temples and pilgrimage
What is the Char Dham Yatra of the Himalayas (Chota Char Dham) and how does it differ from the original Char Dham?
The original Char Dham
The original Char Dham is a set of four pilgrimage sites placed at the four corners of India. They are Badrinath in the north, Puri in the east, Rameshwaram in the south, and Dwarka in the west. The tradition holds that completing all four is a deeply meritorious act for a Hindu. These four sites together are meant to represent the whole sacred geography of the land. Badrinath is the one site that appears in both lists.
Where the Himalayan Char Dham comes from
The Himalayan Char Dham, commonly called Chota Char Dham, meaning the smaller Char Dham, is a group of four shrines all within the state of Uttarakhand. They are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Over time, as travel to all four corners of India became harder for many people, the Himalayan circuit grew in popularity. It sits at the source of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers and is seen as especially sacred. How exactly this circuit came to be called Char Dham is not fully clear, and the name has caused a lot of confusion between the two sets of sites.
What each site represents
Each of the four Himalayan shrines carries its own meaning. Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna river. Gangotri is near the source of the Ganges. Kedarnath is one of the most important Shiva temples in India. Badrinath is dedicated to Vishnu. Together they draw pilgrims who want to touch the origins of sacred rivers and visit shrines of both Shiva and Vishnu in one journey.
The pilgrimage season and how it works today
The Himalayan shrines sit at high altitude and are closed through the winter months because of snow. They open each year roughly between May and November. The exact opening dates follow the Hindu calendar and are announced each year. Pilgrims usually travel the circuit in a set order, starting from Yamunotri and ending at Badrinath. Kedarnath is the most physically demanding, as it requires a long trek or a helicopter ride. Millions of people make this journey every year. The original all-India Char Dham is a much longer undertaking and is done over weeks or months, often as a once-in-a-lifetime journey.