Essence of Char Dham Yatra: It washes away all sins and opens door of “Moksha”
Life cycle is not complete without Char Dham Yatra
The Char Dham is defined by the Pandavas in the Mahabharata as “Badrinath”, “Kedarnath”, “Gangotri” and “Yamunotri”. The Pandavas believed that it could cleanse people’s sins and can open door of Moksha.The land of god called Dev Bhumi give us the spiritual and glorious chance to do Char Dham Yatra.
Char Dham are the names of four pilgrimage sites in India that are widely revered by Hindus. It comprises
Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. It is belived by Hindus that one should at least once visit Char Dham during one’s lifetime.
The Char Dham defined by Adi Shankaracharya consists of four Vaishnavite pilgrimages.The ancient pilgrimages sites in the Indian state of Uttarakhand viz. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath were known as Chota Char Dham.
Related : Char Dham Yatra to begin today
The char dhams are:
1. Puri:- Puri is located in the state of Odisha, India. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the country. It is situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The main deity is Shri Krishna, celebrated as Lord Jagannatha. It is the only shrine in India, where goddess, Subhadra, sister of Lord Krishna is worshipped along with her brothers, Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balabhadra. The main temple here is about 1000 years old and was constructed by Raja Choda Ganga Deva and Raja Tritiya Ananga Bhima Deva. Puri is the site of the Govardhana Matha, one of the four cardinal institutions or Mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya. Brahma, Vishnu & Maheswara three are together in all-time every place. In Kali yuga Sreemandir as jagannath temple in Puri. Jagannath-Vishnu, Balabhadra-Maheswara & Subhadra-Brahma. This is the plume for Oriya people to celebrate a special day in this Dham which is known as Ratha Yatra (“Chariot Festival”).
2. Rameswaram:- Rameswaram located in the South is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This is the place where Lord Ram along with his brother Laxman and devotee Hanuman built a bridge (Rama setu) to reach Sri lanka to rescue his wife Sita who had been abducted earlier by Ravan, the ruler of Sri Lanka. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva occupies a major area of Rameswaram. It is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Banaras is incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The presiding deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
3. Dwarka:- Dwarka located in the west is in the state of Gujarat. The city derives its name from the word “dvar” meaning door or gate in the Sanskrit language. It is located confluence to where the Gomti River merges into the Arabian Sea. However, this river Gomti is not the same Gomti River which is tributary of Ganga River The city lies in the westernmost part of India. The legendary city of Dwaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area.
4. Badrinath:- Badrinath is located in the state of Uttarakhand. It is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560 m).
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