India is the land of the gods and the many - many shrines dedicated to them. But there are four pilgrimages that are special in the land of a million shrines. All four are located near each other in a region that is traditionally considered the playground of the gods; Uttarakhand. The holiest of holy
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Showing posts with label Char Dham Yatra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Char Dham Yatra. Show all posts
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Abodes of Gods
India is the land of the gods and the many - many shrines dedicated to them. But there are four pilgrimages that are special in the land of a million shrines. All four are located near each other in a region that is traditionally considered the playground of the gods; Uttarakhand. The holiest of holy four pilgrimage sites are jointly called the CHAR DHAM. In an interesting balance while two - BADRINATH and KEDARNATH are abodes of male deities, the other two – GANGOTRI and YAMUNOTRI – are abodes of the sacred feminine. The ideal time or peak season to go for a Char Dham Yatra is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because all the four sacred sites are located rather high in the Garhwal Himalayas, Which experiences heavy snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to the shrines are blocked during the winter months. During the monsoon season landslides frequently render the roads un-passable. Traditionally, the gates of all four of the temples are also closed for this period of time and the idols are shifted to their traditional winter homes to await the arrival of spring when the pata (gates) open and they return to their homes.
With the beginning of the Yatra season begin the plight of thousands of animals utilized to serve the lakhs of visiting pilgrims. These hapless horses and mules are employed to transport baggage and other requirements of the pilfrims, some of whom also use these animals to cover the Yatras. The treks in the direction of Kailash-Mansarovar, Hemkund, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath are chiefly identified for using large number of animals (an estimate states more than 10,000) and completely neglecting their basic are, including food and shelter.
Kedarnath trek starts from Gaurikund and for Hemkund Saheb and Valley of Flowers from Gobindghat. Here a good number of horses and mules are pressed into service. Not only are these animals ill fed and exploited, they are not even given proper medical and other aid. Recurrent rains aggravate the plight of these exploited animals. They are subjected to harsh conditions and are exposed to continuous rain and bitter cold for weeks on end. During the Char Dham Yatra season, animals are also brought in from the neighbouring towns, including Bijnor, Najibabad, Dhampur and Nagina.
There are some Popular tourist places in Uttarakhand such as: Nainital, Dehradun , Mussoorie, Ranikhet, Pithoragarh, Tehri, Jageshwar, Bhimtal, Kausani, Chaukori , Bageshwar, Mukteshwar, Hemkund, Chakrata, Purola, Chamba, Gwaldam, Khirsu, Deoprayag, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kadernath, Badrinath, Haridwar, Pindari, Glacier, Corbet National Park , Rajaji National Park.
The Yatra season, which started with the opening of the portals of the four sacred shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in May, is in full swing and Haridwar, Rishikesh and other towns on the Yatra route are reaping full benefits of the yatra. Thee hoteliers, the owners of the dharamshalas, the transport operators and other sectors of business community making hay while the sun is shining.
There are some Popular tourist places in Uttarakhand such as: Nainital, Dehradun , Mussoorie, Ranikhet, Pithoragarh, Tehri, Jageshwar, Bhimtal, Kausani, Chaukori , Bageshwar, Mukteshwar, Hemkund, Chakrata, Purola, Chamba, Gwaldam, Khirsu, Deoprayag, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kadernath, Badrinath, Haridwar, Pindari, Glacier, Corbet National Park , Rajaji National Park.
The Yatra season, which started with the opening of the portals of the four sacred shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in May, is in full swing and Haridwar, Rishikesh and other towns on the Yatra route are reaping full benefits of the yatra. Thee hoteliers, the owners of the dharamshalas, the transport operators and other sectors of business community making hay while the sun is shining.
A Boost to Religious Uttarakhand Tourism
Uttarakhand is known as the abode of the gods. The state's greatest asset is that there is a temple dedicated to each of the 33 millions gods and goddesses. The Char Dhams- Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are also located here Ganga considered to be the holiest river, is in Uttarakhand and every Hindu's life has an association with river Ganga in one way or the other. The state also has the famous Hemkunt Sahib for the Sikhs and the religious place for the Muslims in Piran Kalier(Roorkee).
The state's other great assets are the Himalayan mountains. Visitors and pilgrims coming to Uttarakhand are bound to be fascinated by the sight of steep mountains just staring at them. The state has a large number of mountain peaks that can be climbed, apart from a wealth of lakes that are still inaccessible to tourists.
