CHAR DHAM: HOLY PLACES OF HINDU PILGRIMAGES

Char Dham revered as one of the most sacred pilgrimages in the world (Devanagari: चार धाम) (literally: ‘the four abodes/seats’) are the names of four pilgrimage places in India that are widely revered by Hindus. They are: Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, and Rameswaram.

Ganga, Yamuna, Vishnu, and the mighty Shiva exist in their purest incarnations up there, and for a Hindu, it is the closest one can come to experience heavenly bliss.

1       Badrinath 

Badrinath or Badri Narayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu which is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. pilgrimage sites. Hindus believe that visiting these temples will wash away their sins and help them attain moksha 

2       Dwarka     

Temple of Lord Krishna, located in the West is in the state of Gujarat, India.

Dwarkadhish Temple (Jagat Mandir), is believed to have been established more than 2500 years ago by Lord Krishna’s great-grandson, Vajranabh. The temple has two gates – Swarg Dwar in the south and Moksha Dwar in the north.

3       Puri  

Temple of Lord Jagannath, located in the East is in the state of Odisha, India. Adi Shankaracharya established the Govardhana Peetha at Jagannath Puri. Some  Divine Facts: The flag always flaps in a direction opposite to the direction in which the wind is blowing. Gaze from any place in Puri, and you will always find the Sudarshan Charka (charka at the top of the temple) always facing you. Normally during the daytime, the wind blows from the sea to the land and in the evening, the opposite happens. But in Puri, the opposite happens. Birds or planes do not fly above the temple. The shadow of the main dome is invisible at any time of day. The quantity of cooked food inside the temple remains the same the entire year. And the same prasadam can feed whatever be the number of devotees – a few thousand people or 20 lakh, people. It never gets wasted. In the temple kitchen, seven pots are kept on top of each other and cooked on firewood. In this process, the contents in the top pot get cooked first, lastly, the bottommost one! On entering from Singhadwara, as one takes the first step inside the Temple, you can’t hear any sound produced by the ocean. But when you cross the same step outside the Temple, you can hear it.

4       Rameswaram    

Temple of Lord Shiva, located in the South is in the state of Tamil Nadu, India

Adi Shankaracharya propagated the idea of Hinduism through Advaita Vedanta and the town of Rameshwaram stands as a testimony of his faith. One of the four pilgrimage places, Char Dham of India, 

Adi Shankaracharya propagated the idea of Hinduism through Advaita Vedanta and the town of Rameshwaram stands as a testimony of his faith. One of the four pilgrimage places, Char Dham of India.