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<div>{{short description|Four major Hindu pilgrimage sites in India}}<br />
{{about||the religious sites in Nepal|Char Dham, Nepal|denomination Himalayan pilgrimage sites|Chota Char Dham}}<br />
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}<br />
{{Char Dham}}<br />
<br />
{{Location map+ |India |width=300|float=right|caption=Locations of the Char Dham |places=<br />
{{Location map~ |India |lat= 19.48|long=85.49 |label= [[Puri]]|position=right}}<br />
{{Location map~ |India |lat= 9.28|long=79.31 |label= [[Rameswaram]]|position=bottom}}<br />
{{Location map~ |India |lat=22.23|long=68.97|label= [[Dvārakā|Dwaraka]]|position=bottom}}<br />
{{Location map~ |India |lat= 30.744729|long=79.4907558 |label= [[Badrinath]]|position=top}}<br />
}}<br />
The '''Char Dham''' (meaning: ''four abodes'') is a set of four pilgrimage sites in [[India]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chaar Dham Yatra: A True Test of Every Hindu's Quest Towards Spiritual Enlightenment|date=20 March 2015|website=NewsGram |url=https://www.newsgram.com/chaar-dham-yatra-true-test-hindus-spiritual-enlightenment/}}</ref> It is believed that visiting these sites helps achieve [[moksha]] (salvation). The four Dhams are, [[Badrinath]], [[Dvārakā|Dwaraka]], [[Puri]] and [[Rameswaram]]. It is believed that every Hindu should visit the ''Char Dhams'' during one's lifetime. The Char Dham as defined by [[Adi Shankara]]charya consists of four [[Hindu]] pilgrimage sites.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gwynne|first=Paul |title=World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction|year=2009|publisher=Blackwell Publication |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-4051-6702-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tdsdfnfnndrfn&q=char+dham}}</ref> Another small circuit in [[Uttarakhand]] of four pilgrimage sites-Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath is referred to as [[Chota Char Dham]].<br />
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==Historical description==<br />
{{refimprove section|date=August 2020}}<br />
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According to Hindu belief, Badrinath became prominent when Nar-Narayan, an avatar of Vishnu, did [[Tapasya]] there. At that time that place was filled with berry trees. In the Sanskrit language, berries are called "badri", so the place was named Badrika-Van, i.e. the forest of berries. The particular spot where the Nar-Narayan did Tapasya, a large berry tree formed covering Him to save Him from the rain and the sun. Local people believe that Mata Lakshmi became the berry tree to save Lord Narayan. Post-Tapasya, Narayan said, people will always take Her Name before His Name, hence Hindus always refer "Lakshmi-Narayan". It was therefore called Badri-Nath, i.e. the Lord of Berry forest. This all happened in the [[Satya Yuga]]. So Badrinath came to be known as the first Dham.<br />
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The second place, Rameswaram, got its importance in the [[Treta Yuga]] when Lord [[Rama]] built a Shiva-Lingam here and worshiped it to get the blessings of Lord [[Shiva]]. The name Rameswaram means "God of Ram".<br />
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The third, Dhaam Dwarka, got its importance in the [[Dvapara Yuga]] when Lord Krishna made Dwarka His residence instead of Mathura, His birthplace.<ref>Chakravarti Mahadev-1994-The Concept of Rudra-Śiva Through The Ages-Delhi-Motilal Banarsidass-Second Revised. {{ISBN|81-208-0053-2}}</ref><br />
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At the fourth, Puri Dhaam, Lord Vishnu is worshiped as [[Jagannath]], his [[Avtar]] for [[Kali Yuga]].<br />
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The four Shankaracharya Peeth (Seats) at the Chaar Dham school of Hinduism, created at least four Hindu monastic institutions. He organised the Hindu practitioners under four {{IAST|[[Matha|Maṭhas]]}} (Sanskrit: {{lang|sa|मठ}}) (institutions/monasteries), with the headquarters at [[Dvārakā]] in the West, [[Jagannatha Puri]] in the East, [[Sringeri Sharada Peetham]] in the South and [[Badrikashrama]] in the North.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Shankara/shankar4.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=3 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508091224/http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Shankara/shankar4.html |archive-date=8 May 2012 }}</ref> <br />
