Chardham Yatra

When the entire Kedarnath was washed away in the flood in 2013, it was not less than a miracle that the Kedarnath temple survived the storm. By the grace of God, the temple stood still, while the entire area was shaking. How the Kedarnath temple survived the flood remains a mystery.

Yes, it is absolutely safe because the Kedarnath tragedy happened in the year 2013, and a lot has been revived and changed since then. It has been 9 years and the place has got it’s charm back and has gotten back on it’s foot. It looks cleaner now and there are more rules to follow. So it is completely safe to visit Kedarnath.

Chardham Yatra planning should start from the day registrations start. Chardham, being a popular pilgrimage site, witnesses thousands of pilgrims every year, so to ensure that you don’t miss out on various offers and the best available hotels, you should register soon. To book your Chardham Package, click here.

The Kedarnath temple opens early in the morning at 4 am and closes at 9 pm. The temple opens for the public at 6 pm and closes at 7 pm with a break in the afternoon between 3 pm to 5 pm.

Chardham includes approximately 1340 km of travelling on road, which is not possible in one day. On the other hand, if you are choosing the route that involves a helicopter for Chardham, then too it is not possible because firstly, doing darshan at temples will take time, and you yourself would want more time since you are spending so much money. So, no Chardham cannot be done in one day.

Yamunotri ropeway is a project that has been undertaken by the government. They are planning to make a ropeway to prevent accidents. It is a 180 crore project, and it will reduce the travel time drastically.

The major difference between Gangotri and Gaumukh is that Gaumukh is a 20 km trek from Gangotri is the origin of the river Ganges, with a volume of 27 cubic kilometers, standing at an elevation of approximately 13,200 ft above sea level. On the other hand, Gangotri is a pilgrimage site and a popular dham out of the other three chota char dhams, and it stands at an elevation of 10,200 ft above sea level.

Yes, people go on Kedarnath solo trips every year. Thousands of pilgrims visit Kedarnath every year including families, groups, children, and solo travellers.

The roads in Chardham Yatra where one has to trek, is a bit tricky and the horses walk on the same path so one might say it is a bit risky because honestly all the four dhams are situated at high altitudes, one needs to get acclimatized gradually so the altitude doesn’t hit them hard. Chardham Yatra is a bit tricky and slightly challenging but somehow still thousands of pilgrims complete their yatra successfully, even those who are in their 70’s and 80’s.

Both Kedarnath and Tungnath are part of the Panch Kedar. Both have their significance and both are equally important. It depends on what you are looking for. If you want to do Chota Chardham then you will also go for Kedarnath and if you are planning to do Panch Kedar then both Tungnath and Kedarnath will be covered. However Panch Kedar is a little tough but nothing can stop the devotees when they have already made up their minds. Kedarnath is located at an elevation of approximately 11,705 ft above sea level with 20 kms trekking and Tungnath is located at an elevation of 12,106 ft above sea level with approximately 3.5 kms trek.

Chardham Yatra takes place in the month of May to October, and you can book your tour with a tour agent. You have an option to choose all four Dhams, or you can also go for Do Dham Yatra or maybe just one as well. One popular package to choose, starts from Haridwar, which is quite popular. People often ask about the Haridwar to Chardham Yatra Package price, which ranges between Rs. 32,000 to Rs. 45,000, excluding taxes.

https://www.triptotemples.com/package/char-dham

You can choose Do Dham Yatra or Chardham, it depends entirely on you. Every alternate years, the price for the yatra increases. For Current price click on the link: Do Dham By Heli

Teerth Yatra in itself is a word which means that you are taking a journey to please God, and your pleasures and comfort are secondary. However, your comfort still matters to us, so we have come up with the Chardham Yatra Luxury Package. This yatra will be of four nights and five days and will be done entirely by a helicopter. It excludes the trekking part, even in Kedarnath. At Yamunotri, you will be allotted mules/ponies to complete the 6 km trek to the Yamunotri temple, which will be a part of the package. It includes VIP darshan at all places, and while returning, you also get an aerial darshan of Hemkund Sahib.

There are no direct Badrinath to Haridwar buses, however you can use local transport available there and buses are available from Sonprayag which is just 49 kms away from Badrinath.

There are several options for you to travel from Yamunotri to Gangotri. The bus fare varies from one operator to another. However, the bus fare from Yamunotri to Gangotri can range between Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000.

Out of all the yatras, Chardham Yatra is probably the most popular Hindu pilgrimage in the Country. The yatra witnesses pilgrims from almost all states of the country and abroad. Chota Chardham Yatra includes Kedarnath, located in the Rudraprag district, Badrinath in Chamoli district, Gangotri and Yamunotri in the Uttarkashi district, whereas Bada Chardham comprises of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, Puri in Odisha, and Dwarka in Gujarat. Chardham witness more than thousands of devotees every year at Chota Chardham during the months between May and October.

