closed and the idols are transferred to their winter’s seat.

Every year Chardham Yatra's opening dates decide by the priests on auspicious occasions. Such as Kedarnath opening dates will decide on Mahashivratri, Badrinath opening dates will be declared on Basant Panchmi, and

Gangotri - Yamunotri Dham opens on or after Akshay Tritya every year.

Similarly, all the shrines are closed with the chanting of Vedic hymns and rituals on auspicious occasions.

Generally, the Yamunotri Dham & Kedarnath Dham closed on the occasion of Bhaiya Dooj, and Gangotri Dham closed on the Govardhan Puja. The closing dates of Badrinath Dham are decided by the Badrinath-Kedarnath committee on the day of Vijayadashami.

Chardham Yatra Not many people are aware of the fact that Chardham yatra follows a fixed sequence. Chardham Yatra always starts from the Yamunotri Dham, then Gangotri next is Kedarnath and ends on Badrinath Dham.

1. Yamunotri Dham Yamunotri Dham is the Dham where devotees visit first in their Chardham Yatra. This Dham is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna who is the daughter of the Sun and the twin sister of Yama(Yamraj). The temple is situated on the bank of river Yamuna which is gushing out from the Kalind Parvat.

According to legends - Once on the day of Bhaiya dooj, Yamraj promised to Goddess Yamuna that whoever takes a dip in the river will not be taken to Yamlok and will thus attain salvation. And I think this is the reason that Yamunotri Dham visits first in all four Dhams.

People believe that a bath in the sanctified waters of Yamuna is said to cleanse all sins and protect from an untimely and painful death. In winters when the place is inaccessible at that time the temple gets closed and the idol of Goddess Yamuna is brought down to Kharsali village of Uttarkashi and kept in the Shani dev Temple for next six months.

2. Gangotri Dham Gangotri Dham is the next point in Chardham Yatra after Yamunotri. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Ganga which is located on the bank of river Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Ganga river is the most sacred and longest river in India. Gaumukh glacier is the real source of river Ganga/Bhagirathi which is at a distance of 19 km from the Gangotri Temple. It is said that Gangotri Dham was the

place where Goddess Ganga first descended from heaven after the 1000 years of penance by Bhagirath. According to legends, Goddess Ganga was ready to come on earth but its intensity was such that the entire earth could have got submerged under its waters. To save the earth, Lord Shiva holds the river Ganga in his locks(Jatta) and released river Ganga in the form of the stream which came on earth and is known as the Bhagirathi River. On the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River, the Ganga River got its name.

In winters, the idol of Goddess Ganga brought down to the Mukhba village in the town of Harsil and stayed there for the next six months.

3. Kedarnath Dham The third Dham which falls in Chardham Yatra is Kedarnath Dham. Kedarnath Dham is in the list of 12 jyotirlingas and the most important temple among Panch Kedar. This Dham is located in the lap of Himalayas and near the bank of Mandakini River which is recreated by Adi-Shankracharya in 8th AD. According to the legends, after the great battle of Kurukshetra Pandavas felt guilty for killing their blood relatives, and to get free from the sins they needed Shiva blessings. But Shiva was not willing to give redemption for their bad work. And to hide from the Pandavas, Shiva

transformed himself into a Bull and dive to the ground. But Bhima recognized the bull is none other than Shiva then he immediately caught the bull with his tail and hind legs. The bull disappears into the ground and reappears at five different places- Hump in the Kedarnath, two forelegs in the Tungnath, Nevil & stomach in the Madhy-Maheshwar, face at Rudranath and hair-lock in Kalpeshwar. Together these five places are called Panch Kedar.

After Diwali In winters, the temple gets closed and the idol of Shiva is taken to the Omkareshwar Temple of Ukhimath and for the next six months, the idol remains there in the Ukhimath

4. Badrinath Dham The fourth and the last Dham of Chardham Yatra is Badrinath Dham. Badrinath Dham is the most sacred and

visited Dham in the sub-continent. Every year more than 1million devotees show their obeisance in Badrinath temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu which is located between Nar and Narayana Parvat on the bank of Alaknanda River. This is the only Dham which is the part of both Chardham & Chota Chardham.

Inside the Badrinath temple, there is a 1 meter tall black stone idol of Lord Vishnu which is surrounded by other God & Goddess. It is believed that the idol of Lord Vishnu is selfmanifested which was founded by Adi Shankracharya in the Alaknanda river.

There is much folklore about Badrinath Temple but the popular one is that - Once Lord Vishnu seeking a quiet place for meditation and visited this place. Here Lord Vishnu was so engrossed in his meditation that he didn't realize the extreme cold weather. To Save from the extreme weather, Goddess Lakshmi manifested himself into a Badri Tree (also known as Jujube). Impressed by Lakshmi's devotion, Lord Vishnu named this place “Badrikashram”.

Like other Dhams, Badrinath Dham also opens for only six months from mid-April to early November. During winters, the idol of Lord Vishnu transfer to the Narsingh Temple of Joshimath and there for the next six months.

Chardham Flight & Train Connectivity: 

Flight- Generally, Chardham Yatra starts from Delhi or by Haridwar. The nearest airport from Haridwar is Jolly Grand Airport (Dehradun) which has good connectivity of flight

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from Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Cochin.

Train- Train is also a good medium to visit Haridwar which is well connected with almost all the major cities.

Road- Char Dham is well connected with both state as well as national highways. To reduce the landslides and road blockage incidents all-weather road project is ongoing and estimate to finish till 2022.

Popular Halt on Char Dham Route: 

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Apart from all four Dhams, PanchPrayag (Devprayag.

Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, and Vishnuprayag) is also done.

By adding 02 more days you can visit both Auli and Chopta.

Travel Tips:

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Chardham opens only for six months from April last to early November and closed for the next six months.

Try to avoid your trip/yatra during Monsoon season (JulyAugust) because heavy rain increases the chances of road blockage and landslides.

Carry moderate woolen if you are traveling in May, June, July, August & Heavey woolen in (Sept, Oct, November & April).

Always carry your original identification card at least one ( Voter Id card,/Aadhar Card/ Driving license/ etc).

Carry your first aid kit.

Avoid driving after sunset, as it is not allowed in the hilly area of Uttarakhand.

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