Chardham

Day 01:Drive to Barkot

Today you will reach either Haridwar Railway Station or Dehradun airport as per the scheduling of your tickets. Our driver will meet you at the entrance of either the railway station or airport. From there you will be driving to Barkot. This town is located on the banks of Yamuna River in Uttarakhand. Mostly the temperature is moderate during summers varying 23-30 degree Celsius. In winters mostly the temperature are cool. This town is located in the northern part of Dehradun district. The beautiful scenic beauty of Barkot will mesmerize you. This mountainous town gets water from two main rivers of India – Ganga, and Yamuna. Mostly the devotees traveling towards Yamunotri Dham stay in this mountainous town. From this mountainous town, you can catch the beautiful glimpse of Banderpoonch. Amazing landscapes, cascading water of the river and the apple orchards will keep you engaged with the beauty of nature. At night you will stay in Barkot.

Day 02:Barkot to Yamunotri and then back to Barkot

Today early in the morning you will be starting your journey towards Yamunotri. You will be driving till Jankichatti. It is located at an elevation of 2650m. It is quite famous among the tourists for its hot springs. It is the last village comprising the route way to Yamunotri. Those who are traveling to this spiritual site love to take bath in the thermal springs. It is said these water springs are quite effective for any kind of pain. One can hire a pony or palanquin from this location for Yamunotri. Mostly the pilgrims trek from Jankichatti till Yamunotri. The mountainous steep pathways and the soothing breeze will make you light spirited on your travel to the site.

Yamunotri is one of the most religious sites devoted to goddess Yamuna. Nestled in the beautiful mountains of Himalayas, this religious site was a hermitage of Asit Muni. Maharaja Pratap Singh built this famous temple on the left bank of Yamuna. Inside the sanctum of the temple, you will find out the statue of goddess Yamuna made out of black marble. In Hindu civilization, this river is given the status of the mother. Nearby the temple you will find out the water gushing out of the cavities of the mountains. One can take a holy dip in the water of Surya Kund. Near this hot spring, there is a small piece of rock known as Divya Shila. Before entering the auspicious premises of the temple, one worships this small stone of Divya Shila. It is believed that the devotees carry a handful of rice tied in a piece of cloth to this pilgrimage site. By dipping the foot in the water of hot spring, one gets prasadam of Goddess Yamuna. The sacred doorway of the temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya and closes on the day of Bhai Dwuj (2 days after Diwali). After the darshan of the pilgrimage site, you will be coming back to Janki Chatti. It is also the holy confluence of Yamuna and Ganga. After taking the glimpse of the temple you will be driving back to Barkot. At night stay in Barkot.

Day 3:Barkot to Uttarkashi

Today early in the morning you will be driving to Uttarkashi. As the name suggests this it is the northern part of Kashi located in Uttarakhand. This district is located on the banks of Bhagirathi. This pious town is situated near Rishikesh. You will find out many holy sites around the town. This beautiful mountainous town is located next to Varunavat hill standing high on the confluence of two famous rivers Varuna and Asi. A concrete platform was built on the confluence of the rivers known as Manikarnika Ghat. On the way, you will be visiting the amazing temple devoted to Lord Shiva in the center of Uttarkashi. On the way, you will be visiting other temples as Bhairav, Ekadash Rudra, Kuteti Devi, and Gyaneshwar.

Vishwanath temple is believed to be one of the ancient temples devoted to Lord Shiva. Around 1857, the ancient architecture of the temple was refurbished by Maharani Khaneti Devi. Before entering the temple you will find out a huge sized iron trident. It symbolizes the eternal power of divine nature. Inside the temple complex, you will find out other temples devoted to Markanedeya Rishi, Sakshi Gopal, and Ganesh. In the inner sanctum of the temple you will find out Akhand Jyoti symbolizes an eternal source of energy of the universe. According to the religious scripture of Skanda Purana, this district is also called Saumya Varanasi for the abode of Lord Shiva. Out of twelve jyotirlingas, this temple is considered as one.

At night you will stay in Uttarkashi.