Kedarnath Temple is a holy place located in the Rudraprayag district of the Garhwal region in the state of Uttarakhand. Every year, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, during the Chardham Yatra, witnesses thousands of pilgrims who visit the temple to seek blessings from Lord Shiva. Chota Chardham comprises Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. During May to September, shivbhakts come to Kedarnath from all over the country and sometimes even abroad to please Bhole Nath. Pilgrims often do all the Char Dhams together, and sometimes they only visit Kedarnath if they are running short of time. 

There are two routes through which one can undertake Chardham Yatra. One is a helicopter route and the other one is done by road. If one chooses to go for a helicopter route, it will hardly take 5-6 days which starting from Dehradun. However, if one takes the journey by road, then it will take almost 10-11 days to complete the entire yatra with some sightseeing as well. The road journey starts from Haridwar and ends in Haridwar.

If one choses to go to Kedarnath by helicopter route then one day is enough for Kedarnath Darshan. The helicopter takes 5-6 minutes to reach Kedarnath Helipad and one has plenty of time for Kedarnath temple darshan and pooja. Kedarnath Helicopter Bookings can be done by the government website only. However, if you are choosing to trek to the temple then you atleast need two days for Kedarnath alone. On the first day you start your Kedarnath trek of 20 kms which will take approximately 7-8 hours to complete and once you reach the temple, after the darshan, you will stay there at a homestay or lodge nearby. The next day, one has to trek down to about 20 km. Therefore, all in all, two days would be enough for Kedarnath Dham

The story of Badrinath goes back to the time when Lord Vishnu meditated here in Badrinath and to protect him from the scorching heat, Goddess Laxmi took a form of a tree and shaded Lord Vishnu. There is no evidence that who built the Badrinath temple but it is believed that the temple’s sculpture was made by Gods but was thrown into the river Alaknanda by the Buddhist who made a Buddhist shrine over there, which lasted till the 8th Century. However, Adi Shankar found the sculpture and formed the temple out of it.

Badrinath and Kedarnath are two important shrines for pilgrimage located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. To be precise Badrinath Temple is located in the Chamoli district, whereas Kedarnath Temple is located in Rudraprayag district. To reach Kedarnath Temple, one has to trek 20 km one way, which takes almost 7-8 hours, however, no such trek is there to reach Badrinath Temple.

Badrinath, located at an elevation of 10,000 ft above sea level, is a popular temple that witnesses thousands of pilgrims during the Chardham Yatra Season. The Alaknanda river flows very close to Badrinath Temple. Originating from the Satopanth Tal Glacier, the Alaknanda river moves towards Mana Village and reaches Badrinath Valley.

Apart from the fact that it is a part of both Chota Chardham and Bada Chardham, Badrinath has been mentioned in several sacred texts such as the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana and also Skanda Purana. Not only that, Padma Purana also mentions the area that surrounds the temple. It is also popular because Lord Vishnu meditated here, and Goddess Laxmi took the form of a berry tree, or Badri tree, to protect him from the heat. The Badri Tree still stands there. Till the 8th century, it is believed that Badrinath Temple used to be a Buddhist shrine, however, Adi Shankaracharya converted it into Badrinath Dham. Thus, Badrinath is famous for plenty of reasons.

Kedarnath, which stands for “Lord of the Field” is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site, standing at an elevation of approximately 11,000 ft above sea level. It is also one of the Panch Kedar, others being Madhmaheshwar, Rudranath, Tungnath, and Kalpnath. According to Mahabharat, after having won the fight with the Kaurava’s, the Pandava’s were advised by Lord Krishna to apologize to Lord Shiva for having killed so many Brahmans. Pandava’s went to Lord Shiva to seek forgiveness but Lord Shiva was not willing to forgive them so easily so he hid from them and then took the form of a bull. Out of the five Pandavas, the most powerful of them all, Bhim recognized Lord Shiva, and as soon as he went to catch the bull’s tail, the bull disappeared and then reappeared in five parts which were found in different parts of the country. The face was found in Rudranath, The hair in Kalpeshwar, the arms in Tunghnath, stomach in Madhyamaheshwar and the hump in Kedarnath. The Pandavas were impressed, so they made temples at these five places to worship Shiv Ji, and due to this their sins were forgiven.

As the story of the Pandavas goes where they seek Lord Shiva’s forgiveness, but he takes the form of a bull, and when Bhim tries to catch the bull’s tail, Shiva disappears and then reappears in five parts in five different places. The part that reappears in Kedarnath was the hump of the bull and that is the reason why the shivling is in the form of a bull’s hump.Thus, Kedarnath Shivling is different from other Shivlings.

