Char Dham Yatra Tour Package by Tifa Holidays (New York, NY)

Char Dham Yatra Tour Package by Tifa Holidays

In simple terms Char Dham conveys the presence of four sacred abodes. But it has a got a great significance in Hindu religion. Char Dham originally used to refer to a pilgrimage circuit encompassing four holiest sites which were located at four directions of India Badrinath Puri Rameshwaram and Dwarka. They were established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century AD. A relatively smaller circuit of Hindu pilgrimage is formed by the four hallowed places of Indian Himalayas which are also known as Chota Char Dham. Chota means small in Hindi. Alternately called Char Dham of Himalayas or Char Dham of Uttarakhand the revered group possesses four sacred sites Badrinath Kedarnath Gangotri and Yamnotri. There are three major sects in Hinduism Shaivism Vaishnavism and Shaktism. The Char Dham of India consists of three Vishnava locations (Dwarka Badrinath and Puri) and one Shaiva (Rameshwaram).Hindu pilgrimage circuit of Indian Himalayas represents all the primary cults by having two Shakta sites (Yamunotri and Gangotri) one Vaishnava site (Badrinath) and one Shaiva site (Kedarnath). Adi Shankaracharya who has been credited with the creation of the four holiest abodes in India is believed to have attained freedom from his bodily form in Kedarnath. Land of Uttarakhand is also known as Dev Bhumi (Land of Gods) because of the various tales of divine beings finding its permanent home in the ever flowing rivers river confluences shrines rocks caves and most importantly in people s faith.ItineraryDay 1 Delhi Haridwar (230 kms 6-7hrs)Arrival Delhi Airport Railway Station Hotel Meet & Assist further drive to Haridwar. Later drive to Haridwar transfer to your Hotel. Visit Har-ki-Pauri for Ganga Aarti in evening. Back to your hotel Night halt. Haridwar lying at the feet of Shiva s hills i.e. Shivaliks in the Haridwar district of Uttaranchal Pradesh is a doorway. Suryavanshi prince Bhagirath performed penance here to salvage the souls of his ancestors who had perished due to the curse of sage Kapila. The penance was answered and the river Ganga trickled forth forms Lord Shiva s locks and its bountiful water revived the sixty thousand sons of king Sagara. In the traditional of Bhagirath devout Hindus stand in the sacred waters here praying for salvation of their departed elder. It is doorway to the sources of the Ganga and the Yamuna 3000 to 4500 meters up into the snowy ranges of the central Himalayas . The Aarti worship of the Ganga after sunset and the floating dia (lamp) is a moving ritualDay 2 Haridwar Uttarkashi (190kms 6-7hr)Morning visit Haridwar Sight Seeing. Later drive to Uttarkashi. Check in Hotel Later at evening visit Vishwanath Temple. Over Night stay in hotel . Uttarkashi Situated at the bank of river Bhagirathi. The temple of Lord Vishwanath is located here where a massive iron trident is erected.Day 3 Uttarkashi Gangotri Uttarkashi (100kms 3-4 each side)We proceed to Gangotri (3048 mts) enroute we enjoy picturesque Harsil village Bhagirathi River and the most magnificent view of the Himalayas . After Gangotri Darshan we return to Uttarkashi. Oernight stay at Uttarkashi. Gangotri Temple The temple constructed by the Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa in the 18th Century is situated on the right bank of Bhagirathi. Submerged Shivling Submerged in the river this natural rock Shivling is the place where according to mythology Lord Shiva sat when he received the Ganga in his matted lock. It is visible in winter months when water level decreases. Kedar Ganga Sangam Around 100 Yards from the Ganga Temple flows the river Kedar Ganga. Starting from the Kedar Valle this river meets the Bhagirathi on its left bankDay 4 Uttarkashi Guptkashi (220kms 8-9hr)Early morning drive straight to Guptkashi. Check in Hotel night stay.Day 5 Guptkashi Kedarnath Guptakashi (35kms by road )Covered peaks. The present temple built in the 8th century by AdiShankaracharya stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. Morning drive to Gaurikund. On arrival Gaurikund start your journey on the tough Trek ahead. arrive by afternoon on arrival. After freshening up perform Pooja and also Darshan at Shri Kedarnathji. In the evening trek down to Gaurikund& return to Sitapur by JeepDay 6 Guptkashi Joshimath (160kms 6-7Hrs)Morning leave for Joshimath..Enruote visit Devprayag arrive Joshimath. Later visit Badrinath Temple There are other interesting sight seeing spot like Mana Vyas Gufa Maatamoorti Charanpaduka Bhimkund and the Mukh of the Saraswati River . Just within the three kms of Badrinathjee. Overnight stay.TaptKund Natural thermal springs on the bank of the river Alaknanda where it is customary to bathe before entering the Badrinath temple.NaradKund A recess in the river near TaptKund forming a pool from where the Badrinath idol was recovered.Mata Murty Temple Devoted to the mother of Sri Badrinathji. Other important temples include SeshNetra Temple Urvashi Temple and Charanpaduka.Mana Village Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe it is the last Indian village before Tibet.BhimPul On the other side of Mana village a massive rock forming a natural bridge lies over the roaring Saraswati River. It presents a spectacular view of water thundering down through the narrow passage under the rock and is believed to have been placed there by Bhim the second eldest among the five Pandava brothers.Day 7 Joshimath Badrinath - Joshimath (35kms one side)Early morning pilgrims after having a bath in the Taptkund have the Darshan of Badrivishal. Brahamakapal is significant for Pinddan Shraddh of ancestors (Pitrus). Later drive back to Joshimath Pipalkoti Kirtinagar. Check in Hotel. Overnight stay. Joshimath is situated on the slopes above the confluence of Alaknanda and Dhauliganga. Of the four Maths established by Adi Shankaracharya Joshimath is in the Badrinath to Joshimath and installed in the temple for people to worship. There are many temples in the township most important is the temple of Nir Singh in commotion of Lord Vishnu. The left arm of this deity is with time and the popular belief holds that the day the the arm completely withers Badrinath valley will cease to exist and the Gods will transfer the residence into the neighboring Niti Valley at Bhavishya Badri.Day 8 Joshimath Badrinath Pauri Garhwal-(180Kms 6-7Hrs)Early morning pilgrims after having a bath in the Taptkund have the Darshan of Badrivishal. Brahamakapal is significant for Pinddan Shraddh of ancestors (Pitrus). Later drive back to Joshimath to Kirtinagar. Check in Hotel. Over night stayDay 9 Pauri Garhwal- Rishikesh (120kms 4-5 Hrs)Morning after breakfast drive for Haridwar.. Evening Early morning visit Narsingh Temple & Shankracharaya Math. Later Drive back to Rishikesh. Check in Hotel. Overnight stay. Rishikesh the place of sages is a celebrated spiritual town on the bank of Ganga and is surrounded by Shivalik range of the Himalayas on three sides. It is said that when Raibhya Rishi did hard penances God appeared by the name of Hrishikesh and this area hence firth came to be known as Rishikesh. Temples & Sight Seeing Laxman Jhulla Ram Jhulla Triveni Ghat Bharat Mandir Shivananda Ashram Parmarth AshramDay 10 Rishikesh Haridwar Delhi (250kms 7-8hr)Drive back to Delhi . On Arr. Delhi transfer to Railway Station Airports www.tifaholidays.com st_tour char-dham-yatra-tour-package