Day 04:Uttarkashi to Gangotri and then back to Uttarkashi

Early in the morning, you will be driving towards Gangotri. On the way, you will take a holy bath in the water of Garam Kund. This famous hot water spring lies on your way to Gangotri via Harsil Valley. In the majestic state of Uttarakhand, you will find out the beauty of nature at its best. The spectacular sight of Deodar trees, snow-covered mountains will obsolete tiredness from your mind. This valley is quite famous for its scenic beauty. After reaching the temple of Gangotri, you will take a holy dip in the pious water of Ganges. In old religious scriptures, this river is believed to be pious. It is believed that one can purify the soul and body after taking a bath in this holy water. You will perform puja in the temple complex. In the 18th century, Amar Singh Thapa, Gorkha General built this amazing architectural marvel. The mesmerizing sight of the black colored stone Shivling will take you to a tour of the religious journey. The religious philosophers believe Lord Shiva received river Ganges in his deadlock. After visiting this religious site you will be coming back to Uttarkashi. At night you will stay in Uttarkashi.

Day 05:Uttarkashi to Rudraprayag

Today early in the morning you will be driving towards Rudraprayag. This mountainous town is famous for the confluence of two rivers Mandakini and Alaknanda. This confluence is believed to be the point of origin of the pious river the Ganges. On the way, you will be visiting three remarkable temples of Chamunda, Rudranath and Koteshwar temple. The Koteshwar Mahadev temple is built on the banks of Alaknanda. From the old religious scriptures, we grow up listening to the stories of Lord Shiva and his shelter in the mountains. It is said that Lord Shiva meditates in the caves on his path to Kedarnath. At night you will stay in Rudraprayag.

Day 06:Rudraprayag to Kedarnath

After waking up early in the morning you will be driving towards Gaurikund. This Hindu pilgrimage site is located at a height of 6502m in the lap of Garhwal Himalayas. As per the religious texts, this place encircles around the myth of Devi Parvati and his devotion towards Lord Shiva. It is believed that the goddess performed penance in this pond to win the heart of Lord Shiva. It is said that the goddess lives at this particular destination while practicing all these penances. Finally, Lord Shiva accepted her love at this location. On the way to Gangotri, every devotee takes a holy dip in this pond. From here you have to trek to reach Kedarnath.

This famous town of Kedarnath is located in the laps of the Himalayas. In religious scriptures like Mahabharata or Skanda Purana, this site was mentioned descriptively as Lord Shiva released river Ganges from his deadlock. It is the famous site where the Pandavas worshipped Lord Shiva to redeem the sin of killing own kin in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Lord Shiva disguised himself to be away from the Pandavas. He took a disguise of bull to elude them. When the Pandavas followed him on the valley, Lord Shiva dived deep into the ground. While diving inside the ground, his body got disseminated into four other places. While disseminating his face fell at Rudranath, arms at Tungnath, deadlock hairs at Kalpeshwar and belly at Madhamaheshwar.

Completely this site is known as Panch Kedar where Kedarnath is one of the important.

Day 07:Kedarnath to Rudraprayag

Today early in the morning you will be driving back to Rudraprayag. You will be trekking down till Gaurikund via Guptkashi. This place is quite famous among the pilgrims for its religious significance. After the catastrophic destruction of the Kurukshetra war, the Pandavas pursued pardon from the Lord to redeem from the sin committed on the battlefield. When the Pandavas looked out for Lord Shiva, the latter disguised in the form of Nandi. Bhima, one of the Pandavas recognized the lord and tried to hold him by the tail and legs. At time Nandi, the bull vanished completely from the land and reappeared in five different locations (Rudranath, Kedarnath, Tungnath, Madhyamaheshwar, and Kalpeshwar) as the form of Lord Shiva. The act of disappearing from the land of Kashi got the place its name Guptkashi. This place is located on the banks of the mighty river of Mandakini. At night you will stay in Rudraprayag.

