CHAR DHAM

'Char' means 'Four' and 'Dham' means 'Abode'. Charm Dham, the four holy abodes, are believed to be the abodes of Hindu gods and the holiest places of pilgrimage. The Char Dham are considered as the most sacred sites for Hindus. There are two circuits of Char Dham sites in India, one is the bigger circuit and scattered in the four directions of India and another one is the smaller circuit and located in the state of Uttarakhand.

Originally the Char Dham (bigger circuit) referred to a religious circuit group together by Adi Shankaracharya, during the 8th century, located at four different corners of India. This Char Dham is known as 'Char Dham of India', 'Char Dham of Adi Shankaracharya'.

Over the years another Char Dham (smaller circuit) evolved in Garhwal Himalayas, where Adi Shankaracharya attained freedom from embodiment. Since 1960s, the importance of this Char Dham has grown considerably and is known as 'Chota Char Dham', 'Char Dham of Himalaya', 'Char Dham of Uttarakhand'.

Millions of devotees complete the Char Dham yatra and pay worship to the temples every year. People in India believe that this yatra washes away all sins and opens doors for 'Moksha'. Every human being should consider visiting these four Holy places at least once in their life. Beside the spirituality these sites offer very good sightseeing also.

Char Dham of India

1	Badrinath	Temple of Lord Vishnu, located in the North is in the state of Uttarakhand, India
2	Dwarka	Temple of Lord Krishna, located in the West is in the state of Gujarat, India
3	Puri	Temple of Lord Jagannth, located in the East is in the state of Odisha, India
4	Rameswaram	Temple of Lord Shiva, located in the South is in the state of Tamil Nadu, India

Char Dham of Uttarakhand | Chota Char Dham

1	Yamunotri	Origin of River Yamuna, Temple of Goddess Yamuna
2	Gangotri	Origin of Rive Ganga, Temple of Goddes Ganga
3	Kedarnath	Temple of Lord Shiva, One of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Part of Panch Kedar
4	Badrinath	Temple of Lord Vishnu, Knows as Badri Vishal

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Char Dham of India