Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri and main places to visit in Char Dham Yatra, Beside that there are Harsil, Guptakashi, Chopta Haridwar and Rishikesh with Uttarkashi are places to visit in Char Dham Yatra.

1. Char Dham Yatra as the name suggests is a pilgrimage
tour to the four holy destinations in India that include
Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri. It is
considered as the most sacred tour in India which drags
tourists at large to the heavenly Himalayan range.The
Hindu Mythology says that one should visit the Char
Dhams at least once in his lifetime. It is believed that
Char Dham Yatra is the only way to wash out our sins
in order to attain salvation.The Indian pilgrimage tour
‘Char Dham Yatra’ takes you on a holy voyage amidst
lush green surroundings. The rich flora residing in the
serene regions of Garhwal Himalya’s offers a pious
experience

2. Haridwar
Haridwar is regarded as one of the
seven holiest places to Hindus.
According to the Samudra manthan,
Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nashik
and Prayag (Allahabad) is one of four
sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir
of immortality, accidentally spilled
over from the pitcher while being
carried by the celestial bird Garuda.
This is manifested in the Kumbha
Mela being celebrated every 3 years
in one of the 4 places, and thus every
12 years in Haridwar. Amidst the
Kumbha Mela, millions of pilgrims,
devotees, and tourists congregate in
Haridwar to perform ritualistic
bathing on the banks of the river
Ganges to wash away their sins to
attain Moksha. Brahma Kund, the
spot where the Amrit fell, is located
at Har Ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of
the Lord") and is considered to be the
most sacred ghat of Haridwar.

3. Rishikesh
Rishikesh is a name of Vishnu that
means 'lord of the senses' the root
words Hrishika and Isha join
together to make Hrishikesha.
Hrishika means Senses and "Isha"
means Master or Lord. Hence the
word means Lord of Senses or Lord
Vishnu. The place gets its name
after Lord Vishnu who appeared to
'Raibhya Rishi', as a result of his
tapasya (austerities), as Lord
Hrishikesha. In Skanda Purana,
this area is known as 'Kubjamraka'
as Lord Vishnu appeared, under a
mango tree. Another legend says
that fierce fire broke out here. Lord
Shiva was angry with Lord Agni and
cursed him. Then Lord Agni prayed
here for the expiration of his sins.
Hence it is also known as 'Agni
Tirtha' - The holy place to penance
of Lord Agni or Fire God.

4. History
Hrishikesh has been a part of the
legendary 'Kedarkhand' (the present
day Garhwal). Legends state that
Lord Rama did penance here for
killing Ravana, the demon king of
Lanka; and Lakshmana, his
younger brother, crossed the river
Ganges, at a point, where the
present 'Lakshman Jhula' bridge
stands today, using a jute rope
bridge. The 'Kedar Khand' of
Skanda Purana, also mentions the
existence of Indrakund at this very
point. The jute-rope bridge was
replaced by iron-rope suspension
bridge in 1889, and after it was
washed away in the 1924 floods, it
was replaced by the present
stronger bridge. Another similar
suspension bridge Ram Jhula was
built in 1986 at nearby Shivanand
Nagar.

5. Yoga Centre in Rishikesh
Hrishikesh, sometimes
nicknamed "the world capital of
Yoga", has numerous yoga
centers that also attract tourists.
It is believed that meditation in
Hrishikesh brings one closer to
attainment of moksha, as does a
dip in the holy river that flows
through it. Rafting season starts
from the month of March and
ends in September.
Hrishikesh is also home to the
133 year old Kailash Ashram
Brahmavidyapeetham, an
institution dedicated to preserve
and promote the traditional
Vedantic Studies. Prominent
personalities such as Swami
Vivekananda, Swami Rama
Tirtha and Swami Shivananda
have studied in this institution.

6. Yamunotri
Yamunotri is the source of the
Yamuna River and the seat of the
Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It
is situated at an altitude of 3,293
metres (10,804 ft) in the Garhwal
Himalayas and located
approximately 30 kilometers (19
mi) North of Uttarkashi, the
headquarters of the Uttarkashi
district in the Garhwal Division of
Uttarakhand, India. It is one of
the four sites in India's Chhota
Char Dham pilgrimage. The
sacred shrine of Yamunotri,
source of the river Yamuna, is the
westernmost shrine in the
Garhwal Himalayas, perched atop
a flank of Bandar Poonch Parvat.
The chief attraction at Yamunotri
is the temple devoted to the
Goddess Yamuna and the holy
thermal springs at Janki Chatti (7
km. Away).

7. Surya Kund
Close to the temple is hot water
springs gushing out from the
mountain cavities. Surya Kund is
the most important kund. Near the
Surya Kund there is a shila called
Divya Shila, which is worshipped
before puja is offered to the deity.
Devotees prepare rice and potatoes,
tied in muslin cloth, to offer at the
shrine by dipping them in these hot
water springs. Rice so cooked is
taken back home as prasadam. The
pujaris of Yamunotri come from the
village of Kharsali near Janki Chatti.
They are the administrators of the
sacred place and perform religious
rites. They are well-versed in the
Shastras.

8. Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi,meaning Kashi of the north, is a town in
Uttarakhand, India. It is the district headquarters of
Uttarkashi district. Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of
river Bhagirathi at an altitude of 1352 m above sea level.
Uttarkashi is home to a number of ashrams and temples and
also to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. The name of
the town reflects its similarity to and location (as north of) the
city of Kashi (Varanasi). Similar to Varanasi, town of
Uttarkashi is situated on the Ganges, lies next to a hill named
Varun Parvat, on confluence of two rivers Varuna and Asi,
has a ghat called Manikarnika Ghat and has a temple
dedicated to Shiva (Kashi Vishwanath Temple) in the center of
the town.

9. THE KASHI VISHWANATH
TEMPLE
The kashi Vishwanath temple is
the abode of lord himself who is
manifest here as a syambhu
linga, i.e. a self-manifest image
not setup by human hands. Lord
Shiva is manifest here immersed
in deep meditation, showering
his blessing upon all humanity.
The Shivlingam here is 56 cm in
height and has a tilt to the south.
In the sanctum sanctorum, there
are also Goddess Parvati and
Lord Ganesha. Nandi is in outer
chamber of the temple.

10. Places of interest
 NIM is one of the few mountaineering institutes in India. It conducts various mountaineering and climbing
training courses and besides organising climbing expeditions. Bachendri Pal, India's first woman to climb
Mount Everest is an alumnus of NIM.
 Dodital: One of the popular fresh water lakes in Uttarkashi. 21 km trek to Dodital starts from
Sangamchatti.
 Kandar Devta Mandir
 Vishwanath Temple
 Ganga Kinare (bank of the Ganges)
 Ujeli (constellation of sages): Ujeli is a neighborhood on the north of the town, where many ashrams are
located.
 Tiloth Power Plant: Located in Tiloth village at the fringe of Uttarkashi town; Stage 1 of Maneri Bhali
hydroelectric project
 Maneri Dam: Located at Maneri (15 km from Uttarkashi town); Stage 1 of Maneri Bhali hydroelectric
project
 Bhali Dam: Located in Joshiyara village at the lower fringe of the town. Stage 2 of Maneri Bhali
hydroelectric project
 Nachiketa Tal
 Kuteti Devi temple: Located on a small hill across Bhagirathi River
 Gyansoo and Palla Gyansoo: Old suburbs of Uttarkashi town, located en route to New Tehri
 Joshiyara: A village across Bhagirathi River. Now becoming a neighborhood. It has a famous temple,
Kaleshwar Mandir, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
 Mati: A battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police is located here
 Mahidanda: Another battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police is located here
 Adventure sports White Water River rafting, Uttarkashi is known for its excellent trekking tracks and
mountaineering.

11. Harsil
Harsil is a village and a
cantonment area, on the
banks of Bhagirathi River,
on the way to Hindu
pilgrimage, Gangotri, in
Uttarkashi district of
Indian state of
Uttarakhand).
Situated at a height of
7,860 ft (2,620 metres.)
from sea level, Harsil lies
73 km. from Uttarkashi,
and 30 km away from
Harsil, lays the Gangotri
National Park, spread
over 1,553 square km.

12. Gangotri Temple
Gangotri, the origin of the
River Ganges and seat of
the goddess Ganga, is one
of the four sites in the
Chota Char Dham
pilgrimage circuit. The
original Gangotri Temple
was built by the Gurkha
general Amar Singh Thapa.
The river is called
Bhagirathi at the source
and acquires the name
Ganga (the Ganges) from
Devprayag onwards where
it meets the Alaknanda. The
origin of the holy river is at
Gaumukh, set in the
Gangotri Glacier, and is a
19 km trek from Gangotri.

13. Guptakashi
Guptakashi, Gupta Kashi or
Guptkashi is a fairly large
town located at an elevation
of 1,319 meters (4,327 ft) in
the Kedar-khanda ('khanda'
means "sector"), in Garhwal
Himalayas of Rudraprayag
district in Uttrakhand, India.
It is famous for the ancient
Vishwanath Temple -
dedicated to god Shiva -
similar to the one in Varanasi
(Kashi). The other famous
temple here is dedicated to
Ardhanareshvara (a half man
half woman form of Shiva and
Parvati). The name
Guptakashi has legendary
significance linked to the
Pandavas, the heroes of the
Hindu epic Mahabharata. Its
religious importance is
considered next to that of
Varanasi, believed to be the
most pious of all Hindu
pilgrimage places.

14. Kedarnath Temple
Kedarnath Temple is one of the
holiest Hindu temples dedicated
to the god Shiva and is located on
the Garhwal Himalayan range
near the Mandakini River in
Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India.
Due to extreme weather
conditions, the temple is open
only between the ends of April
(Akshaya Tritriya) to Kartik
Purnima (the autumn full moon,
usually November) every year.
During the winters, the vigrahas
(deities) from Kedarnath temple
are brought to Ukhimath and
worshipped there for six months.
Lord Shiva is worshipped as
Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar
Khand', the historical name of the
region.

15. Holidays Trip
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