India is the land of Sanatan Dharma or Hindu Dharma. Though the important religious spaces are spread across India, The Char Dham or Four Abodes are especially important. Charismatic Chardham Yatra covers the whole country.

Visiting these sites helps attain Moksha or Salvation. These four Dhams are:

• Badrinath Dwarka
• Jagannath Puri
• Rameswaram

AdiShankaracharya defined these four places are especially important in the Four Yugas.

• Badrinath: Satyug
• Rameshwaram: Tretayug
• Dwarka: Dwaparyug
• Jagannath Puri :Kaliyug

Chardham yatra forms a square. Badrinath and Rameshwaram are on the same longitude. Dwarka and Puri fall on the same latitude. Certainly, it is not a coincidence. The great visionary AdiShankaracharya chose these places with some purpose and reason.

Each of these four places has an individual and legendary history. Due to the glorious past and the great religious background, Chardham yatra places are considered sacred and religious. 

Badrinath Dham

 

Origin And History Badrinath Dham

Badrinath is a small, picturesque town where the purity of nature meets with divinity. It is located in the Chamoli District of the Uttarakhand state. The altitude of Badrinath is more than 3000 meters, which makes it a little difficult terrain.

Best Time To Visit

Badrinath is one of the Chardham yatra places easily accessible by motorable roads. Behind the temple, there is a huge Neelkantha peak that stands strong and spreads rays of spirituality. The temple remains open from April-May to November. Every year, the board declares these dates. Though the temple remains open from April to November, the best months are May-June and September-November. July and August months should be avoided due to heavy rains. December to March are extremely cold months.

It is important to remember the temple opening time while booking Uttarakhand Tour Packages.

How To Reach?

Badrinath is well-connected with Delhi, Dehradun, and Rishikesh. Trains are available to Dehradun and Haridwar from several cities in India. From Haridwar or Dehradun, one can reach Badrinath by road. Dehradun is the nearest airport. Almost all cities of Uttarakhand are connected to Badrinath by motorable roads. A trip to Badrinath is part of the Charismatic Chardham Yatra.

Timing For Badrinath Darshan

The temple opens at 4.30. Morning pooja happens from 4.30 AM to 6.30 AM. The temple is open for darshan from 8 AM till 12 Noon. It opens again at 3 PM in the afternoon. Evening aarti happens at 6 PM. The temple closes at 9 PM.

Attraction In An Around Badrinath

Badrinath temple is the main attraction. Just behind the temple, one can see the magnificent Neelkanth Peak. Vasudhara fall is a picturesque place. Tapt Kund is a hot water spring. The water is quite hot. There is a natural bridge made of huge rocks. It is believed that it is a bridge made by legendry Bhima. Mana village, AlkaPuri, Mata Murti temple, the list of important places is quite long.

Festivals Celebrated At Badrinath Dham

The most important festival is the Badrikeshwar festival in June month. It is an 8-day long festival. Krishna Janmashtami is also celebrated with joy there.

Mata Murti Festival in September and GaucharMela in November are important festivals. After the Diwali celebrations, the temple is closed.

Badrinath Temple Architecture

Badrinath temple is built as per the North Indian style of architecture. It is made of stones. Walls and pillars contain carvings. There is a sabhamandap, darshanmandap, and garbhgriha. The height of the temple is 15 meters. The main “murti” is one meter high, made with black stone.

Accommodation

Badrinath Dham is one of the most popular Chardham yatra places in India. Therefore, thousands of people visit there every year. There has been a great development in the past few decades. One can find good accommodation facilities around the temple. It is advisable to book the rooms in advance. Several ashrams and dharmshalas also available where the rooms are charged at nominal rates.

Dwarka Dham

 

Dwarka Dham is the second temple of the famous Chardham yatra.

It is on the western tip of the Kathiawar in Gujarat. When Bhagwan Krishna left Braj in Uttar Pradesh, he made Dwarka the new capital. The temple was built by Bhagwan Krishna’s grandson at the cusp of the Arabian Sea and Gomtiriver.

Adi Shankaracharya founded the Peeth here.

Best Time To Visit

Though there is always a big crowd there, the best season to travel to Dwarka is from November to February. The climate is very comfortable and delightful during this time. Since it is a coastal area, rains are very heavy. However, many people visit there during the rainy season to celebrate Janmashtami, the birth of Bhagwan Shri Krishna.

How To Reach?

Dwarka is well-connected to major cities in India. The nearest airport is Jamnagar, which is 137 kilometers away. There are regular flights to Dwarka from Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports. Dwarka railway station is connected to the Ahmedabad-Okha rain route. Road connectivity to Dwarka is also good. A trip to Dwarka is an integral part of the Charismatic Chardham Yatra.

Timing For Dwarkadish Darshan

Morning Mangal Arti takes place from 6.30 to 7 in the morning. Darshan begins at 8 AM, and it continues till 1 PM. The temple remains closed for a short duration of 15 minutes for Shringar Bhog, Gwal Bhog, etc.

At 5 PM, the temple opens again, and darshan continues till 9.30 PM. There are short durations when the darshan remains closed during the sandhyabhog and Banta bhog.

Attraction In An Around Dwarka Dham

Besides the main temple, there are several places to see in Dwarka. Nageshwar temple is a beautiful place where you can see a huge murti of Bhagwan Shiva. Bhadkeshwar Mahadev is a small but beautiful temple near the sea. It is in a picturesque location. Sudama Bridge, GomtiGhat, and Swaminarayan Mandir are other important attractions.

Festivals Celebrated At Dwarkadhish Temple

Janmashtami is the biggest occasion in Dwarka.

