Kedarnnath Yatra India - Char Dham Yatra

KEDARNATH DHAM : At Yamunotri & Gangotri, the pilgrims are cleansed body & soul and with having achieved purity in that sense, pilgrims to Sri Kedarnath becomes most rewarding.

It is also customary to worship Lord Shiva with water of Ganga, which pilgrims going from Gangotri as well take some there to Kedarnath.

Kedarnath is the seat of Lord Shiva. It is one of the twelve "Jyotirlingas" of Lord Shiva. Lying at an altitude of 3584 m at the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus.

It is no wonder that Adi Guru Shankaracharya - a great scholar & saint, chose to enshrine Lord Shiva in this land, where the unholy becomes oly and the holy becomes holier.

It is the place where Lord Shiva absolved Pandavas from the sin of killing their own cousins Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra.

The origin of the revered temple can be found in the great epic Mahabharat. At Kedarnath there are several Kunds (pools, tanks) that are known for their religious significans - shivkund, Retkund, hanskund, Udakkund, Rudhirkund are the most important.

A little away from Kedarnath is a temple dedicated to Bhaironathji who is ceremoniously worshipped at the opening & closing of Kedarnath.

The belief is that Bhairavnathji protects this land from evil during the time when temple of Kedarnath is closed.During the winters, the shrine is submerged in snow & hence is closed.
Fortunate are those who have good weather, but twice blessed are those who are at Kedarnath on a moonlit night- the snow peak gleams like hundred silver pinnacles atop the glittering mountains.

Kedarnnath Yatra India - Char Dham Yatra Video

GANGOTRI DHAM

GANGOTRI DHAM : The picturesque pilgrimage in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most sacred spot where Ganga,the stream of life,touched earth fro the first time.According to mythology,Goddess Ganga,the daughter of heaven,manifested herself in the form a river to absolve the sins of king Bhagirath's predecessors,following his severe penance of 5500 years. Lord Shiva received into his matted locks to minimize the impact of her fall.The river itself begins at Gangotri which literally means Ganga Uttari or Ganga descending She came to be called Bhagirathi at her legendary source.

The Shrine of Gangotri situated at an elevation of 3200 m above sea level amidst captivating surroundings along the right bank of Bhagirathi is 100 km from Uttarkashi.The Shrine of Gangotri opens during the last week of April or the first week of May,on the auspicious day od Akshaya Tritiya.The temples opening is preceded by a special Puja of Ganga both inside the temple as well as on the river bank.The temple's closes on the day of Diwali followed by a formal closing ceremony amidst a row of oil lamps.It is believed that the Goddess retreats to Mukhwa,her winter abode (12 km downstream).

The temple was constructed in the early 18th century by a Gorkha Commander Amar Sigh Thapa.The existing temple is said to be the one reconstructed by the Jaipur dynasty.Every year thousands of pilgrims through the sacred shrine between May & October.The Pujaris & brahmins are from the village of Mukhwa.The water from Gangotri is carried to offer to Lord Shiva.It is believed that this water has amrit (nectar) in it and will soothe the throat of Shiva who gulp the poison.

Gomukh - Gangotri Origin Of River Ganga Video Youtube

BADRINATH DHAM

Badrinath Dham is one of the oldest of Hindu places of worship. On the right bank of the river Alaknanda lies the sacred shrine perched at an altitude of 3133 m above sea level, guarded on either side by the two mountain peaks Nar & Narain with the towering Neelkanth peak providing a splendid back-drop. Also known as the Vishal Badri, the largest among the five Badris, it is revered by all as the apt tribute to Lord Vishnu. The revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name 'Badri Van' meaning 'forest of berries.' Built by Adi Shankaracharaya,the philosopher-saint of the 8th century, the temple has been renovated several times due to damage by avalanches and restored in the 19th century by the royal houses of Scindia & Holkar. The main entrance gate is colourful & imposing popularly known as Singhdwar.References to Sri Badrinath have been made in the Vedas & perhaps it was a popular shrine during the Vedic age also. The Skand Purana gives an accvount of the Adiguru consecrating the idol of Lord Badri Vishal in the temple after recovering it from Narad Kund, in a pursuance of a divine call from heaven. The idol is made of black stone similar to granite. So holy is the shrine that it forms one of the four prominent places of Hindu worship. The epic Mahabharat, it is believed, was composed in the Vyas & ganesh caves close by.The Vishnu Ganga which later becomes the Alakna

nda flows below the temple. Almost 3 km north of Badrinath,mana is the last Indian village before the Tibetan border.TheVasudhara falls are quite spectacular. On the closing day the residents of Mana offer a choli to the deity to cover the diety all the winter. It is taken off on the opening day & its fibres are distributed amongst the Yatris (pilgrims) as a maha prasadam. Joshimath is the winter deity of Badrinath.