Sixty five percent of the state remains under forest cover. The variety of flora and fauna is also immense. We also have national parks of which the Corbett National Park is known all over the world. For adventure sports enthusiasts, there are facilities for aero sports, water sports, trekking, angling and rock climbing. Also, Uttarakhand is the revered land of the saints and sages. Rishikesh, for instance, is the centre for yoga and meditation. So this unique wealth makes Uttarakhand special. In the coming years, rural tourism, yoga and meditation, adventure toursim, etc., would attract more people to Uttarakhand.
A concerted effort has been made to project the tourism might of the state. In terms of re-positioning, a conscious effort is being made to attract tourists to Uttarakhand with money power. Already the state has a good reputation for being a leading destination for religious and adventure tourism. Now the thrust is on promoting the state as an ideal destination for eco-tourism, centre for yoga and meditation.
In the last couple of years, a good number of tourism circuits have been identified and development work on them has begun. The chief amongst them are: Pauri - Khirsu - Lansdowne; Joshimath - Auli - Badrinath; Pithoragarh - Munsyari; and Raithal - Barsu - Dayara Bugyal.
In the past few years various infrastructure related development initialtives have been put in place such as development of 44 Tourist Convenience Centres(TCC) and Tourist Information Centres(TIC); development of national level Institute of Hotel and Catering Management in Dehradun; development of ghats under Great Green Vista Project in Haridwar; Plastic Densifiction Plant for the disposal of garbage which is important in an ecologically sensitive state like ours. Mobile help vans on the CHAR DHAM route for tourists during yatra period have been pressed into service. Various feasibility studies have been conducted such as ropeway between Rishikesh - Neelkanth and Rambara - Kedarnath and setting up of Mountain Airlines. These would give further boost to the sector.
Training programme for the service providers such as - taxi/bus drivers, conductors, dhaba owners, porters, staff of various private sectors, small and medium size hotels and lodges, is being given due attention. Work for the upgradation of five air strips in the state is being given top priority. Dehradun airport has already been well-operational. It would be further upgraded to enable it to have bigger airplane landing facilities. Air strips in Pantnagar, Gaucher, Naini-Saini and Chinyalisaur too are being readied gradually. Feasibility study is underway for Mountain Airlines providing fixed wing aircraft services within various Indian Himalayan states.
CHAR DHAM YATRA-2012
The most challenging & revered circuit
Char Dham Literally means "The four abodes and the purpose of the Char Dham Yatra of the Himalayas is pilgrimages to the heavenly abode." Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, all in the beautiful mountain state of Uttarakhand, are the pilgrim's focus. Not to be mistaken with the longer Char Dham Yatra to the prilgrimage of Jagannath Puri, Rameshwaram, Dwarka and Badrinath shrines that are located at four different comers of India. Badrinath is the only site which features in both Yatras.
The Char Dham Yatra generally starts at Haridwar as the 'gateway to Himalayan pilgrimage' and moves from west to east. The pilgrim's first halt is Yamunotri and then they proceed to Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and then the yatra finally ends at the holy site of Badrinath.
Yamunotri is the place of origin of the sacred river Yamuna. The temple of the goddess is situated here.
Gangotri is believed to be the origin of the river Ganga, the holiest of all rivers, through the glacier from which the river originally gets its water lies a little north at Gaumukh. At Gangotri, which is accessible by vehicles, temples are sprinkled across the landscape and the aarti performed at the banks of the river is mesmerising.
Kenarnath, the third venue in the Char Dham Yatra, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Kedarnath is one of only twelve jyotirlingas (Where Lord Shiva is supposed to be permanently residing) and is of one the holiest sites for Hindus. The temple, it is believed was built in 8th century AD by Adi Shankaracharya himself.
Badrinath: The last destination of the Yatra is Badrinath, the shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The small town and temple lie at a height of approximately 3,750m from sea level. The legend goes that when Lord Vishnu was residing in this place, goddess Lakshmi, his wife, took the form of Badri, a local berry tree, to protect Vishnu from the direct heat of the sun. Pleased, Vishnu pronounced that his temple would be named after the goddess; hence the name Badrinath for the temple.
While the longer Char Dham is dedicated only to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, the Himalayan Char Dham also includes the third important section of Hindu spirituality i.e. Shakti(goddess) in the form of Yamunotri and Gangotri.
Apart from the main four attractions of the Yatra, there are other picturesque villages and tourist spots nearby.
