India Char Dham Yatra

Chardham Yatra is a combination of four most sacred religious destinations for Hindus in India including Badrinath Ji & Kedarnath Ji in the Majestic Himalayas in the holy state of Uttarakhand. The Chardham has been the destination of thousands of Hindu pilgrims for Centuries. It is said that the journey to these four holy destinations will not only wash away the sins, that the person has committed in his life, but also will relieve him from the circles of birth and death. The Chardham (or the four sacred places in India) includes Badrinath & Kedarnath in North, Dwarka in West, Rameshwaram in South and Puri in East.

Day 01: Arrive Delhi/ Haridwar (225Kms & 5-6hrs drive)
Arrive Delhi in the morning.

Delhi is the capital of India- the largest democratic and 2nd most populous country in the world and the city has seen its rise and fall several times. New Delhi is the 8th city built by British. Delhi is famous for its beautiful monuments built by different emperors, which can be seen during the city tour.

You will be well received on your arrival at the Delhi airport and drive towards Haridwar.

Haridwar is one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimage destinations in India, picturesquely located by the bank of holy river Ganga in the holy state of Uttarakhand. River Ganga is also referred as 'Mother Ganga' by the Hindu community. It is an important point and gateway to the famous pilgrimage of the Himalayas call “Chardham Yatra or Chardham Pligrimage”. Char means “four” and Dham means “sacred places”. These four sacred destinations are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. People from across the globe come here to seek spirituality. The name 'Haridwar' means 'Gateway to God'. Haridwar is more popular for 'Kumbh Mela', the largest fair in human history, which is held here at the interval of every 12 years.

Arrive Haridwar and check into your hotel.

Later, proceed to visit the famous Har Ki Pauri, which is one of the most sacred ghats in India. People say that this ghat was built by Vikramaditya in memory of his brother Bhartrihari. This ghat is also known as Brahmakund.
Dinner & overnight in Haridwar.

Day 02: Haridwar/ Guptakashi (210Kms & 9- 10hrs drive)
After breakfast at hotel, drive towards Guptakashi.

Guptakashi is a small town with colorful scenery and incredible landscape popular for its Ardh Narishwar (half man & half woman) temple. 
Arrive Guptakashi and check into your hotel.
Dinner & overnight in Guptakashi. 

Day 03: Guptakashi/ Gaurikund (37Kms & 2hrs drive) & Gaurikund/ Kedarnath (14Kms Trek & 5- 6hrs Time)
After breakfast at hotel, drive towards Gaurikund (37kms & 2hrs drive).

Arrive Gaurikund and start your trek towards Kedarnath.

Kedarnath is a holy Hindu town located in the Garhwal Himalayas in the Holy state of Uttarakhand in North India at an altitude of 3584mtr above sea level. Kedarnath is one of the holiest Hindu temples and is one of the four important sites in the Chardham pilgrimage. Nestled in the majestic snowcapped Himalayan mountains, Kedarnath is the abode of Lord Shiva and the temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Kedarnath is named in honor of King Kedar who ruled in the Satya Yuga, who had a daughter named Vrinda- was a partial incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. She performed austerities for 60000 years. In her honour, the land is named Vrindavan. However, Kedarnath and its temple exist since the Mahabharata Era when the 5 Pandhavas were supposed to have pleased Lord Shiva by doing penance there. Lord Shiva forgave their sins and blessed them and allowed them to worship him at Kedarnath. The arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar and his locks (hair) with head at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above mentioned shrines are known as Panch Kedar. The nearest road head is Gaurikund, from where one can reach Kedarnath on foot or on Horseback or Dandies or Ponies. Kedarnath temple opens in the Mid May and closes on Yama Dwitiya (second day after Diwali in November each year. During this time, the idols are shifted to village Ukhimath and the temple re-opens in May.

Arrive Kedarnath and check in to your hotel.

Later, visit The Kedarnath Ji Temple, which is an exquisite example of stone work. It houses the lingam, a symbol of the Hindu God Lord Shiva. The temple is nestled in the mountain landscape that is surrounded by mighty Himalayan peaks over 6000mtr in elevation. Behind the shrine lies Adi Shankaracharya's samadhi, where he is believed to have taken rest after establishing the four dhams (holy pilgrimage sites) at an early age of 32years. Also visit an ancient Bhairav Temple.
Dinner & Overnight in Kedarnath.