It totally depends on the location from which you are coming from but anyone who is willing to do the Chardham yatra visits Yamunotri Dham first. The reason behind this is that mostly people take Chardham yatra packages from the tour operators, and mostly companies start their yatra from either Delhi or Haridwar. The first one to fall on the route is Yamunotri, followed by Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

Badrinath Temple, with all its vibrant colours, may not look like a typical temple, but inside the temple, there are intricate designs and fascinating carvings, and it is exactly what a temple should look like. Inside the temple, there are three divisions which go by the names Darshan Mandap, Garbhagriha, and Sabha Mandap. As you enter the temple, there are several pillars, making way for the main area, which leads us to the main idol of Lord Badrinath. The main shrine is a black glistening stone, which is called Shaligram, and is approximately 1 ft tall. Pilgrims offer their prayers near the main idol, which is seen holding a shankh, a chakra, and a wheel and is sitting in a pose called Padmasana. Apart from that, there are idols of other Gods and Goddesses as well, such as Nar and Narayan, Adi Shankaracaharya, Goddess Laxmi, Garuda, Nav Durga, etc.

There is no comparison between the two because both are highly valued places of worship and of great significance to Hindus all over the world. It depends on one’s perspective because at both places, one can find beauty in abundance as one gets to witness the snowcapped peaks that give a backdrop to these two temples. If a person who does not like to walk or trek a lot, may not like Kedarnath because to get to the top, one has to trek for 20 km one way, which takes around 7-8 hours. On the other hand, a trekker whose life is full of adventures and thrill, would love Kedarnath more than Badrinath because Badrinath does not require any trekking. So it depends on what one is looking for because a pilgrim, whose only motive is to worship his God, wouldn’t care about the beauty or the difficulty that comes with both these temples.

It is believed that 1,200 years ago, Adi Shankaracharya found the sculpture of Badrinath Temple, which was formed by the Gods, but it was thrown into the Alaknanda river by the Buddhists, who built their shrine there. However, the shrine lasted till the 8th century because later Adi Shankaracharya established the Badrinath Temple there, and the tradition for doing Chardham was started by him as well. Even during the present era, Chardham witnesses a massive crowd between May to October.

Badrinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who meditated in that area, and to protect him from the raging heat of the sun, Goddess Laxmi took the form of a Badri tree. Though there are idols of other deities as well, such as Nar Narayan, Nav Durga, and Goddess Laxmi but the temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Apart from Kedarnath Dham, other things that you can see in and around Kedarnath alley include the very famous Gaurikund, where one can take baths before starting their trek to the temple. Another important temple is the Triyuginarayan Temple, where Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati got married. Other places that you can explore are Phata, which is a small village and there is a helipad for choppers that fly to Kedarnath Temple, Gaurikund Temple, Vasukital Lake, Adishankara Samadhi, etc.

Gangotri or Gangotri Temple, being an important pilgrimage site for the followers of Hinduism, is located at an elevation of approximately 11204 ft above sea level in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Gangotri is the origin point of the holy river Ganga. It is believed that Ganga descended from heaven when Lord Shiva released the river from his hair. Pilgrims take bath in the Ganga to get all their sins forgiven. The temple is white as it is made of white granite, and the aura around the temple makes it more beautiful.

Gangotri is approximately 97 kms from Gaumukh. One can trek from Gangotri to Gaumukh which takes 6-7 days to complete. The trail is 18 km long and the difficulty level is moderate. A permit is required to undertake this trek near Gangotri, which will be checked at several forest checkpoints. The trek begins at Gangotri, followed by Chirbasa, which is 9kms from Gangotri. From Chirbasa to Gaumukh, the trek distance is again 9 kms.

While visiting Yamunotri, one can also visit nearby places such as Hanuman Chatti, Janki Chatti, Divya Shila, etc. You can also visit Kharsali, a picturesque village, take blessing at Shani Devi Temple and take dips in Surya Kund. These are some places near Yamunotri that one can visit.

Earlier passes or registration for the yatra was not required but after the 2013 Uttarakhand tragedy, the government made it mandatory for all pilgrims to do Chardham Biometric registration for the yatra. They can easily apply for the pass at https://registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in/ and get themselves registered.

Yamunotri, being a popular a pilgrimage spot is located at a picturesque place and Suryakund and Saptrishi Kund are the two lakes near Yamunotri. Reaching Saptrishi Lake is a bit difficult because it requires a little trek to reach there. 

Badrinath Temple in Badrinath is in itself an attraction but there are other places as well that you can explore if you have time in your hands such as the Niti Valley in Joshimath, Timmersain Mahadev which is a cave of Lord Shiva, Vasudhara Falls, Govindghat. These are some Badrinath visiting places.

Situated on the banks of River Alkananda in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, Badrinath elevation is of approximately 10,750 ft above sea level with views you won’t be able to forget.