What is Chardham Yatra? It is a familiar term for all Hindus. But why is it so important in the Hindu faith?

God is a deeply personal and familiar concept for the Hindus. Hinduism describes God in many ways – as a being present everywhere, and a being who can take upon human forms and come to the mortal world as and when needed. He is worshipped in a variety of ways – through symbols, scriptures, and prayers. Throughout history, various sacred symbols have been placed in locations that have made them significant and holy for all Hindus, who consider them to be a way to feel closer to God.

Of all these sacred locations, one of the most important groups is the Chardham, and the journey through all of them is called the Chardham Yatra.

The Char Dham (The Four Homes of the Divine) are four sacred places that are considered the most holy in Hinduism. These four locations were defined by Adi Shankaracharya, who established four mathas here during his foot journey across India to enable the rise of Vedic Hinduism after the degradation of Hinduism after repeated foreign invasions.

The four locations are as follows:

• Badrinath in Chamoli, Uttarakhand
• Dwarka in Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat
• Puri in Puri, Odisha
• Rameshwaram in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu

Each of these locations is considered to represent the essence of each of the four Vedas, which are some of the central scriptures of Hinduism.

The locations are also considered to represent the yugas, and these are described as follows according to the history and Puranas:

1. Badrinath is considered to represent Satyuga, where the Hindu sage brothers Nara and Narayana performed intense worship.
2. Rameshwaram is considered to represent Tretayuga, where Lord Ram is said to have installed the shiva lingam to atone for killing the demon king Ravana, who was the son of a Brahmin.
3. Dwarka is considered to represent Dwaparyuga, where Lord Krishna created his city Dwarka.
4. Puri is considered to represent Kaliyuga, where Lord Vishnu is said to reside in his form for this yuga, Lord Jagannatha (Lord of the Universe).

The locations which are included in the Chardham Yatra are as follows:

The temple in Badrinath is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, in his avatar as the sage brothers Nara and Narayana. According to Mahabharata, these sage brothers incarnated as Arjuna and Lord Krishna during Dwaparyuga. It is said that while performing intense worship here, Nara and Narayan were shielded from rain and harsh sunlight by Goddess Lakshmi. She took the form of a tree bearing Badri fruits, hence making her husband Badrinath or Badrinarayan.

The temple is located in the Chanoli district of Uttarakhand. It is said that Adi Shankaracharya discovered an idol of Lord Badrinarayan made out of the stone of Shaligram. This idol is considered extremely holy and a form of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism, particularly in the Vaishnava Sampradaya. He installed the idol in a cave, and the King of Gharwal installed the same idol in the temple as we know it today in the 16^th century.

The temple is located in the Gulf of Mannar, at the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is considered one of the holiest sites in Hinduism next to Varanasi. This temple is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, an important part of Shaivism, a Hindu sect that centrally worships Lord Shiva.

Rameshwaram means the ‘Lord of Ram’ in Sanskrit. According to Ramayana, Lord Ram installed the shivlinga here to perform worship and ask for forgiveness from Lord Shiva for killing Ravana, the demon king who was the son of a Brahmin and also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. The shivlinga was created by Devi Sita herself. Lord Ram created the bridge to Lanka from near the location of the shivlinga itself. It is said that his footprints can still be found here.

There are 64 tirthas or holy places in and around Rameshwaram temple, bathing in which is considered to be a very important and pious ritual for devotees.

• The most important one is the Agni Tirtham. Here, Jatayu’s wings fell after being cut off by Ravana while he was abducting Sita.
• The Viloondi Tirtham is where Lord Ram dipped his bow into the sea.
• Other major sites include the Hanuman Tirtham, Lakshman Tirtham, and Sugriva Tirtham.

The temple is located on the westernmost coast of India, the Gulf of Kutch. It is considered one of the Sapta Puri, seven holy sites of pilgrimage in India. It is the city that was constructed by the divine architect Vishvakarma at the request of Lord Krishna. This is where Lord Krishna is said to have settled down after defeating his maternal uncle and demon king Kansa.

Lord Krishna is said to have claimed 12 yojanas of land (19 square kilometers) from the sea for the creation of this city, which is often said to be the first capital of Gujarat due to its significance for the people.

Much of the city in the modern day is submerged underwater and was discovered after many scientific expeditions. Dwarka is a prominent hub for spirituality and tourism in Gujarat due to its rich history and cultural significance. Here, Lord Krishna is primarily worshipped with his wife Goddess Rukmini in the Rukmini-Dwarikadhish Temple. There are many other temples of Goddesses like Radha, Jambavati, Satyabhama, Lakshmi, etc. Both sets of Lord Krishna’s parents are worshipped here.

Dwarka is a part of the ‘Krishna Pilgrimage Circuit’. These are all the locations that have been described as a part of Lord Krishna’s life in the Puranas. These include Vrindavan, Mathura, Barsana, Gokul, Govardhan, Kurukshetra, and Puri.

Jagannath Puri, or simply Puri, is located in Odisha on the eastern side of India. It is one of the temples that survived and flourished even after repeated invasions from foreign rulers. Lord Vishnu’s avatar Lord Krishna is worshipped here in the form of Jagannatha (The Lord of the Universe). He is worshipped here along with the deities of Lord Balbhadra (his elder brother) and Devi Subhadra (his sister). Puri is where the Govardhan Matha is located, established by Adi Shankaracharya.

Perhaps one of India’s most colourful and divine spots for bhakti, Puri is known worldwide for its Ratha Yatra. This event lasts for over a week. The three deities are placed in three chariots hand-pulled by devotees to the Gundicha Temple, which Rani Gundicha, a great devotee of Lord Jagannatha, built.

The idols are kept there for a week, after which they are returned to the main temple. It is a massive celebration that all devotees look forward to each year. Many rules and regulations govern it according to the scriptures and ancient practices.

There is a smaller but equally well-known pilgrimage circuit in Uttarakhand known as the Chhota Chardham. It has four locations within Uttarakhand – Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

The original Chardham yatra consists mainly of Vaishnav sites and only one Shiva temple. The smaller pilgrimage circuit rose to popularity as it consisted of locations that are important to all three major sects of Hinduism in India – Gangotri and Yamunotri for Devi worshippers, Kedarnath for Lord Shiva’s worshippers, and Badrinath for Lord Vishnu’s worshippers.

The Chardham Yatra was designed by Adi Shankaracharya with one purpose in mind – to unite all the Hindus across India, and make them realize that they all worship the same divinity in different forms. Rituals for this yatra were designed so that they would create faith and harmony in the hearts of all devotees.

The Chardhaam Yatra is a path that not only unites the devotees across the country but unites the devotees with God as well.

Ananya Akruwala

More by Ananya Akruwala:

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