Char Dham means Four Dhams i.e. Four religious places. Char
Dham in Uttarakhand is a collective term used for religous circuit covering Holy
hindu pilgrimage centres of Badarinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. All four
temple shrines are located in Garhwal Himalayas range of Uttarakhand.
Teen Dham Yatra is visiting only three (3) pilgrimages out
of Char Dhams of Uttarakhand. Reasons can be many like: accessibility, less number
of leaves, one of the Dhams already visited, etc. Popular 3 Dham Yatra package are
in the form of Yamunotri - Gangotri - Kedarnath Yatra or Badrinath - Kedarnath -
Gangotri Yatra with a small time duration of 7 to 10 days.
On the right bank of alaknanda lies the sacred spot perched
at an altitude of 3,133 meters above the sea level.It is one the most important dham
and the only temple which is part of both "Char Dhaam of India" and "Char Dham
Yatra".
Kedarnath temple is one of the Holiest Pilgrimage Center in
northern India, located on the head of Mandakini river.The mountainscapes of the
majestic Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve ‘ Jyotirlingas’ of Lord shiva.
Lying at an altitude of 3.581 mts.
The picturesque pilgrimage in the hinter lands of the
Himalayas is the most sacred spot where Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth for
the first time According to mythology, Goddess Ganga – the daughter of heaven,
manifested.Gangotri temple opens on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya which is
fall in the month of May and closes on Bhai Duj.
Yamunotri is located at an altitude of 3293 metres above sea
level, in the Garhwal Himalaya about 40 km away from Barkot.The first stopover for
the Char Dham Yatra is the westernmost shrine of Yamunotri in the Garhwal Himalayas.