| Do you know the importance of Chardham Yatra in | | | | circuit of Char Dham sites, Hindu's call it by the name |
| Hindu religion? Or are you familiar with why is the | | | | of "Chota Char Dham". The term chota (meaning |
| Char Dham yatra so auspicious that even today | | | | shorter) Char Dham yatra refers to the trip in the lap |
| these sacred sites are visited by more than 250,000 | | | | of the Himalayas. Centering on one of original Char |
| unique visitors in an average pilgrim season? | | | | Dham sites i.e. Badrinath the Chota Chardham |
| As per the thousand years of Hindu tradition, it is | | | | pilgrimage tour of India includes other prominent |
| believed that one of the ancient Hindu reformer and | | | | Himalayan places like Kedarnath, Gangotri and |
| philosopher, "Adi Shankaracharya" was the key | | | | Yamunotri. Each of these places has its own |
| person who was responsible in coining the word | | | | importance in Hindu religion and visiting them can be |
| "Chardham" - meaning the four abodes of god in the | | | | unforgettable experience. |
| four directions of India - Badrinath in the North, | | | | Badrinath was given importance because as per the |
| Rameshwaram in the South, Puri in the East and | | | | Hindu's belief Saint Adi Shankaracharya also attained |
| Dwarka in the West. He did this in the 8th century in | | | | freedom from incarnation in this region. Moving on, |
| an attempt to revive the Hindu religion and unify all | | | | the temple of Badrinath holds the gateway to the |
| Hindu's across the country. | | | | Chardham yatra. Adding to this, Kedarnath has the |
| Today it is commonly believed that a journey to | | | | famous Shri Kedarnathji temple, which is a |
| these pilgrim places will wash away all your sins as a | | | | magnificent stone temple famous for being home to |
| human being. These places generally referred as | | | | lord Shiva. These pilgrimage sites also have some |
| dham are considered to be the highly sacred in Hindu | | | | other Hindu temples that you can visit while you are |
| religion and every Hindu should take a Chardham trip | | | | on a Char Dham yatra. Moreover, the holy rivers |
| once in their lifetime. However, an all India Char Dham | | | | Ganga and Yamuna known for their historical |
| Pilgrimage Tour involves visiting three Vaishnavite | | | | importance originate from two of the Dham sites, |
| (named after lord Vishnu) and one Shaivite (named | | | | Gangotri and Yamunotri. You will find many ancient |
| after lord Shiva) sites. Both the Lord Vishnu and the | | | | Hindu literatures in reference to the holistic |
| Lord Shiva are considered to be the god of supreme | | | | importance of these rivers. |
| power in the Hindu religion. | | | | So, while on your visit to colorful India, you must plan |
| Nevertheless, over the years, the term "Chardham" is | | | | a Char Dham tour if you want to attain complete |
| even being associated to the Chardham tour that | | | | peace of mind, body and soul. Make the Char Dham |
| generally conducts in the Garhwal Uttrakhand. To | | | | yatra a major component of your holiday trip to |
| differentiate this religious tour of India from the larger | | | | incredible India, a nation that has so much to offer. |