Char Dham Yatra

Char Dham Yatra : The way to achieve Moksha

Adorned with the remnants of the rich Hindu mythology, India has clusters of pilgrimages spread across its vast boundaries. Amongst these, the Char Dham Yatra holds a significant spot.

Adi Shankaracharya, the great Hindu philosopher and reformer, conceptualized the Char Dham Yatra or pilgrimage to four holy abodes of Gods, to revive the Hindu religion during the 8th century.

Char Dham Yatra

Literally translating to the pilgrimage to the four abodes, the Char Dham Yatra refers to the four holiest, pilgrimage  sites in India, viz. Badrinath (Uttarakhand in North), Rameswaram (TamilNadu in South), Puri (Odisha in East), and Dwarka (Gujarat in West).

The Char Dham ("four abodes") are four places which the Hindus believed will help them achieve Moksha.

It is considered highly sacred by Hindus and one must have a visit to 'char dham during one's lifetime.

The Four Shankaracharya Peeth (Seats) at the Chaar Dham school of Hinduism, created at least four Hindu monastic institutions. He organised the Hindu practitioners under four Mathas (मठ) - institutions/monasteries, with the headquarters at Dwarka (Dvaraka pitham) in the West, Jagannath Puri (Govardhana pitham) in the East Sringeri Sharda Peetham in the South and Badrikashrama (Jyotirmatha pitham) in the North.

There are three major sects in Hinduism – Shaivism, Vaishnvism, and Shaktism. The char dham consists of three Vaishnava locations (Dwarka, Badrinath and Puri) and one Shaiva (Rameshwaram).

A relatively smaller circuit of Hindu pilgrimage is formed by the four hallowed places of Indian Himalayas, which are also known as “Chhota Char Dham” -   Chhota means small in hindi. So it is called Char Dham of himalays or Char Dham of Uttarkhand, the revered group of four sacred site – Badrinath, kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri.

1. Jagannath Puri :

Jagannath Puri is located at the east, is located in the state of Odisha, India. It is situated on the coast of the Bay Of Bengal.

The main deity is Shri Krishna, celebrated as Lord Jagannatha.

It is the only shrine in India, where goddess, Subhadra, sister of Lord Krishna is worshipped along with her brothers, Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balabhadra.

Char Dham Yatra

Brahma, Vishnu & Maheswara three are together in all-time every place.

The Rath yatra of Lord Jagnnath begins on the second day of the bright fortnight in the month of Asad (June-July). The Rath Yatra is held to commemorate the journey of Krishna from Gokul to Mathura. The Rath Yatra festival is celebrated at Puri with great pomp and gaiety. In the Rath Yatra Lord Jagannath, Subhadra and Balbhadra are taken out in procession in three Rathas (chariots). Millions of devotees pull the ropes of the Rath (chariot).  

For centuries, Puri is known by many other names as well- Nilgiri, Niladri, Nilanchal, Purushottam, Sankhakshetra, Srikshetra, Jagannath Dham. 

2. Rameshwaram :

The second place, Rameswaram got its importance in the Tretha-Yuga when Lord Rama built a Shiva-Lingam here and worshiped it to get the blessings of Lord Shiva. The Name Rameswaram means "Rama's Lord".

Rameswaram located in the South is in the Indian state of Tamilnadu.

It is situated in the Gulf Of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula.

According to legends, this is the place where Lord Ram along with his brother Laxman and devotee Hanuman built a bridge (Rama Setu) to reach Sri Lanka to rescue his wife Sita who had been abducted earlier by Ravan, the ruler of Sri Lanka. 

Char Dham Yatra

The Ramanatha Swamy Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva occupies a major area of Rameswaram. The temple is believed to have been consecrated by Shri Rama Chandra. Rameswaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras (Kashi) is incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The presiding deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.  

It is mainly because of this reason that Rameshwaram attracts Vaishnavites and Shaivites alike. Sri Lanka is at a distance of 24 kilometers from Rameshwaram. Rameshwaram happens to one of the most visited pilgrim sites in India. The Rameshwaram Island occupies an area of about 61.8 sq km and is conch shaped.

3. Dwarka :

The third Dhaam Dwarka got its importance in the Dwapara Yuga when Lord Krishna made Dwarka His residence instead of Mathura, His birthplace.

Located on the right bank of the Gomti River, Dwarka is a revered Hindu Pilgrim. It is perched on the top of Okhamandal Peninsula and is one of the seven most religious places of India. 

