Chardham Yatra FAQs

The sacred sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are collectively known as Char Dhams of Uttarakhand or Chota Char Dham in Hinduism. Despite all the challenges of trekking through the Kedarnath and Badrinath, the history of Chardham dates back thousands of years. However, according to Indian religious beliefs, the river Yamuna is considered the daughter of Surya Dev and Sandhya Devi, and sister of Yam Dev and Shani Dev. Once upon a time, Sage Asit lived on the grounds of what is now known as Yamunotri Temple, hence like three other dhams of Uttarakhand, historical facts of Yamunotri match with religious-cultural beliefs as well.

Pilgrims from all parts of India and beyond come to worship Lord Shiva at the Kedarnath Temple.

The sacred site of Kedarnath is relatively known since the Mahabharata yuga, as the Pandavas eventually won the battle with the Kauravas; but tragically, many of the Brahmans were killed, so Lord Vishnu advised them to apologize to Lord Shiva. Knowing the cruelty of both parties, Lord Shiva went hideous, as he didn't want to forgive them of their sins, and later appeared as a bull. Recognising Shiva's bull avatar, Bhim tried to stop him by the bull's tail, but it vanished to emerge on five different sites. All of these sites are now places to worship Lord Shiva, known as Panch Kedar, but one of the five parts, the hump, emerged in Kedarnath.

According to Hindu beliefs, Kedarnath Temple was built by the Pandavas while seeking Lord Shiva’s forgiveness. It was discovered by Adishankara in the 8th century and was reconstructed later. Also, it's believed that Kedarnath was under snow during the ice age for approximately 400 years.

It is believed that the place where Badrinath Temple stands today, used to be a Buddhist Shrine once. The structure of the Badrinath Temple was formed by the Gods but the Buddhist vandalised it in the Alakananda River. Adi Shankaracharya founded and re-established the temple in the 8th century. However, the exact date of how old the Badrinath Temple is still a mystery.

Gangotri Temple, one of the Char Dhams or Chota Char Dham, was built in the 8th century by a Nepalese General, Amar Singh Thapa. The temple opens every year for the popular pilgrimage Chardham Yatra and welcomes thousands of devotees.

The Yamunotri Temple was constructed in 1829 by the King of Tehri, named Naresh Sudarshan Shah. The temple is said to have been destroyed by a massive earthquake once, which was later reconstructed by the Queen of Jaipur, Gularia Devi.

According to folktales, when the Pandavas ascended to heaven, they had to cross a river which Draupadi (Pandavas' wife) couldn't cross, so Bheem, being the most powerful of them all, found a huge boulder and placed it across the river's two sides. The bridge built by Bheem, which helped Draupadi to cross the river, is now known as the Bhimpul/Bheem Pul, located 3 km away from the Badrinath shrine.