Badrinath
Dham is one of the oldest of Hindu places of worship. On the right bank
of the river Alaknanda lies the sacred shrine perched at an altitude of
3133 m above sea level, guarded on either side by the two mountain peaks
Nar & Narain with the towering Neelkanth peak providing a splendid
back-drop. Also known as the Vishal Badri, the largest among the five
Badris, it is revered by all as the apt tribute to Lord Vishnu. he
revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name
'Badri Van' meaning 'forest of berries.' Built by Adi Shankaracharaya,
the philosopher-saint of the 8th century, the temple has been renovated
several times due to damage by avalanches and restored in the 19th
century by the royal houses of Scindia & Holkar. The main entrance
gate is colourful & imposing popularly known as Singhdwar. References
to Sri Badrinath have been made in the Vedas & perhaps it was a
popular shrine during the Vedic age also. The Skand Purana gives an
accvount of the Adiguru consecrating the idol of Lord Badri Vishal in the
temple after recovering it from Narad Kund, in a pursuance of a divine
call from heaven.
KEDARNATH DHAM
The pilgrims are cleansed body & soul and with having achieved
purity in that sense, pilgrims to Sri Kedarnath becomes most rewarding. It is
also customary to worship Lord Shiva with water of Ganga, which pilgrims going
from Gangotri as well take some there to Kedarnath. Kedarnath is the seat
of Lord Shiva. It is one of the twelve "Jyotirlingas" of Lord Shiva.
Lying at an altitude of 3584 m at the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of
Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus. It is no wonder
that Adi Guru Shankaracharya - a great scholar & saint, chose to enshrine
Lord Shiva in this land, where the unholy becomes oly and the holy becomes
holier. It is the place where Lord Shiva absolved Pandavas from the sin of
killing their own cousins Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra. The origin of
the revered temple can be found in the great epic Mahabharat.
DO DHAM YATRA DELHI TO DELHI ITINERARY
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Delhi, Haridwar, Guptkashi, Kedarnath,
Badrinath, Rudraprayag, Haridwar, Delhi
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Day
01: Delhi – Rishikesh (230 Kms / 7 - 8 hrs)
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Morning
drive to Rishikesh. On arrival check in at hotel. in the afternoon temple tour of
Rishikesh. Overnight stay at hotel.
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Rishikesh, located in the laps of lower
Himalayas, and is surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills on three sides
with Holy Ganga flowing through it. The whole place is considered to be
sacred as it is believed that meditation at this place leads to
attainment of salvation. There are many temples-some ancient, some new
along the river Ganges. Rishikesh is important not only as pilgrimage
centre closely associated with the Ramayana, but also as home for many
important centers of Hindu religious thought and spirituality, and as a
very great Yoga Centre. There are a great many ashrams and Yoga
instituteshere.
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Day
02 – Rishikesh to Guptakashi Drive 215 kms (6 – 7 hrs)
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After
breakfast proceed to Guptakashi; travel by surface en route visit
Devprayag, srinagr and Rudraprayag the banks of Holy River Ganga evening
arrival at Guptakashi, check Inn at Hotel, overnight stay at Hotel
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Day
03: Guptkashi - Kedarnath 32 kms Drive, 13 kms trek
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Early
Morning Travel by road to Gaurikund further Trek 14kms to Kedarnath over
night at Kedarnath.
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Kedarnath: is a majestic sight, standing in the middle of a wide plateau
surrounded by lofty snow Covered peaks. The present temple, built in the
8th century by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an
earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls of the assembly
hall are decoratedwith figures of various deities and scenes from
mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull
stands as guard.
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Day
04: Kedarnath – Guptkashi 13 kms Trek, 32kms drive
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Darshan
and pooja in Kedarnath further downward trek to Gurikend and drive to
Guptkashi for over night stay.
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Day
05: Guptkashi - Badrinath Drive 173 Kms (6-7 hrs)
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Start
early morning travel to Badrinath over night at hotel.
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Tapt Kund: Natural thermal springs on the bank of the river Alaknanda, where
it is customary to bathe before entering the Badrinath temple.
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Narad Kund: A recess in the river, near Tapt Kund, forming a pool from where
the Badrinath idol was recovered.
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Mata Murty Temple: Devoted to the mother of Sri Badrinathji. Other important temples
include SeshNetra Temple, Urvashi Temple and Charanpaduka.
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Mana Village: Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is the last Indian
village before Tibet.
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Bhim Pul: On the other side of Mana village, a massive rock forming a
natural bridge lies over the roaring Saraswati River. It presents a
spectacular view of water thundering down through the narrow passage
under the rock and is believed to have been placed there by Bhim, the
second eldest among the five Pandava brothers.
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Vyas Gufa (cave): Near Mana Village, this is a rock-cave where Ved Vyas is believed
to have composed the Mahabharata and the pauranic commentaries.
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Day
06: Badrinath – Rudraprayag Drive 156 Kms (6-7 hrs)
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Early
morning Darshan and pooja at Badrinath, after darshan drive to
Rudraprayag, evening arrival, over night at Srinagar
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Rudraprayag: One of the holy prayag of five famous prayag of Uttarakhand.
Confluence of River Alaknanda and Mandakini.
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Day
07: Rudraprayag – Haridwar Drive 162 Kms (5–6 hrs)
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Today
check out from Hotel and drive back to Haridwar, on arrival check in at
Hotel & relax. Evening join Ganga Aarti in at Har-Ki–Podi, beck to
Hotel, Overnight at hotel.
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Haridwar: Haridwar, lying at the feet of Shiva's hills, i.e., Shivaliks, in
the Haridwar district of Uttaranchal Pradesh, is a doorway.
Suryavanshi prince Bhagirath performed penance here to salvage the souls
of hisancestors who had perished due to the curse of sage Kapila. The
penance was answered and the river Ganga trickled forth forms Lord
Shiva's locks and its bountiful water revived the sixty thousand sons of
king Sagara. In the traditional of Bhagirath devout Hindus stand in
the sacred waters here, praying for salvation of their departed
elder. It is doorway to the sources of the Ganga and the Yamuna, 3000 to
4500 meters up into the snowy ranges of the central Himalayas. The
'Aarti' worship of the Ganga after sunset and the floating 'dia'
(lamp) is a moving ritual.
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Day
8: Haridwar – Delhi Drive 210 Kms (6–7 hrs)
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Today
early morning check out and drive back to Delhi, evening reach at Delhi,
on arrival drop at Airport / Railway station for further journey ahead.
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