Char Dham
The Holy Himalayas up in the misty heights of the majestic Garhwal Himalayas that adorn the magnificent state of Uttaranchal awaits a rejuvenating spiritual experience for the devout.
If the scriptures of HINDU RELIGION are to be believed, the holy centres of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath – collectively called the Chardham [meaning four sacred spots] – are the most sacred of all pilgrimages. Undertaking a journey to these places will not just wash away one’s sins but ensure release from the cycle of birth and death. THE honour conferred on these places is not surprising. For one, they are all in the icy Garhwal ranges and regarded as the most sacred of all Himalayan ranges. It is also said that heaven and earth converge in these holy spots, and to be born or die here is a boon only the very fortunate have. For centuries, saints and pilgrims, in their search for the divine, have walked these mystical vales known in ancient Hindu scriptures as ‘Kedarkhand’. The Chardham must be visited from left to right – beginning with Yamunotri, going on to Gangotri, Kedarnath and culminating the journey at Badrinath. This route follows the Hindu tradition of parikrama or clockwise circumambulation.
YAMUNOTRI
Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the goddess Yamuna, is one of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage. The temple of Yamunotri falls on the left bank and was originally constructed by Maharaj Pratap Shah of Tehri Garhwal. The shrine of Yamunotri is one of the “four dhams” of Uttaranchal.
Near the temple are three hot springs. The most important, Surya Kund, is a tank full of boiling water into which rice and potatoes are dipped to be cooked and taken as prasad. Near the Kund, a rock slab, the Divya Shila is worshipped before puja is offered to the black marble idol of Yamuna. One can reach the actual temple of yamunotri only by after a six kilometer walk from Hanuman chati.
GANGOTRI
Gangotri, the source of the river Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and aquires the name Ganga from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, which is an 18 km trek from Gangotri.
Gangotri can be reached in one days travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims than Yamunotri.
This small town is centered around a temple of the goddess Ganga, which was built by the Gurkha General Amar Singh Thapa in the early 18th century. The temple is closed on Diwali day every year and is reopened in May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukbha village, near Harsil.
Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganga. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 18 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual curret source of the river Ganga.
History and Legend
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga – the daughter of heaven, took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagirath’s predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries. Lord Shiva received Ganga into his matted locks to minimize the impact of her fall.
According to another legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamegh Yagya as a proclamation of his supremacy. The horse which was to be taken on an uninterrupted journey around the earth was to be accompanied by the King’s 60,000 sons born to Queen Sumati and one son Asmanjas born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the ‘Yogya’ (worship with fire) succeeded and then took away the horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil, who was then in deep meditation. The sons of the King Sagar searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagar stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, 60,000 sons had perished by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagirath, grand son of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to bring down the Ganga which brought back sixty thousand sons into life. The Bhagirathi ‘Shila’ is located near the temple of Ganga where the holy Ganga first descended on earth from heaven.
KEDARNATH
An imposing sight standing in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded by snow covered peaks. The present temple built in 18th century A.D. by Adi Shankracharya, stands adjacent to the site of earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with fixtures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi bull stands as guard.
Dedicated to lord Shiva, the exquisitely architecture, Kedarnath temple is considered to be more than 1000 years old. Built of extremely large heavy and evenly cut gray Slabs of stones. It evokes wonder as to how these heavy Slabs had been handled in the earlier days. The temple has a “Garbha Griha” for worship and mandap for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as lord Shiva in his sadashiva form.
Kedarnath, most remote of the four Char Dham sites, is accessible only after a steep 13 km walk [horses or palanquins are available for rent].
BADRINATH
Situated in the lap of Nar-Narayan Parvat, with the towering Neelkanth peak [6,597mts.] in the background, Badrinath is one of the most revered Hindu shrines of India.
It has been said that there were many sacred spots of pilgrimage in the heaven, earth and the other world but neither is there any equal to Badrinath nor shall there be one.”
It is believed that to revive the lost prestige of Hinduism and to unite the country in one bond, Adi Guru Sri Shankaracharya built four pilgrimage centers in four corners of India.
Among them were Badrikashram in the north, Rameshwaram in the south, Dwarkapuri in the west and Jagannath Puri in the east. Badrinath situated at an elevation of 3,133 mts. is considered to be amongst the most pious.
Every year the temple usually remains open from first week of May to 2nd week of November.
On the right bank of Alaknanda lies the sacred spot perched at an altitude of 3,133 meters above the sea level. Encircled by a beautiful valley, the 15 mts. high temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is built in the form of a cone with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.
Built by Adi Guru Shankaracharya the philosopher-saint of the 8th century, the temple has been renovated several times due to damage by avalanches. Its colourful ‘singh dwara’ or the main entrance gate give it a new, modern look.
The temple is divided into three parts the ‘garbha griha’ or sanctum sanctorum, the ‘darshan mandap’ where the rituals are conducted and the ‘sabha mandap where devotees assemble. The complex has 15 idols. Especially attractive is the one metre high image of Sri Badrinathji, finely sculpted in black stone. It represents lord Vishnu seated in a meditative.
Devotees take a holy dip in the natural thermal springs on the banks of the river Alaknanda, before entering the Sri Badrinathji Temple. The water of the Kund is believed to have medicinal properties.
History and Legend
One legend has it that when the goddess Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity, the earth was unable to withstand the force of her descent. Therefore the mighty Ganga was split into twelve holy channels, with Alaknanda one of them. It later became the abode of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath.
The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are said to have ended their life by ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini – literally, the ‘Ascent to Heaven’. Local legend has it that the Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of Mana, 4 km north of Badrinath, on their way to Swargarohini. There is also a cave in Mana where Vyas, according to legend, wrote the Mahabharata.
According to the Skanda Purana: There are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine, like Badrinath.
The area around Badrinath was celebrated in Padma Purana as abounding in spiritual treasures.
According to Vamana Purana, the sages Nara and narayana [fifth avatar of Lord Vishnu] perform Penaces here.
Badrinath has also been eulogised as Bhu Vaikunta or earthly abode of Lord Vishnu. Many religious scholars such as Ramanujacharya, Madhawacharya and Vedanta Desika visited Badrinath and wrote sacred texts, such as commentaries on Brahmasutras and other Upanishads.
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