Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand
In the Garhwal Himalaya four shrines are visited in one season, from west to east: Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna; Gangotri, where Ganga descended; Kedarnath, the Jyotirlinga; and Badrinath.
The doors open on Akshaya Tritiya (Yamunotri and Gangotri) and on dates fixed each year for Kedarnath and Badrinath, and close around Diwali and Bhai Dooj, when the utsava murtis go down to their winter seats at Kharsali, Mukhba, Ukhimath and Jyotirmath. The Skanda Purana’s Kedar Khanda describes this land as Devabhumi. Lakhs of pilgrims now make the circuit every summer by the all-weather road.
Temples in this circuit
RebuiltYamunotri
The first of the Char Dham of Uttarakhand by the order of pilgrimage, at the head of the Yamuna below the Kalind peak. Pilgrims cook rice in the boiling Surya Kund and take it home as prasad.
StandingGangotri
The shrine of Ganga at 3,100 m on the Bhagirathi, where King Bhagiratha’s tapas brought her down from heaven. The true source, Gaumukh, lies some 18 km further up the glacier.
StandingKedarnath
The Himalayan Jyotirlinga at the head of the Mandakini, first of the Panch Kedar and one of Uttarakhand’s Char Dham. The linga is a rough triangular rock, the hump of Shiva in the form of a bull.
StandingBadrinath
The northern dham of the Char Dham, on the Alaknanda between the Nar and Narayan ranges, where Bhagwan Narayan sits in tapas. Adi Shankaracharya is said to have recovered the murti from the river and set it back in worship.