CharDham Yatra Tour

Destinations :

1. Rameshwaram
2. Jagannath Puri
3. Dwarika Puri
4. Kedarnath
5. Ganga Sagar

One Expression around which all religions base their preaching. Peace of mind, body and soul. Since time immemorial both man and God have just one prayer - Shanti - for the living and the Departed. The Char Dham, also called the Deo Bhumi - The Adobe of the Gods - presents just the ambience where the Divine & the Sublime coexist.

Rameshwaram Dham
Rameshwaram is an island situated on the tip of the Indian peninsula. The city is also an important south India pilgrimage center of the Indians. It is the place from where Lord Rama had built a bridge across the sea to rescue his consort Sita.This is the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to cleanse away the sin of Ravana. Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage city.

Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus. The presiding deity is the Linga Of Sri Ranganatha, which happens to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of India. Rameshwaram is popularly referred as the 'Benaras of the south'. In order to attain Moksha it is believed that a visit to Rameshwaram is mandatory. In fact the entire area of Rameshwaram is associated with various incidents from the Ramayana. The city of Rameshwaram happens to be one of the most visited pilgrim sites in India.
The places of visit include the Ramanathaswamy Temple, which was built in the 17th century and is situated close to the sea on the eastern side of the island; this temple is famous for its 1200 gigantic granite columns. At a distance of about 100 metres comes the Agnitheertham, where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, to absolve himself from the killing Ravana.Another shrine called Gandamadana Parvatham is worth visiting. This shrine is found at 2kms away from Rameshwaram. A place called Dhanushkodi named after Rama's bow is at the eastern end of the island at a distance of 8 kms from Rameshwaram.

Kedarnath Dham

The holy city of Kedarnath is situated 3,581meters above sea level, on the banks of the river Mandakini, amidst the spectacular mountain ranges of the Garhwal Himalayas. The Kedarnath shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the destroyer. According to legend, this temple was built by the Pandavas to redeem themselves of the sin of killing their brothers during the famous Mahabharata war.
In the Kedarnath temple, Lord Shiva is represented in the form of the jyotirlinga (the phallus of light). The interiors are decorated with exquisitely carved images. At the entrance of the temple is a statue of Nandi, the celestial bull. As the temple is located at a great height in the Himalayas, it is not possible to gain entrance into the temple throughout winter. The landscape at Kedarnath is absolutely breathtaking.
The most famous monument of Kedarnath is the Kedarnath Temple. It is dedicated to Shiva(Destroyer in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) who is worshipped mainly in the form of a linga(symbolic phallus of Shiva). The jyotirlinga(the phallus of light) in this temple is one of the twelve jyotirlingasthroughout India, which makes Kedarnath one of the most sacred Hindu cities. The difference between a jyotirlingaand an ordinary lingais that while the former derives power from within itself, the latter is invested with mantra-shakti(power of a verse or phrase that has magical efficiency) by priests. Legend has it that the Temple was built by the Pandavas(the heroes of the epic, Mahabharata) to redeem themselves for the sins they had committed during the Bharata War (for more detail about the Bharata War see Ancient Scriptures). Going by this reckoning, the temple must be very ancient, probably dating back to the pre-Christian era. But evidence shows that it was built in the 8th century a.d. As a matter of fact, in the 8th centurya.d., the temple was reconstructed and renovated by Shankaracharaya (for more detail see History of Kerala) who also established a matha(Hindu monastic establishment) at Badrinath.

Jagannath Puri
Puri, one of the most sacred pilgrimage in India, is one of the four 'Dhamas' of the Hindu religion. The city is home to the world-famous Jagganath temple. The temple enshrines Krishna-Jagannath in the form of a wooden image along with shrines of Balabhadra and Subhadra (brother and sister of Krishna respectively).
The original image of Jagannath was said to be found at the foot of a fig tree, as an Indranila (Blue Jewel). Lord Vishnu ordered King Indradyumna to dig out this image and search for a floating log on the Puri seashore to carve out images from its trunk. The King discovered the log and then came lord Vishnu and Vishwakarma in the form of artists to prepare images of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. The temple got constructed in 12th century by King Ananta Varman Chodaganga and has a lovely architect design which depicts the traditional Orissan style of architecture.

Dwarka Puri Dham

Dwarka, on the west coast of Gujarat on the shore of the Arabian Sea, features in most of the legends surrounding Lord Krishna. It is from here that the grown Lord Krishna is supposed to have ruled his kingdom. Dwarka is a significant pilgrimage site for the Hindus.

Dwarka is sanctified as the place where Lord Vishnu slew the demon Shankhasura. The Puranas mention the 12 Jyotirlingas or columns of light representing Lord Shiva which manifested in different parts of the country. One of these is located in Dwarka and is known as the Nageshwar Mahadev. The Jagat Mandir or Nij Mandir forms the sanctum of the Dwarkadish temple and dates back to 2500 years. Jagat Mandir has its own hall of audience and a conical spire. The roof of the hall is supported by 60 columns and the main temple rises five storeys high. The spire rises to a height of 157 feet and is richly carved. One of the most popular temples in Dwarka is that of Rukmini, Krishna's wife, considered an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and beauty. The Sharad Peetha, one of the four Maths established by Jagatguru Shankaracharya, is also situated here.

Dwarka is situated in the extreme west of the Indian state of Gujarat in the Saurashtra peninsula on the Arabian Sea. It lies on 20°22' north latitude and 69°05' east longitude. The city is built on the right bank of Gamut creek.

Dwarka is an important pilgrimage center. It is steeped in legends, being associated with the life of Lord Krishna. In Puranic times, present-day Dwarka was known as Kushasthali or Dwaravati and enjoyed pride of place as the most important spot on the Saurashtra coast. It is said that Lord Krishna, after slaying Kansa, left his abode at Mathura and traveled with the entire Yadava community to the coast of Saurashtra where he founded a town and named it Swarnadwarika.

Vajranabh, Lord Krishna's successor and great grandson, is believed to have built the present temple Dwarkanath, also called Trilok Sundar. Many Hindus fervently believe that the temple was erected in one night by a supernatural agency, under Vajranabh's direction. Legend has it that when dying, Lord Krishna asked his devotees to leave Swarnadwarika so that the sea could engulf it. Until this day, Lord Krishna's city lies buried under the sea. Excavations have revealed that the sea swallowed five settlements, the present-day Dwarka being the sixth in line.