Char Dham Yatra

The yatra usually begins at Haridwar or Rishikesh — the gateway to the Char Dham — and is walked in the clockwise order Adi Shankaracharya prescribed. 1) Yamunotri (3,293 m), the westernmost dham and source of the Yamuna, reached by a 5–6 km trek from Janki Chatti; pilgrims cook rice in the boiling Surya Kund as prasad and honour Yamuna, sister of Yama, for protection from an untimely death. 2) Gangotri (3,100 m), source of the Ganga, where King Bhagiratha’s penance brought the river to earth; the glacial origin at Gaumukh lies 18 km further up. The temple sits beside the roaring Bhagirathi.

3) Kedarnath (3,583 m), the highest of the Char Dham and the fifth Jyotirlinga, reached by a 16 km trek (or pony/palki/helicopter) from Gaurikund; here the Pandavas sought Shiva, who took the form of a bull. The 2013 floods spared the sanctum, now framed by the protective Bhim Shila. 4) Badrinath (3,300 m), the only Vaishnav dham of the four and abode of Badrinarayan, road-accessible beside the Tapt Kund hot spring; nearby Mana is the last Indian village before Tibet, with the Bhim Pul and Vyas Gufa. Around all four lie Rishikesh (the gateway and yoga capital), Haridwar (Har Ki Pauri), Joshimath (Shankaracharya’s winter seat) and Auli (the Himalayan meadow). Walking the dhams in order turns the journey into a single, ascending prayer.