Char Dham Yatra & its significance!

Char Dham Yatra & its significance!

There is a belief among Hindus that pilgrimage to 'Char Dham' can take any person, be it man or woman, to heaven in the afterlife. Popularly known as 'Char Dham Yatra' among people, there are four places for pilgrimage located in the periphery of India, these are: Badrinath Dham, Dwarka Dham, Puri Dham and Rameswaram Dham. Adi Shankaracharya says that of these places, three are for Vaishnavites and one for Shaivites and one of them is a mixed place.

It was in the Garhwal Himalayas that Adi Shankaracharya left his body and departed for heaven. That is why ‘Char Dham’ pilgrimage is considered extremely important as this pilgrimage is becoming more and more fruitful with the passage of time. It is believed that as soon as he came in the proximity of God, he became one with Him, the truth of 'mind' or 'eternal heart', 'soul' or 'holy soul' and 'supreme soul' or 'primordial God residing within oneself' became clear. Who left an example to which the masses looked up for guidance and it is believed that God himself has blessed his devotees with the right to visit 'Char Dham' which will lead them towards positivity in good faith. These are also known as 'Chhota Char Dham' or 'Small' or 'Small' Char Dham, to create a distinct identity from the larger route of Char Dham sites, After the mid-20th century, these divine places of holy devotion have now come to be referred to as 'Char Dham'. These days, we give the title of 'Char Dham' to the four holy places of Himalayas which contain all the values. The 'Char Dham' is one of the most revered sites among Hindus who have an unshakable belief that they must visit the Char Dham at least once in their lifetime. There are four sites within the Himalayan range that are places of divine refuge called the Chota Char Dham (meaning small), which include: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri sites located in the foothills of the Himalayan range. As mentioned earlier, to differentiate them from the Char Dhams, the word 'Chhota' was added to these places located in the Himalayas.

The four religious sites located at Badrinath, Jagannath, Rameswaram and Dwarka are the places where devotees offer worship in the holy temples. There is a 'mark of distinction' about the location of the four monasteries situated in four different directions in India, as well as the temples where people come to worship, these are the Badrinath Temple (Badrinath) in the north, the Jagannath Temple (Puri) in the east, the Dwarkadhish Temple (Dwaraka) in the west and the Ramanathaswamy Temple (Rameswaram) in the south.

This religious understanding that perfect peace and harmony are as important as other factors in one's life inspires many devotees to visit the holy places often referred to as the 'Char Dham'. Every year thousands of people come to visit these holy places with an inner desire to seek blessings of the gods.