Sacred Journey: Char Dham Cali Wilson

What is it? Char Dham is translated as the small four abodes Located in the Indian Himalayas in the Uttarakhand State Pilgrimage circuit to four religious sites that are widely revered by Hindus and should be completed west to east in the following order: -Yamunotri Temple -Gangotri Temple -Badrinath Temple -Kedarnath Temple

The Pilgrim It is highly recommended for all Hindus to partake in this pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime Preparation: Char Dham is a very long and somewhat exhausting journey so participants will mentally and physically prepare before attempting. Each Pilgrim aspires to wash away their sins and attain salvation by completing Char Dham Undertaking the journey to these sites is believed to ensure release from the cycle of reincarnation Ascent to such high elevations is to promote oneness with the gods. Decent at the end of the pilgrimage is to realign oneself with the earth once more

Map of the Char Dham journey

The First Destination: Yamunotri Temple dedicated to the goddess Yamuna Source of the Yamuna River Pilgrims are encouraged to visit the Surya Kund: a sacred thermal spring named for Sury the sun god Pilgrims tie rice and potatoes in muslin cloth and immerse it in hot water to be cooked as prasad

Yamunotri Temple

The Second Destination: Gangotri Temple Origin of the sacred Ganges river Purpose is to absolve the sins of humans Pilgrims are encouraged to pay homage to the goddess Ganga before continuing on their journey The Temple is perched along rightwards of Bhagirathi. The rock on which King Bhagirath did his meditation

Gangotri Temple

The Third Destination: Badrinath Temple Dedicated to Lord Vishnu According to mythology Badrinath became prominent when an incarnation of Vishnu did Tapasya here ( deep meditation to achieve self realization) Pilgrims are invited to visit inside the temple -Must take a holy bath in Tapt Kund (a natural thermal bath that is said to have medicinal and healing properties) to purify the body before paying homage to the holy temple.

The Third and Final Destination: Kedarnath Temple This is meant to be the final destination for pilgrims as it offers a peace of mind by undertaking the spiritual trip through the Kedarnath mountain range Rekindles faith with the almighty One of the most sacred places for Hindus The legend of the temple reveals that Pandhavas being accused of killing the kith and kin of Kauravas undertook a pilgrimage to absolve themselves from the sin of killing. Pilgrims are encouraged to worship the image of shiva once entering the temple After paying their respects, pilgrims begin their decent back into the early world through the steady decent of the surrounding mountains

Kedarnath Temple