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The table below gives an overview of the four ''Amnaya Mathas'' founded by Adi Shankara, and their details.<ref>[http://www.sringerisharadapeetham.org/html/History/amnaya.html The Amnaya Peethams | Sringeri Sharada Peetham<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626000000/http://www.sringerisharadapeetham.org/html/History/amnaya.html |date=26 June 2006 }}</ref><br />
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{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
![[Guru-shishya tradition|Shishya]]<br/>(lineage)<br />
![[Relative direction|Direction]]<br />
![[Matha|{{IAST|Maṭha}}]]<br />
!{{IAST|[[Mahāvākya]]}}<br />
![[Veda]]<br />
!{{IAST|[[Sampradaya]]}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{IAST|[[Padmapāda]]}}<br />
!East<br />
|{{IAST|[[Govardhana matha|Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ]]}}<br />
|{{IAST|Prajñānam brahma (''Consciousness is Brahman'')}}<br />
|[[Rig Veda]]<br />
|Bhogavala<br />
|-<br />
|{{IAST|[[Sureśvara]]}}<br />
!South<br />
|{{IAST|[[Sringeri Sharada Peetham|Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ]]}}<br />
|{{IAST|Aham brahmāsmi (''I am Brahman'')}}<br />
|[[Yajur Veda]]<br />
|{{IAST|Bhūrivala}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{IAST|[[Hastamalakacharya|Hastāmalakācārya]] }}<br />
!West<br />
|{{IAST|[[Dvaraka Pitha|Dvāraka Pīṭhaṃ]]}}<br />
|{{IAST|Tattvamasi (''That thou art'')}}<br />
|[[Sama Veda]]<br />
|Kitavala<br />
|-<br />
|{{IAST|[[Totakacharya|Toṭakācārya]]}}<br />
!North<br />
|{{IAST|[[Jyotirmath|Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ]]}}<br />
|{{IAST|Ayamātmā brahma (''This Atman is Brahman'')}}<br />
|[[Atharva Veda]]<br />
|Nandavala<br />
|}<br />
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==The four associated places of the Char dham==<br />
In the Puranas Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva) are referred as eternal friends. It is said wherever Lord Vishnu resides, Lord Shiva resides nearby. The Char Dham follows this rule. So Kedarnath is considered as the pair of Badrinath, Rama Setu is considered the pair of Rameswaram, Somnath is considered as the pair of Dwaraka. However, according to some traditions, the Char Dham are Badrinath, Rangnath-Swami, Dwarka and Jagannath-Puri, all of which are Vaishnava sites, and their associated places are [[Kedarnath]], [[Rameswaram]], [[Somnath]] and [[Lingaraja Temple]], Bhubaneswar (or maybe Gupteshwar) respectively.<br />
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The [[Char Dham Highway]] project is still under completion and is proposed to get functional by end of 2018, but currently, many service providers offer a Char Dham Yatra by helicopter for the ease of pilgrims.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://m.timesofindia.com/city/dehradun/why-schools-in-kedarnath-are-going-soundproof/articleshow/66211084.cms|title=Why schools in Kedarnath are going soundproof - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=3 November 2018}}</ref><br />
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==Pilgrimage details==<br />
=== Puri ===<br />
[[File:Temple-Jagannath.jpg|thumb|[[Jagannath Temple, Puri|Jagannath Temple]], [[Puri]]]]<br />
[[Puri]] located at the east, is located in the state of [[Odisha]], India. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the country. It is situated on the coast of the [[Bay of Bengal]]. The main deity is Shri Krishna, celebrated as '''Lord Jagannatha'''. It is the only shrine in India, where goddess, [[Subhadra]], sister of Lord Krishna is worshipped along with her brothers, Lord Jagannatha and Lord [[Balabhadra]]. The main temple here is about 1000 years old and constructed by Raja Choda Ganga Deva and Raja Tritiya Ananga Bhima Deva. Puri is the site of the '''Govardhana Matha''', one of the four cardinal institutions or Mathas converted by [[Adi Shankaracharya]]. Pandit Nilakantha Das suggested that Jagannath was a deity of [[Jain]] origin because of the appending of ''Nath'' to many Jain [[Tirthankar]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mohanty|first=Jagannath|title=Indian Culture and Education|year=2009|publisher=Deep& Deep|isbn=978-81-8450-150-6|page=5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3T2Ph_SmjtoC&q=nilakantha+das+jagannath&pg=PA5}}</ref> Jagannath meant the 'World personified' in the Jain context and was derived from ''Jinanath''. Evidence of the Jain terminology such as of [[Kaivalya]], which means [[moksha]] or salvation, is found in the Jagannath tradition.<ref name="Barik 2005 36">{{cite journal|last=Barik|first=P M|title=Jainism and Buddhism in Jagannath culture|journal=Orissa Review|date=July 2005|pages=36|url=http://orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/jul2005/engpdf/jainism_budhism_in_joga-culture.pdf|access-date=29 November 2012}}</ref> Similarly, the twenty two steps leading to the temple, called the ''Baisi Pahacha'', have been proposed as symbolic reverence for the first 22 of the 24 Tirthankaras of [[Jainism]].<ref name="Patra2011p17">{{cite book|author=Avinash Patra|title=Origin & Antiquity of the Cult of Lord Jagannath|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlwTCwAAQBAJ|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=8–10, 17–18}}</ref><br />