Annakut Mahotsav on the next day of Deepawali is also an important festival. Tulsi Vivah is also celebrated with joy. Holi and Dhulendi in the month of Falgun are important festivals as there is a close connection between Holi and Bhagwan Shri Krishna.

Dwarka Dham Temple Architecture

Dwarkadhish Temple Architecture is very special. The structure is made of sand and limestones.

It is a five-storied structure with 72 pillars. The temple spire is 78 meters high. There are two entrances to the temple. The inner structure is 700 years old.

Accommodation

Dwarka is a popular religious place in India, where you can find good accommodations. Since people from all over the world come to Dwarka, you can get luxurious hotels with star ratings. Other than hotels, there are several dharmshalas in Dwarka. You can get rooms at reasonable rates.

Jagannath Puri

Origin And History Of Jagannath Puri

It is one of the most important and respected Vaishnava temples of Chardham yatra. Jagannath Temple was constructed by King Chodganga in the 10th Century. The original structure is believed to be ancient. The construction was completed in the 11th century.

Best Time To Visit

The best time to visit Jagannath Puri is anytime except during the rainy season. Since it is a coastal area, it experiences medium to heavy rainfall. March to May is the summer months in Puri. However, October to February is a good season because there is no scorching heat or humidity.

How To Reach?

Jagannath Puri is well connected to the major cities in India. Bhubaneshwar is the nearest airport, which is 56 kilometers from Puri. It has regular flights from Mumbai and Delhi. Puri is a big railway junction. There are several trains to Jagannath Puri from all corners of India. Road connectivity is also good.

Timing For Jagannath Darshan 

Jagannathpuri temple opens early in the morning at 5 AM. Mangalaarti is performed after opening the door. The temple remains open till midnight. In between, it remains closed during the afternoon from 1 PM to 4 PM. It is because deities rest during these three hours.

Attraction In An Around Jagannath Puri

Jagannath Puri temple is the prime attraction. Other than that, there are several places in and around Puri. Puri beach is very beautiful and clean. Markandeswara Temple, Konark sun temple, and Sakhigopal temple are important religious places. The world-famous Chilkalake is near Puri. Sudarshan Crafts Museum and Raghurajpur Artist Village are unique places that one must visit to see the rich art tradition of Odisha.

Jagannath Temple Architecture

Jagannath Temple is a big temple. It is spread across 37000 square meters. The height of the outer wall is 6.1 meters. The architecture is Oriya style. The main temple has a curvilinear shape with a chakra of Lord Vishnu on the top. It is called Nila Chakra. The tower of the temple is 65 meters tall.

Festivals Celebrated At JagannathPuri

Ratha Yatra is the most famous festival. There are 12 festivals celebrated in JagannathPuri temple. They are called “Dvadasa Yatra,” which means 12 yatras.

When the Autumnal Equinox begins (Karka Sankranti) , special rituals are performed. Deva Utthapana is observed on the Sukla Ekadasi of Kartika month. Makar Sankranti and Akshay Tritiya are other important festivals. When you are on Charismatic Chardham Yatra, the best thing is to visit during important events.

Accommodation

Jagannath Puri Temple has constructed several Bhakta Nivas (accommodations for devotees), where many air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned rooms and VIP suites are offered at reasonable rates. Nilachal Bhakta Niwas and Yatri Niwas are popular. Other than this, one can find many hotels in Jagannath Puri. From expensive Five-Star hotels to one-star hotels, the choices are many.  Tours And Travels in Mumbai can book accommodations while arranging the trip.

 

Rameshwaram

Origin And History Of Rameshwaram

There is a pre-historic reference to the Rameswaram temple in Ramayana. The temple was founded by Bhagwan Rama. As far as historical evidence is concerned, it goes back to the 9th Century. The temple was reconstructed and renovated many times. Rameshwaram holds a very important stature in India.

Best Time To Visit

Though the temple is crowded throughout the year, October to April is the best season. It is considered the peak season when many devotees come to Rameswaram. The climate is tropical. November to February is cool months. July to September is humid with average rainfall.

How To Reach?

Rameshwaram is well-connected to various parts of the country by road. The railway station is the Rameshwaram railway station, directly connected via a rail network. The nearest airport is Madurai Airport. It is around 150 kilometers from the city. Tuticorin Airport is also around 140 kilometers.

Timing For Rameshwaram Darshan 

Rameshwaram Temple remains open for two sessions, morning and evening. The timings in the morning are from 5 AM to 12 PM. In the evening, the temple remains open from 6 PM to 8.45 PM. The temple remains open seven days a week.

Attraction In An Around Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram is one of the 12th Jyotirlingas. Other than the main temple, Jada Tirtham is a unique place. Dhanushkodi is a must-see place in Rameshwaram. Gandhmadan Parvatam, or mountain, was carried by Hanuman on his shoulders. Rameshwaram makes the Charismatic Chardham Yatraspecial.

Rameshwaram temple Architecture.

Rameshwaram temple is spread over an area of 15 acres. It is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. There are long corridors around the temple. The ceilings, beams, and pillars are made using sandstone. Granite is used for the reconstruction of the temple. There is a Nandi Statue that measures 17 feet tall and 12 feet wide.

Festivals Celebrated At Rameshwaram

Mahashivratri is an important festival. It continues for 10 days. Thirukkalyanam is a festival celebrated in July and August. Navratri and Vijaya Dashami are two important festivals. KanthaSasthi is a six-day festival celebrated in October-November. AarudhiraDharshna is a 10-day festival in December and January months.

Accommodation

There are several accommodations available at Rameshwaram. Other than Bhakta Nivasa, one can find an array of hotels. From low-cost hotels to expensive five-star accommodations, the range is quite wide.