Char Dham Tours : In India
The Four Most Sacred Pilgrimage Circuit of IndiaChar means Four,
Dham means Holy Abode.
These Char Dhams are the holy abode of Lord Vishnu or His Incarnations. Char Dhams are located in the four corners of India.
1. In North India it is Badrinath Temple, the abode of Shri Badrinath. It is known as Bhu-Vaikunta that means earthly abode of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath is located in the Himalayas on the banks of Alaknanda river in Uttrakhand and is one of the most tourist visited destination in India.
2. In West India it is Dwarka Temple, the abode of Sri Krishna. It is also known as Jagat Mandir. Dwaraka in Gujarat was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. There are two gateways : the entrance for pilgrims is Swarga Dwar and the exit is Moksha Dwar near Gomati River.
3. In East India it is Puri Temple, the abode of Lord Jagannath. Jagannath means Lord of the Universe. Puri is also famous for its Rath Yatra( Car festival ) in the month of June every year when and where 3-huge chariots are pulled in the procession of Lord Jagannath, His Brother Lord Balabhadra and Their Sister Devi Subhadra. Puri in Orissa is famous for its sea beaches.
4. In South India it is Rameshwaram Temple, the abode of Sri Ramanatha Swamy ( Lord Shiva ) and this Shivling here was worshipped by Lord Shri Ram. This temple is also 1 of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India. Rameshwaram is located near Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The floating stone bridge Ram Sethu here was build by Lord Ram on His way to Sri Lanka in the Ramayana. For this reason, both Vishnu and Shiva worshippers assembled here at Rameshwaram to absolve their sins and gain Mokshya.
It is believed that Lord Vishnu takes His bath at Rameswaram(in Treta Yug), meditates at Badrinath(in Satya Yug), dines at Puri(in Kali Yug) and retires at Dwarika(Dwapara Yug).
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However, this apart, Uttarakhand has its own Char Dhams inside the state locally including Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath itself.
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