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According to Annirudh Das, the original Jagannath deity was influenced by Jainism and is none other than the ''Jina'' of Kalinga taken to [[Magadha]] by [[Mahapadma Nanda]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Das|first=Aniruddha|title=Jagannath and Nepal|pages=9–10}}</ref> The theory of Jain origins is supported by the Jain [[Hathigumpha inscription]]. It mentions the worship of a relic memorial in Khandagiri-Udayagiri, on the Kumara hill. This location is stated to be same as the Jagannath temple site. However, states Starza, a Jain text mentions the Jagannath shrine was restored by Jains, but the authenticity and date of this text is unclear.<ref name="Starza1993p61">{{cite book|author=O. M. Starza|title=The Jagannatha Temple at Puri: Its Architecture, Art, and Cult|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v4bV3beb0n8C |year=1993|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=90-04-09673-6|pages=62–63 with footnotes}}</ref> This is the plume for Oriya people to celebrate a special day in this Dham which is known as '''[[Ratha Yatra]]''' ("Chariot Festival").<ref>''Char Dham Yatra'', by G. R. Venkatraman. Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1988.</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Brockman |first=Norbert C. |title= Encyclopedia of Sacred Places |year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO, LLC |location=California |isbn=978-1-59884-655-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNZ15Oow8XcC&q=char+dham&pg=PA94}}</ref><br />
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===Rameswaram===<br />
[[File:Rameswaram temple (11).jpg|thumb|[[Rameswaram Temple]], [[Rameswaram]]]]<br />
[[Rameswaram]] located in the South is in the Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]]. It is situated in the [[Gulf of Mannar]] at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place where [[Lord Ram]] along with his brother Laxman and devotee Hanuman built a bridge (Rama Setu) to reach Sri Lanka to rescue his wife Sita who had been abducted earlier by Ravan, the ruler of Sri Lanka. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva occupies a major area of Rameswaram. The temple is believed to have been consecrated by Shri Rama Chandra. Rameswaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to [[Benaras]] is incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The presiding deity here is in the form of a [[Linga]] with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also is one of the twelve [[Jyotirlingas]].<br />
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===Dwarka ===<br />
[[File:Dwarkadheesh temple.jpg|thumb|[[Dwarakadheesh Temple]], [[Dwarka]]]]<br />
[[Dwarka]] located in the west is in the state of [[Gujarat]], country India. The city derives its name from the word "''dvar''" meaning [[door]] or [[gate]] in the [[Sanskrit]] language. It is located confluence to where the Gomti River merges into the [[Arabian Sea]]. However, this river Gomti is not the same [[Gomti River]] which is a tributary of [[Ganga River]] The city lies in the westernmost part of India. The legendary city of [[Dvārakā|Dwaraka]] was the dwelling place of [[Lord Krishna]]. It is generally believed{{who|date=February 2013}} that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka had submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area.<ref name="GoUnesco">{{cite web |last1=Santosh |first1=Urmila |title=Where Mythology Meets Reality: Sunken City Of Dwarka |url=https://www.gounesco.com/where-mythology-meets-reality-sunken-city-of-dwarka/ |website=gounesco.com |publisher=GoUNESCO |access-date=25 July 2019|date=22 November 2016 }}</ref><ref name="EconomicTimesLeg">{{cite news |last1=Shankar |first1=Kalyani |title=Legends by the sea |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/travel/legends-by-the-sea/articleshow/1764244.cms |newspaper=The Economic Times |publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd |access-date=25 July 2019|date=15 March 2007 }}</ref>{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}<br />