Day 04: Kedarnath/ Gaurikund (14Kms Back Trek & 5-6hrs Time) & Gaurikund/ Guptakashi (37Kms & 2hrs drive)
After morning Darshan of Kedarnath Ji, trek downward to Gaurikund.

Arrive Gaurikund and drive towards Guptakahi.

Arrive Guptakashi and check into your hotel.
Dinner & overnight in Guptakashi.

Day 05: Guptakashi/ Badrinath Ji (250Kms & 6- 7hrs drive)
After early breakfast at hotel, drive towards Badrinath.

Badrinath is one the important Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Alaknanda. It is located in the Garhwal Himalayas in the Holy state of Uttarakhand in North India at an altitude of 3,415mtr above the sea level. It is the most important of the four sites in India's Chardham pilgrimage. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560mtr). Badrinath temple is the abode of Lord Vishnu and has been mentioned as a holy place in legends for thousands of years. There is a “Tapt Kund", a holy bath refreshing all travelers facing the temple at the bank of the river Alakananda. The temple remains closed during the winters. Badrinath's closing date is decided upon by priests on the occasion of "Vijaya Dashmi'' (Dussehra) and the opening day on the occasion of "Basant Panchami'' every year. During winter, the "Utsav Moorti'' of Lord Badrinath is worshipped in Narsimha temple at Joshimath and the one-metre-high finely sculpted black stone idol of Badri Vishal seated in a meditative pose (padmasan) is not shifted from the shrine.

Arrive Badrinath and check in to your hotel.
In the afternoon, you can visit Badrinath Temple (Adi Shankaracharya Ji), Tapt Kund And Surya Kund, Mata Murti Mandir, Bheempul, Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa, Bhimpul and Vasundhara Falls.

Also visit Mana Village- 4Kms inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is the last Indian village before Tibet on this route on the India China border.

In the evening attend the evening Aarti. 
Dinner & overnight in Badrinath. 

Day 06: Badrinath/ Haridwar (315kms & 10-11hrs drive) & Haridwar/ Delhi- Overnight Train
After early morning arti at temple and breakfast at hotel, drive towards Haridwar via Devprayag.

Devprayag is the confluence of river Alaknanda and Bhagirathi and from here onwards, the river is called “Ganga”.

Continue drive towards Haridwar.

Arrive Haridwar in the evening and after dinner at local restaurant, transfer to Haridwar railway station to board overnight Train- Dehradun New Delhi AC Express (0040/ 0505) to Delhi.
Overnight on board (2 Tier AC Sleeper).

Day 07: Arrive Delhi/ Jamnagar- Fly & Jamnagar/ Dwarka (150Kms & 4-5hrs drive)
Arrive New Delhi railway station @ 0505hrs and transfer to airport to board Air India flight AI 665 (0800/ 1010) to Mumbai.

Arrive Mumbai and connect Air India flight AI 647 (1100/ 1200) to Jamnagar.

Arrive Jamnagar and drive towards Dwarka.

The sacred town of Dwarka is one of the main centers of the Krishna legend, sits on the western most tip of the Gujarat peninsula, a sentinel overlooking the Arabian Sea. Dwarka is one of the seven most ancient cities in the country and one of the four most sacred places (one of the chardhams) in India. The modern city of Dwarka is located in the Jamnagar District of Gujarat state. The city lies in the westernmost part of India. Dwarka is a relatively flat region at sea level, having an average elevation of 0 meters.

Arrive Dwarka and check into your hotel.

In the evening, proceed to visit Dwarakadheesh Temple etc.

The present temple was built from 6th to 7th century, while the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's great grandson, King Vajra. The 5-storied temple is made of limestone and sand. A flag is hoisted in the temple tower five times each day. There are two gateways- Swarga Dwar, where pilgrims enter, and Moksha Dwar, where pilgrims exit. From the temple one can view the Sangam (confluence) of River Gomati flowing towards the sea.