Char Dham Yatra

The city is the celebrated as the Kingdom of Lord Krishna and holds a distinct place in the history of the incredible miracles that Lord Krishna performed at this place. The Dwarkadhish Temple is the most revered Krishna temple in India and every year thousands of pilgrims come to visit this auspicious place.

Dwarka located in the west is in the state of Gujarat.

The city derives its name from the word "dwar" meaning door or gate in the Sanskrit language.

The present day temple was built by Vajranabh, the great grandson of Lord Krishna. All devout Hindus believe that the temple was set up in one night by supernatural forces commanded by Vajranabh. 

4. Badrinath :

According to Hindu Dharma, Badrinath became prominent when Nar-Narayan, an avatar of Vishnu, did Tapasya there. At that time that place was filled with berry trees. In Sanskrit language berries are called "badri", so the place was named Badrika-Van, i.e. the forest of berries. The particular spot where the Nar-Narayan did Tapasya, a large berry tree formed covering Him to save Him from the rain and the sun. 

Char Dham Yatra

Local people believe that Mata Lakshmi became the berry tree to save Lord Narayan. Post-Tapasya, Narayan said, people will always take Her Name before His Name, hence Hindus always refer "Lakshmi-Narayan ". It was therefore called Badri-Nath i.e. the Lord of Berry forest. This all happened in the Sathya/Sath-Yuga. So Badrinath came to be known as the first Dham.

Badrinath is situated at a height a height of 3,133 m. The residing deity at the Badrinath temple is Shri Badrinathji (Shiva).

Badrinath is located in the state of Uttarakhand.

While all other three Dhams remains open throughout the year, only Badrinath Dham remains open for pilgrims darshan from April to October each year.

The devotees come all the way walking through the snow clad mountains to visit the holy site and pray for their near and dear ones.

Please also read blog on Chhota Char Dham Yatra : on my website : 

WishingYouForFestival 

How to reach Char Dham

By Train :

You can complete your journey to the four holy places in India through train travel. All the Char Dham have a railway station of their own except Badrinath. The nearest railway station to Badrinath is Rishikesh from where one can take a bus or hire a taxi to reach the holy site.

By Taxi :

Taxi travel is another comfortable way to reach Char Dham, You can hire the taxi as a whole or on sharing basis and explore the Char Dham and the other attractions in their vicinity. You can crack a good deal after some negotiation on the price.

By Bus :

The Char Dham are frequently visited sites from people across the globe. The state-run transportation system enables smooth road travel to these places. One can take any of the many different types of the road on the road and have a peaceful journey to the religious pilgrims. 

By Air :

To each Chardham through air, travel one has to land on their respective nearby airports. While to reach Puri, Bhubaneshwar is the nearest Airport, Jolly Grant airport serves the air travel requirement of Badrinath. Jamnagar airport is closest to Dwarka and to reach Rameswaram one has to take a flight to Madurai Airport. 

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Char Dham Distance from near by Places

Puri:

Char Dham Distance Kolkata             : 468 kilometres

Char Dham Distance Bhubaneshwar   : 60 kilometres

Rameswaram:

Char Dham Distance Chennai             : 431 Kilometers

Char Dham Distance Trivandrum        : 277 Kilometers
Char Dham Distance Madurai             : 168 Kilometers
Char Dham Distance Kanyakumari      : 311 Kilometers

Dwarka : 

Char Dham Distance Vadodara            : 515 Kilometers

Char Dham Distance Ahmedabad        : 441 Kilometers
Char Dham Distance Jamnagar            : 131 Kilometers
Char Dham Distance Surat                  : 669 Kilometers

Badrinath:

Char Dham Distance Haridwar             : 316 Kilometers

Char Dham Distance Rishikesh            : 296 Kilometers
Char Dham Distance Dehradun            : 335 Kilometers
Char Dham Distance Kedarnath           : 40   Kilometers

Har Har Mahadev....

Read Blog on 12 Jyotirling on my website. 

Hari & Har: The Eternal Friends

As per the Hindu Puranas, Hari (Vishnu) and Har (Shiva) are said to be eternal friends. It is said that wherever Lord Vishnu resides, Lord Shiva doesn’t reside very far from it.

And so, these Char Dhams have their brother towns. The Vaishnav sites of Badrinath, Rangnath Swamy, Dwarka, & Jagannath Puri have the Shiva sites of Kedarnath, Rameshwaram, Somnath, & Lingaraja Gupteshwar located nearby.

Hope Hari and Har bring Joy, Happiness, Good Health to you and your family.

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