TheChar Dham (Hindi:चारधाम,romanized: Cārdhāmtransl. the four abodes), or theChatur Dhama (Sanskrit:चतुर्धाम,romanized: Caturdhāma),[1] is a set of fourHindupilgrimage sites inIndia,[2] consisting ofBadrinath,Dwarka,Puri andRameswaram.[3][4] Badrinath, Dwarka, and Puri are shrines ofVishnu, whereas Rameswaram is a shrine ofShiva.
Defined byAdi Shankara, eachdhāma represents a particularyuga, with Badrinath representingSatya Yuga, Rameswaram representingTreta Yuga, Dwarka representingDvapara Yuga, and Puri representingKali Yuga.[3][5] Many Hindus believe that visiting these sites can help them achievemoksha.[6]
The Char Dham is not to be confused with theChota Char Dham which comprises Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath. It is a Hindu pilgrimage circuit inUttarakhand which was named by thereligious tourism industry.
According to Hindu legend, Badrinath became prominent whenNara-Narayana, an avatar of Vishnu, performedtapas there. Many berry trees then grew in the area, so the site was initially namedbadarikāvaṇa, the forest of berries. Per legend, a large berry tree grew above Nara-Narayana to save him from the rain and sun. Locals say that it wasLakshmi who became the berry tree to save Narayana. After completingtapas, Narayana said declared that people should always invoke her name before his. Therefore, Hindus refer to "Lakshmi-Narayana."
Within thesatya yuga, the area came to be known asbadrināth, the lord of the berry trees, in recognizance of Nara-Narayana’s penance. The temple to him is located on the banks of theAlaknanda River in theChamoli district of Uttrakhand.
The seconddhāma, Rameswaram, has its origins in theTreta Yuga whenRama installed alingam there and worshipped it to get atonement from Shiva for slayingRavana, a devotee of Shiva.[7] It is believed that Rama's footprints are imprinted there.[8]
The thirddhāma, Dwaraka, was established in theDvapara Yuga when Krishna made the city his residence.[9]
At the fourthdhāma, Puri, Vishnu is worshipped asJagannath, hisavatar for the current epoch,Kali Yuga.
The monkAdi Shankara organised fourmaṭhas to correspond to the four sites of the Char Dham: the headquarters atDwarka in the West,Puri in the East,Sringeri Sharada Peetham in the South andBadarikashrama in the North.[10]
The table below gives an overview of the fourAmnaya Maṭhas founded byAdi Shankara.[11]
| Shishya (lineage) | Direction | Maṭha | Mahāvākya | Veda | Sampradaya |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padmapāda | East | Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ | Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is Brahman) | Rig Veda | Bhogavala |
| Sureśvara | South | Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ | Aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman) | Yajur Veda | Bhūrivala |
| Hastāmalakācārya | West | Dvāraka Pīṭhaṃ | Tattvamasi (That thou art) | Sama Veda | Kitavala |
| Toṭakācārya | North | Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ | Ayamātmā brahma (This self "soul" is Brahman) | Atharva Veda | Nandavala |
Puri is located in the state ofOdisha and is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the country, on the coast of theBay of Bengal. The main deity worshipped there is Krishna, revered asJagannath. It is the only shrine in India whereSubhadra, the sister of Krishna, is worshipped along with her brothers, Jagannatha andBalabhadra. As per temple records, KingIndradyumna ofAvanti built the main temple of Jagannath at Puri.[12] Starting in the tenth century, the first king of theEastern Ganga dynasty,Anantavarman Chodaganga, rebuilt the present temple on the site of the pre-existing temples in the compound, excluding the main Jagannath temple.[13] Puri is the site of theGovarḍhana Maṭha, one of the four cardinalmaṭhas created byAdi Shankara.
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Rameswaram is located in the state ofTamil Nadu, in the southern part of the Indian peninsula. According to legend, this is the place whereRama, along with his brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman, built a bridge (Rama Setu) to reachLanka to rescue his wife Sita, who had been abducted by Lanka's ruler Ravana. The Ramanathaswamy Temple, dedicated to Shiva, occupies a significant area of Rameswaram. The temple is believed to have been consecrated by Rama. The site is important to Hindus as a pilgrimage toVaranasi is considered incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The presiding deity is in the form of aLinga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy; it also is one of the twelveJyotirlingas.
Dwarka is located in the state ofGujarat on the westernmost coast of India. The city derives its name from the word "dvara" meaningdoor orgate in theSanskrit language. It is located where the Gomti River merges into theArabian Sea. However, this river Gomti is not the same as theGomti River, which is a tributary ofGanga River. The legendary city ofDvārakā was the dwelling place ofKrishna. It is generally believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvārakā was submerged six times, and modern-day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area.[14][15]
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Badrinath is located in theChamoli district ofUttarakhand at an altitude of 3,133 meters (10,279 feet). The temple of Badrinath is dedicated toLord Vishnu.[16] It is in the Garhwal hills, on theAlaknanda River banks. The town lies between the Nar and the Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of theNilkantha peak (6,560 m).Nearby within 3 km, there are also other interesting sightseeing spots like Mana, Vyas Gufa, Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka, Bhimkund, and the Mukh of the Saraswati River.Joshimath is situated on the slopes above the confluence of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers. Of the four Maths established byAdi Shankaracharya, Joshimath is the winter seat of Char dham.
While the three other Dhams remain open throughout the year,Badrinath Dham only stays open for pilgrims' darshan from April to October each year.
Another circuit of four ancient pilgrimage sites in the Indian state ofUttarakhand is referred to asChota Char Dham to differentiate it from this bigger circuit of Char Dham sites. It consists ofYamunotri,Gangotri,Kedarnath, andBadrinath. The Temples ofChota Char Dham shrines are will open between the last week of April and the first week of May and close between the last week of October and the first week of November. Opening and closing dates of Temples of Char Dham are announced by thehead priest of Ukhimath Temple inUkhimath on behalf ofholy scripture and Panchangs every year. Temples of Chota Char Dham are considered as most revered sacred yatra because thePandavas chose this route to heaven.[17][18][19][20][21]
The Uttarakhand government is promoting a ‘Winter Char Dham’ initiative to boost tourism during the off-season.[22] During winter, the traditional Chota Char Dhams are closed and the deities are relocated to nearby villages for worship.[23] The Winter Char Dhams are the winter abodes of deities from the main Dhams: Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath for Kedarnath, Pandukeshwar in Chamoli for Badrinath, Mukhba in Uttarkashi for Gangotri Dham, and Kharsali for Yamunotri.[24]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)This temple was built in approximately 1135–1150 by Codaganga, a king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty
Media related toChar Dham at Wikimedia Commons