In Dwaraka, there are also shrines for Vasudeva, Devaki, Balaramaand Revati, Subhadra, Rukmini Devi, Jambavati Devi and Satyabhama Devi. There is a special temple for Rukmini Devi on the way to the Bet Dwarka temple. Bet Dwarka, a similar deity to Lord Dwarakanath, is also kept in Bet Dwaraka. The temple of Bet Dwarka can be reached by boat. The temple has many shrines for Lakshmi Narayana, Trivikrama, Jambavati Devi, Satyabhama Devi and Rukmini Devi. The city derives its name from word dvar, meaning door or gate in Sanskrit. Dwarka is considered to be one of the holiest cities in Hinduism and one of the Char Dham along with Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram. The city is especially respected by Vaishnavas. The Jagatmandir temple, which houses the Dwarkadhish, a form of Krishna, is also located in Dwaraka. Nageshvara Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 holy shrines of Shiva, is located near Dwaraka. Dwarka is also the site of Dvaraka Pitha, one of the four cardinal mathas established by Adi Shankara, the others being those at Shringeri, Puri and Jyotirmath.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel in Dwarka.

Day 08: Dwarka/ Jamnagar (150Kms & 4-5hrs drive) & Jamnagar/ Mumbai/ Madurai- Fly
After breakfast at hotel, drive towards Jamnagar.

Arrive Jamnagar and transfer to airport to board Air India flight AI 648 (1235/ 1340) to Mumbai.
Arrive Mumbai and connect JetKonnect flight S2 5082 (1510/ 1715) to Chennai.
Arrive Chennai and connect JetKonnect flight S2 3723 (1820/ 1940) to Madurai.

Arrive Madurai and transfer to hotel.

In the evening, you can visit the great Meenakshi Temple, dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering Gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country side).
Dinner & Overnight at hotel in Madurai.

Day 09: Madurai/ Rameshwaram (170Kms & 4-5hrs drive)
After breakfast at hotel, drive towards Rameshwaram.

Rameswaram is a town in the Ramanathapuram district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 50Kms from Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It is situated in the Gulf of Mannar, at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, is connected to mainland India by the Pamban Bridge. Rameswaram is the terminus of the railway line from Chennai and Madurai. Together with Varanasi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. According to legend, this is the place from where the Hindu god Lord Rama built a bridge, across the sea to Lanka to rescue his consort Sita from her abductor Ravana. The Ramanathaswamy Temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva is located at the centre of the town and is closely associated with Rama. The temple along with the town is considered a holy pilgrimage site for both Shaivites and Vaishnavites.

Arrive Rameshwaram and check into your hotel.

In the afternoon, proceed to visit the main temple- Ramanathaswamy Temple.

The Ramanathaswamy Temple is the most notable historic landmark of the town. Located in the centre of town, Ramanathaswamy Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva. The temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines, where Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlinga meaning "pillar of light". It is also one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalam temples and is glorified in hymns by the three of the most revered Nayanar saints (7th century Saivite saints), Appar, Sundarar and Tirugnana Sambandar. The temple in its current structure was built during the 12th century by Pandya Dynasty. The temple has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India. The breadth of these columned corridors varies from 17 to 21 feet with a height of 25 feet. Each pillar is sculpted in Nayak style as in Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. The contribution of the kings of the Sethupathy dynasty (17th century) to the temple was considerable. Large amount of money was spent during the tenure of Pradani Muthirulappa Pillai towards the restoration of the pagodas which were falling into ruins- the Chockattan Mantapam or the cloistered precincts of the temple was reconstructed by him. The rulers of Sri Lanka contributed to the temple- Parakrama Bahu (1153- 1186 CE) was involved in the construction of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The eastern tower and shrine of Nataraja were built by Dalavai Sethupathy in 1649 CE. The second enclosure is ascribed to Chinna Udayar Sethupathy and his son Ragunatha Thirumalai (1500–1540 CE). The third enclosure was constructed by Muthu Ramalinga Sethupathy (1725–1771 CE) - his statue is located in the entrance of the corridor.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel in Rameshwaram.

Day 10: Rameshwaram/ Madurai (170Kms & 4-5hrs drive) & Madurai/ Chennai- Overnight Train
After breakfast at hotel, visit the temple.

In the afternoon, drive towards Madurai.

Arrive Madurai and transfer to Madurai railway station to board overnight Train- KANYAKUMARI EXPRESS (2150/ 0650*) to Chennai.
Overnight on board (2 Tier AC Sleeper).

Day 11: Arrive Chennai/ Bhubaneshwar- Fly & Bhubaneshwar/ Puri (65Kms & 2-3hrs drive)
Arrive Chennai in the morning @ 0650hrs.

