History of Chota Chardham in Uttrakhand: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath

History of chota chardham

Chota Chardham, Uttarakhand, is one of India’s most significant Hindu Pilgrimages. It includes Uttarakhand’s four holiest places: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Further, it is unknown when and how these locations were connected in a pilgrimage circuit. Each of them has a unique and storied past. Moreover, the grandeur and spirituality of each destination qualify them for inclusion in a spiritual pilgrimage trip.

Before the 1950s, getting to the four Chota Chardham places in Uttarakhand required an arduous trek across rocky paths. After the 1962 Indo-Chinese conflict, India devoted significant resources to improving border transportation and infrastructure. Now, the highways could transport one to the closest holy abodes since the Chota Chardham yatra route is now accessible. So this motivated individuals from many socioeconomic levels to do the Chota Chardham in India in the Himalayas.

Now, instead of traveling via the roads, Chota Chardham Yatra by helicopter by LIH Travels makes it easy for everyone to seek the blessings of the God and Goddess.

Chota Chardham Yatra History: History Of Yamunotri

Yamunotri is the source of the second most sacred river in India, the Yamuna. Yamunotri Dham, located in the Uttarakhand’sUttarkashi district, is the first destination on the circuit. Moreover, legends believe bathing in this holy water washes away all sins and protects against premature and painful death.

The Yamunotri Temple, constructed in 1839 by Naresh Sudarshan Shah, was the monarch of Tehri. Further, the respected shrine also houses the Ganga Devi idol, in addition to that of Yamuna Devi. Further, devotees cook rice and potatoes there in Kund and consume them as the devi’s Prasad.

Legend

Legends believe that Goddess Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun and Yama’s twin sister. According to mythology, the sage Asit Muni resided and cleansed here in both the Yamuna and the Ganges. Further, during his old age, while he could not travel to Gangotri, a Ganga stream began to pour over the Yamuna’s steam.

Chota Chardham Yatra History: History Of Gangotri

Gangotri Dham is devoted to the goddess Ganga who we believe to have come to earth to cleanse humanity of its sins. So the river begins at Gaumukh, about 18 kilometers from the Gangotri glacier. In the 19th century, a Gurkha general, Amar Singh Thapa, constructed the ancient Gangotri shrine in the Uttarkashi region of Uttarakhand.

Legend

During the Ashwamedha Yagna, King Sagar sent his sixty thousand sons together with the horse. The horse got lost; after tracking it to Guru Kapila’s ashram, 60,000 sons invaded the ashram and startled the meditating sage. Infuriated, Kapila opened his scorching eyes, which turned sixty thousand sons to ashes. Further, on Kapila’s guidance, Anshuman (Sagar’s grandson) began appealing to Goddess Ganga, pleading for her to descend to earth to purify the ashes of his ancestors and give them freedom.

However, Anshuman failed to achieve his objective; his grandson Bhagirath’s intense meditation brought Ganga to earth. Further, Lord Shiva bound Ganga and dispersed its water into many streams to protect the planet from its terrible force.

Chota Chardham Yatra History: History Of Kedarnath

Kedarnath, located in the Uttarakhand’sRudraprayag district, is the most isolated pilgrimage site on the yatra. So often, people believe that Pandavas first constructed the Kedarnath temple. Moreover, Adi Shankaracharya had the current structure erected close to the previous temple in the eighth century.

Further, the grey stone building’s towering design and endurance to last so many millennia in such a hostile environment make it an architectural wonder.

Legends

The Pandavas were looking for Lord Shiva to apologize for their misdeeds on the Mahabharata battleground. Lord Shiva’s mindset was not to pardon them so readily. Hence, he transformed into a bull and traveled to Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region. When the Pandavas discovered him, he dived under the earth.

The Lord’s have appeared at Kedarnath, the face at Rudranath, the arms at Tunganath, the navel at Madhya-Maheshwar, and the hair at Kalpeshwar. Hence, these five locations are collectively known as Panch-Kedar. Further, The Pandavas had temples built for each of the five locations. Now, Kedarnath is among the Chota Chardham places.

Chota Chardham Yatra History: Badrinath History

For Hindus, Badrinath is one of the holiest locations. The Badrinath temple is featured in the Chota Char Dham and Char Dham pilgrimages and is one of the 108 Divya Desams. Adi Shankaracharya, near the Alaknanda River, uncovered Lord Badri’s idol and placed it Tapt Kund’s closest cave.

Further, during the 16th century, the Garhwal king constructed the temple. However, the temple has undergone restoration several times due to natural disasters. The splendor of Badrinath Dham is further accentuated by the spectacular backdrop of Neelkanth mountain, nestled between Nar and Narayan peaks.

Legend

As per legends, a sage criticized Lord Vishnu’s lavish lifestyle, following which Vishnu decided to meditate as atonement. Goddess Laxmi (his wife) adopted the appearance of a berry tree to shield Vishnu from the sunshine and other awful natural elements. According to another divine story, Badrinath was formerly Shiva’s realm. So Vishnu deceived Shiva into fleeing the place instead of establishing himself.

Final Say

So this was all about the Chota Chardham yatra’s history. You can book your journey with LIH Travels.

By Admin

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