Char Dham Yatra Complete Guide 2020

What Is Chardham and what is its significance?

Kedarnath Temple (Uttarakhand)

Chardham of Uttarakhand includes the four sanctified shrines which are nestled in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. The four shrines are Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath & Badrinath. Chardham Yatra always starts from Yamunotri, and then Gangotri, next is Kedarnath and yatra ends at Badrinath. Chardham yatra has great significance for Hindu devotees, as per Hindu Mythology, it is believed that every Hindu should visit these shrines in order to get devoid of their sins & to attain salvation. Every year thousands of pilgrims come here to pay their obeisance.

What is the Best time to visit the Chardham:

Generally, the Chardham remains open for 06 months from April/May - October/Nov, every year the opening & closing dates are announced. The best time to visit the Chardham is from May – June, and Oct – Nov. Heavy rainfall during monsoon causes frequent landslides & road blockages so better to avoid planning at that time. All four Shrines remain inaccessible during winters due to heavy snowfall thus during that period the idols of Chardham deities are brought down to nearby accessible town i.e. Ukhimath for Kedarnath, Joshimath for Badrinath, Mukhba for Gangotri and Kharsali for Yamunotri. Daily rituals for deities are performed at these respective places. These revered places are famous by the name Winter Chardham among devotees.

How should I go to Chardham Yatra

Chardham Yatra customarily starts from Haridwar or from Delhi. The nearest airport to Haridwar is the Jolly grand airport which has good connectivity of flight from Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Cochin. A train is also a good option to reach Haridwar. A private car can be hired from Haridwar or Delhi for Chardham Yatra. Else, helicopter services are also available for all the Dhams and which also gives the advantage to do yatra in the shortest time phase of 2 days. Helicopter packages for Chardham are also readily available.

What are the places we can visit during Chardham?

Apart from all four Dhams, you will cover Panch Prayag (Devprayag. Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, and Vishnuprayag). If you can add 0-2 more days then you can do Auli and Chopta also.

Auli(Uttarakhand)

Chardham Yatra Packages 2020

What are some tips to enjoy Chardham Yatra?

• Plan and confirm all the arrangements beforehand, is the key for hassle-free Chardham Yatra. At least, confirm all the services like hotels, transport, and helicopter ticket for Kedarnath, 30-45 days prior to travel dates. Since later the availability of the services becomes a big concern for devotees.
• Plan your Yatra during these months- May, June, Oct, Nov; it is the best time to travel on this route. 
• At Chardham yatra route, almost all the hotels are basic but they have maintained the proper hygiene and all basic amenities are readily available. So, do not compare these hotels with any star category, it will let you with complete disappointment.
• Do include 02 exotic locations Chopta and Auli in your Chardham Yatra tour, both are en route destination can be easily covered.

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