You will be well received on your arrival at Chennai railway station and transfer to Chennai airport to board Jet Konnect flight S2 5006 (0955/ 1325) to Bhubaneshwar.

Arrive Bhubaneshwar and drive straight to Puri.

Puri is a city and the district headquarters of Puri district in the state of Odisha, eastern India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal, 65Kms south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 11th century Jagannath Temple located in the city. Puri is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages. According to Hindu teachings, a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not considered complete without a journey to Puri. Puri, the holy land of Lord Jagannath, has many names. It is mentioned in Puranas as Srikshetra, Shankhakshetra, Neelāchala, Neelādri, Purusottama Dhāma, Purusottama Kshetra, Purusottama Puri and Jagannath Puri. The word "Puri" in Sanskrit means 'town', or 'city' and is cognate with polis in Greek. It is possible that Puri is a shortened name for Jagannath Puri or Purusottama Puri. In some records pertaining to the British rule, the word 'Jagannath' was used for Puri. It is the only shrine in India, where Radha, along with Lakshmi, Durga, Sati, Parvati, and Shakti abodes with Krishna, also known as Jagannath. Puri is also famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or "Festival of Chariots", when the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, are brought out of the temple, and placed in a chariot procession. This festival occurs on various dates of the Gregorian calendar, typically in the month of July. This year the Rata Yatra will held from 10th - 18th July’13.

Arrive Puri and check into your hotel.

In the afternoon, proceed to visit the Temple of Lord Jagannath, built during the 12th century A.D. by Chodaganga Deva dominates the landscape for kilometers around. Being the tallest temple (65 metres) in Orissa, it is one of the most magnificent pieces of monuments of India. In front of the main gate stands a 16 sided monolithic pillar (11 metres high), called Aruna Stambha which formally stood in front of the Sun Temple and was brought to Puri during the 18th century A.D. Some of the other important temples are Gundicha, Lokanath, Sunaragauranga, Daria Mahabir and Tota Gopinatt. There are also a number of holy tanks like Narendra, Markandeya, Sweta Ganga and Indradyumna. There are many monasteries locally known as Mathas also of tourist interest.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel in Puri.

Day 12: Puri/ Bhubaneshwar (120Kms & 3hrs drive) & Bhubaneshwar/ Varanasi- Overnight Train
After early breakfast at hotel, drive towards Bhubaneshwar.

Arrive Bhubaneshwar and transfer to railway station to board BHUBANESHWAR RAJDHANI (0915/ 0120*) to Mughal Sarai.

Chardham Yatra is incomplete without Varanasi, hence visit Varanasi after visiting Chardham…
Overnight on Board (2 Tier AC Sleeper)

Day 13: Arrive Varanasi
Arrive Mughal Sarai railway station @ 0120hrs.

You will be well received on your arrival at Mughal Sarai railway station and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Varanasi.

Day 14: Varanasi/ Delhi- Overnight Train
After breakfast at hotel, proceed for boat ride on the holy river Ganges to see the bathing Ghats. You can take a holy dip in to the Ganges.

You can see people taking holy bath in the river Ganges a nd Brahmin priest offering Puja to river Ganges. Hindus regard the Ganges as “Amrita”- the elixir of life, which brings purity to the living and salvation to the dead. The life on the Ghats bound to an endless rituals. One can also observe cremations “burning of dead bodies” by the bank of river Ganges. Ganga water is so pure that one can keep it for months without any bacteria.

Later, disembark from the boat and proceed to city tour, visiting Kashi Vishwanath Temple, is the most important religious site in the city- dedicated to Lord Shiva. Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman- theMonkey God. Sankat Mochan in Hindi means reliverer from troubles. Bharat Mata Temple is dedicated to ‘Mother India’. It was inaugurated by none other than Mahatama Gandhi- the ‘Father of the Nation’ in 1936.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Varanasi railway station to board overnight train- Shiv Ganga Express (1915/ 0740*) to Delhi.
Overnight on Board (2 Tier AC Sleeper)

Day 15: Arrive Delhi/ Fly Back Home
Arrive New Delhi railway station @ 0740hrs and transfer to hotel, where a room will be blocked for wash & change.

Breakfast at hotel and rest of the morning at leisure.

Later, you will be well transferred to Delhi airport to board your flight back home with sweet memories of your Chardham Yatra with Dependable Travel Solutions (India) !!

***END OF THE TOUR***