Chardham yatra is one of the most difficult pilgrimage journeys any devout Hindu ever embarks on his or her lifetime. If you have made up your mind to get the soul elevating experience of making a yatra of the holy Chardhams cradled in the laps of the high altitude Himalayan peaks of Uttarakhand, it’s important to have a roadmap with you in advance. This article will guide you in that respect
Every devout Hindu feels the spiritual urge to go for Chardham Yatra at least once in their lifetime. The four holy spots on the high mountains of Uttarakhand has been tugging the hearts of the spiritually inclined for eons. The devotees too feel the desire to submit themselves totally in front of their beloved Lord. But, between the Lord and his disciples lies the troublesome terrain of the dangerously beautiful Himalayas. Earlier, it was all the more difficult and next to impossible to reach the terrible heights passing through the dense jungles full of dangerous animals, growling rivers and rolling boulders. Now, with modern technologies and advanced transport, the yatra is a lot easier to embark on than before.
The four holy places that form this Chardham Yatra pilgrimage circuit are Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, each of which are perched high atop the majestic Garhwal Himalayas. The resident deities of each of which are Goddess Yamuna, Goddess Ganga, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu respectively. The pilgrimage trail follows the scripture mentioned path from west to east, in a clockwise direction, starting with Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and ending at Badrinath. Each of the shrines is by the side of rivers, namely, Yamuna, Ganga, Mandakini and Alkananda, respectively.
Some Quick Info on the Shrines:
Yamunotri: Dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, the shrine attracts numerous pilgrims during the pilgrimage season. It can be reached only after a trek of 13 km from Hanuman Chatti. At an elevation of 3164 m, it is cold for most of the calendar year and surrounded by breathtaking scenic view all around.
Gangotri: The shrine is devoted to Goddess Ganga. A holy dip here in the freezing river is believed to wash away all the present and past sins. The mighty river comes out of the glacier named Gaumukh.
Kedarnath: One of the 12 Jyotirlings, Kedarnath was a 14 km trek from Gaurikund but now the route has changed as the entire route has been washed away during the catastrophic flood in Kedarnath.
Badrinath: This shrine is accessible through motorable roads. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it seats in the lap of Nara and Narayan mountains.
Weather: The weather is pleasant in summers and frigid during the winters. The monsoons bring landslides. The temperature hovers round mid twenties in Celsius during the summers and below freezing point during the winters.
Best Time to VisitThe best time to visit is during the summers when the white cover of snow melts away into the crystal clear streams, and only snow left is on the peaks of the mountains. The high-time is from late April to mid-July and then in the autumns during October-November.
How to Reach:
By air: Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport and is connected by regular flights to IGI airport of Delhi. The Delhi airport is connected to the major national and international airports. Taxis and buses are available.
By rail: The nearest railway station is Rishikesh which is a small station and connected with other major destinations but express trains do not pass through it. Haridwar is the railhead and the Yatra starts from here. There are ample buses and taxis available from Haridwar
By road: Buses and taxis are available from major destinations nearby like Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh and the likes. Private cars follow the trails of the buses and taxis.
Accomodation:Apart from the tourist houses of the state tourism department, there are quite a number of hotels, lodges, ashrams and dharamshalas that provide decent accommodation for the tourists and pilgrims. The range is also within affordable limit.
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