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===Badrinath===<br />
[[File:Badrinath temple.jpg|thumb|[[Badrinath Temple]], [[Badrinath]]]]<br />
[[Badrinath]] is located in the state of [[Uttarakhand]]. It is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the [[Alaknanda River]]. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of [[Nilkantha (mountain)|Nilkantha]] peak (6,560&nbsp;m). <br />
There are other interesting sightseeing spots like Mana, Vyas Gufa, Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka, Bhimkund and the Mukh of the Saraswati River, within 3&nbsp;km of Badrinathjee. Joshimath is situated on the slopes above the confluence of the rivers Alaknanda and Dhauliganga. Of the four Maths established by Adi Shankaracharya, '''[[Joshimath]]''' is the winter seat of Chardham.<br />
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While the three other Dhams remain open throughout the year, '''[[Badrinath Temple|Badrinath Dham]]''' only remains open for pilgrims' darshan from April to October each year.<br />
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==Chota Char Dham==<br />
Another circuit of four ancient pilgrimage sites in the Indian state of [[Uttarakhand]] viz. [[Yamunotri]], [[Gangotri]], [[Kedarnath]], and [[Badrinath]] is referred to as [[Chota Char Dham]] to differentiate it from this bigger circuit of Char Dham sites. The Chota Char Dham shrines are closed in winter due to snowfall and reopen for pilgrims with the advent of summer.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=T7ZHUhSEleYC&pg=PA468&dq=Char+Dham&as_brr=0 Char Dham of Garhwal] ''India'', by ffmgftfiokmdkgioftnsdtJoe Windless, Sarina Singh, James Bainbridge, Lindsay Brown, Mark Elliott, Stuart Butler. Published by Lonely Planet, 2007. {{ISBN|1-74104-308-5}}. ''Page 468''.</ref><ref>''Chardham Yatra'', by Savitri Dubey. Published by Alekh Prakashan. {{ISBN|978-81-88913-25-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alekhprakashan.com/Bookdesc.aspx?id=1635|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223140101/http://www.alekhprakashan.com/Bookdesc.aspx?id=1635|url-status=dead|title=Welcome To Alekh Prakashan<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=23 December 2010|access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra to restart from May 2014|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/04/char-dham-yatra-restarts-in-may-uttarakhand-assures-safety/|work=IANS|date=24 April 2014|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|access-date=24 April 2014}}</ref><br />
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On 23 December 2016, the Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] inaugurated the Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana ("Chardham Highway Development Project") to improve connectivity between Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath making pilgrimages easier.<ref>{{Cite news |author=FE Online |date=27 December 2016 |title=Chardham highway project: PM Modi lays foundation stone in Dehradun; here's why it's special |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/chardham-mahamarg-vikas-pariyojna-highway-development-project-narendra-modi-government-all-you-want-to-know/487610/ |work=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]] |location=Noida, Uttar Pradesh |access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref><br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[Sapta Puri]]<br />
* [[Jyotirlinga]]<br />
* [[Yatra#Famous_yatras|Famous Hindu yatras]]<br />
* [[Hindu pilgrimage sites in India]]<br />
* [[List of Hindu festivals]]<br />
* [[Padayatra]]<br />
* [[Ratha Yatra]]<br />
* [[Tirtha (Hinduism)|Tirtha]]<br />
* [[Tirtha and Kshetra]]<br />
* [[Chari Kshetra]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist|30em}}<br />
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== External & social Media Links ==<br />
* [https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/ Official website of char Dham]<br />
*[https://m.facebook.com/bktcuk/ Facebook page]<br />
*{{commons category-inline|Char Dham}}<br />
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{{Hindu holy cities}}<br />
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[[Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites in India]]<br />
[[Category:Religious tourism in India]]<br />
[[Category:Char Dham temples]]</div>182.65.113.223