Day 08:Rudraprayag to Badrinath via Joshimath

In the morning you will be driving to Badrinath Dham via Joshimath. It is a comfortable journey as the road conditions are really good. Joshimath is one of the municipal cities of Uttarakhand located in Chamoli district. Located at an elevation of 1875m, this route often serves as the trekking trail to climb the Himalayan peaks. While driving towards Joshimath you will enjoy the cool fresh air of the mountains. The centuries between 4th and 11th, Katyuri kings ruled this region making the capital at Katyur. This place is believed to be the gateway to enter Badrinath temple. From Joshimath, you will be driving towards the temple. The temple is around 2hrs away from Joshimath. On the way, you will find out the long queue of vehicles traveling towards the temple. Due to dangerous road structures, one will have to drive carefully. Badrinath temple is believed to be one of the most notable pilgrimage destinations among the Hindu pilgrims. This sacred temple shrine was built on the lap of Himalayas in Chamoli district at a height of 3133m on the banks of river Alaknanda. In the inner sanctum of the temple, you will find the 1m tall statue of Lord Vishnu out of black stone in the incarnation of Badrinarayan. According to the disciples of Lord Vishnu, this temple is believed to be one out of eight self-manifested or swayam vyakta statues of Lord Vishnu. Along the bank of Alaknanda River, this temple was constructed years back. The temple is located just opposite to Nar Parbat. Located on the laps of Garhwali hills, this temple will amaze you with its splendid architecture. The temple has demarcated with three different structure, inner sanctum- Garbhagriha, worship hall-darshan mandap and convention hall- sabha mandap. The inner sanctum is always constructed in such a way that only the devotee can interact with the lord personally. Inside the sanctum, you will find out the shaligram sila statue of Lord Vishnu under the golden Badri tree. After getting the sight of Lord Badrinarayan you will be amazed at its calm posture. The two hands rest on his lap in padmasana yoga mudra while the other two hands holding chakra and shankha respectively. Inside the sanctum, you will find heavenly abodes of Kubera, Nar, and Narayan, Uddhava and Narada. Just below the temple, there is a hot spring called Tapt Kund considered to be pious by the devotees. All around the year the temperature of the spring is around 55 degree Celsius. The devotees take bath inside the spring considered it to be medicinal in value. The other two lakes inside the temple are Surya Kund and Narad Kund. There are no historical mentions of the time period of the construction of the temple. In the religious scriptures like Vedas, you will find mentions of the idol. The temple architecture resembles that of Buddhist vihara.

Apart from the main temple shrine, you will be visiting other destinations as well. Brahma Kapal is one such religious shrine located on the banks of Alaknanda River. The Hindus perform religious rites for the deceased ancestors. As this temple shrine is one of the most recognized ones among the Hindus, therefore the pilgrims prefer to offer prayers for the deceased ancestors on this sacred pilgrimage site. Next, you will be visiting Sheshnetra around 2kms away from the main temple shrine. According to the religious scriptures, Sheshnaga is the cosmic serpent of Lord Vishnu. On this huge boulder, it is believed to have an impression of the eyes of a cosmic serpent. Next, you will be visiting Charanpaduka which is 3kms away from the temple shrine. Here as well you will find out the footprint of Lord Vishnu on a boulder.

Next, you will be visiting Mata Murty temple. The disciples worship the mother of Lord Badrinath. At last, you will be visiting Mana Village which is believed to be the last village of India before Tibet. You will find Indo Mongolian tribe in this village. It will be an amazing experience altogether as you will be surpassed with the beauty of the surrounding Himalayan ranges. This village grows up on the banks of Saraswati River and you will be spellbound with its splendid natural beauty. From there you will be visiting Bheema Pul. According to the myth, Bheema placed this rock for Draupadi to cross the river on their way to heaven. Next, you will be visiting Vasundhara. The gushing water of the falls believes to be quite pious among the devotees. Your entire journey is covered with myths. You will find out how these religious stories take a shape while stepping into this pilgrimage site. At night you will stay in Badrinath.

Day 09:Badrinath to Joshimath and then Rudraprayag

Next morning after taking holy bath in the Taptkund you will be going to catch the glimpse of the Lord for one last time. If you have enough time then you can visit Brahmakapal as well. This place is quite significant among the pilgrims for performing after death rituals of the ancestors. The Hindus believe to devote their prayers to the ancestors for seeking blessings. Pinddaan is one such event where the souls of the deceased ancestors are worshipped to offer them the pathway to heaven. After visiting these notable sites you will be driving back to Rudraprayag via Joshimath. At night you will stay in Rudraprayag.

Day 10:Rudraprayag to Devprayag and then drive to Rishikesh or Haridwar

Early in the morning after taking breakfast you will be driving back to Rishikesh. This place is believed to be the home for the sages. After stepping into the city you will find out the warmth of spiritual aura. Surrounded by the lower Shivalik range this place is quite famous among the youth for its adventurous sports hub. Raibhya Rishi engaged performed penances in this city and the Lord appeared in front of him to fulfill his wishes in the incarnation of Hrishikesh from then onwards the city got its name. After taking the panoramic glance of the city you will be dropped either at the railway station or airport as per your ticket scheduling.