Barkot, adjacent to Yamunotri, is fast gaining its place as a natural tourist and adventure spot. Sprinkled with apple orchards, it sits at 1,200m, offering awesome views of snowcapped Himalayan peaks, the most prominent of which is Bandarpoonch.
Guptkashi, another abode of Lord Shiva, lies en route to Kedarnath and is known for its ancient Vishwanath temple, which shares its name with the one in Varanasi. Another temple, the Ardhanarishwar, also dedicated to Lord Shiva, houses the delty in the form of half man and half woman, resonating the Hindu concept of the co-existence of Shiva (Universe) and Shakti(Energy).
GauriKund, on the way to Kedarnath, is one of the most important pilgrimage, for Hindus, Legend has it that Parvati, also kn own as Gauri, did penance here to win over Lord Shiva, Shiva finally accepted her love and married her Lord Ganesha is believed to have got his elephant countenance in this place, which makes the site extremely important for Hindus. Pilgrims throng to the hot springs here too.
The entire Yatra takes ten to eleven days to complete. For mystics and pilgrims who prefer to travel on foot, it may take longer.
The ideal time for the Yatra is from May to July and from September to October.
Good to Know: The Char Dham Yatra usually starts at Haridwar, which connected by Air/Flight (Jolly Grant, Near Dehradun) and Rail/Train to the rest of India.
Kedarnath, Badrinath- Shrines Reopen- 2012
The portals of famous Himalayan shrine of Badrinath were reopened on April 29 amid snowfall a day after Kedarnath was thrown open for pilgrims. Amid blowing of conches and chanting of vedic hymns and shlokas, the chief priest of Badrinath shrine opened the door of the shrine at 04:00 am on Sunday morning.
During the opening ceremony of the shrine, situated at a height of 3,133 meter in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, hundreds of devotees, including industrialist Anil Ambani and corporate lobbyist Nira Radia, were present outside the sanctum sanctorum braving snowfall and chilly winds.
During the opening ceremony of the shrine, situated at a height of 3,133 meter in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, hundreds of devotees, including industrialist Anil Ambani and corporate lobbyist Nira Radia, were present outside the sanctum sanctorum braving snowfall and chilly winds.Badrinath and Kedarnath are among the four holy places visited by pilgrims during the “Char dham yatra” in Uttarakhand. The two other places are Gangotri and Yamunotri.
The Char Dhams nestling in dizzying heights of Garhwal Himalayas reopen for pilgrims in April-May every year after remaining closed for nearly six months during winters as the area remain snow-bound during the period.
After a gap of six months portals of famous Kedarnath shrine were opened on Saturday for pilgrims. The Temple, situated in Rudraprayag district at a height of 3,584 meter, was reopenedat 0715 am, according to ‘mahurat’, sources said. The ‘mahurat’ was decided on Mahashivrati at Ukhimath area on February 20.
The head priest of the temple, Rawal, performed the ‘Abhishek’ after opening of the doors, sources said. Thousnads of pilgrims flocked the temple after opening of the doors.
The Chardhams, comprising the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in Garhwal Himalayas reopen for pilgrims in April-May every year after remaining closed for nearly six months during winters as the area remain snow-bound during the period. The annual Chardham yatra is considered as a backbone of the thriving religious tourism in the state that attracts nearly 15-16 lakh pilgrims every year from home and abroad.
Efforts in this regard have started gaining momentum with MP Tarun Vijay recently kicking off a preparatory march to take a stock of things, apart from various regional organizing committees which have already joined in to finalise various modalities.
The festival involves a journey of around 280 kilometres, totally on foot due to the very difficult terrain that disallows reliance on any vehicular traffic.
Organisers, however, are faced with the Herculean task of infrastructure development and maintenance, especially of those narrow link routes to be taken by the devotees during their journey.
Further more, the fact that number of devotees may multiply various times compared to the previous figure of around 20,000 is also giving jitters to them.
“There is no arrangement to withhold even a population of 5,000 people. The journey is tough and devotees have to pass through a difficult terrain to reach to the culmination point of Bedini Bugyal. Authorities need to start work on war footing level,” says Vijay.
As mythology has it, the route taken by the devotees is believed to be the one taken by Lord Shiva while he was on his way to Kailash Parvat after marrying Goddess Parvati.
A religious extravaganza organized once in every 12 year, ‘Nanda Rajajat’ is also called the ‘Mahakumbh’ of the hills and is often comapared with the likes of other such religious events organized in holy Hindu cities of Allahabad, Haridwar and Ujjain.
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