Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of the four Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is located in the Himalayas, about 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level near the Chorabari Glacier, which is the source of the Mandakini river. The town is flanked by snow-capped peaks, most prominently the Kedarnath Mountain. The nearest road head is at Gaurikund about 16 km away. The town suffered extensive destruction during June 2013 from the Flash Floods caused by torrential rains in Uttarakhand state.
The Chota Char Dham is an important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in Uttarakhand, in the Indian Himalayas. Located in the Garhwal region of the state of Uttarakhand, the circuit consists of four sites—Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. Badrinath is also one of the four destinations of the longer Char Dham from which the Chota Char Dham likely draws its name.
Rudraprayag is a city and a municipality in Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag of Alaknanda River, the point of confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. Kedarnath, a Hindu holy city is located 86 km from Rudraprayag. The man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag hunted and written about by Jim Corbett dwelled here.
Badarinath or Badarinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu—holy shrines for Vaishnavas—who is worshipped as Badrinath. It is open for six months every year, because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India, having recorded 2.8 million visits in just 2 months in 2022. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple, one of the twelve jyotirlinga of Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river, in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April and November. During the winters, the vigraha (deity) of the temple is carried down to Ukhimath to be worshipped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogenous form of Shiva, the 'Lord of Kedarkhand', the historical name of the region.
In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas has special significance for earning the punya needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darśana, the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna, the Dhyana, the puja (worship), the prarthana, the dakshina, the seva, the bhandara, etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries, the kundas, the ghats, or the stepwells, or the temple tanks.
Yātrā, in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves.
The Char Dham, also rendered the Chatur Dhama is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India. It is believed that visiting these sites helps achieve moksha (salvation). The four Dhams are Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath and Rameswaram. It is believed that every Hindu should visit the Char Dhams during one's lifetime. The Char Dham as defined by Adi Shankara consists of four Hindu pilgrimage sites. These main 'dhamas' are the shrines of Vishnu and Rameshwaram is a shrine of Shiva. All the 'dhamas' are related to four epochs,(1) Dham of Satyuga- Badrinath, Uttarakhand (2) Dham of Tretayuga -Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu (3) Dham of Dwaparayuga - Dvaraka, Gujarat (4) Dham of Kaliyuga - Jagannatha Puri, Odisha.
Panch Kedar, rendered Pancha Kedara in Sanskrit, refers to five Hindu temples or holy places of the Shaivite sect dedicated to god Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India. They are the subject of many legends that directly link their creation to Pandavas, the heroes of the Indian epic Mahabharata.
Ukhimath is a small town and a Hindu pilgrimage site in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand in India. It is situated at an elevation of 1,311 meters and at a distance of 41 km from Rudraprayag. During the winter, the Utsava Idols from the Kedarnath Temple, and Madhyamaheshwar Temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped here for six months. Ukhimath can be used as center destination for visiting different places located nearby, the Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Tungnath Temple and Deoria Tal and many other picturesque places. According to Hindu Mythology, the wedding of Usha and Aniruddha was solemnized here. By name of Usha this place was named as Ushamath, now known as Ukhimath. King Mandhata had performed severe penances to Lord Shiva here. During the winter, the Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar Temples are closed due to heavy snowfall in the area. As a result, the Utsava Idols of Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar are brought from Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar to the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath. The winter puja of Kedarnath and Omkareshwar is performed here. The Omkareshwar Temple is located at Ukhimath, which is at a distance of 41 km from Rudraprayag.
Ghansali is located in Ghansali Tehsil of Tehri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand, India. Ghansali town offers a splendid beauty of Bhilangana River on one side and dense forest at other. According to the 2011 census it has a population of 392 living in 82 households. Its main agriculture product is paddy growing.
The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Char Dham National Highway, is an under construction two-lane 825 km long express National Highway with a minimum width of 10 metres in the Indian state of Uttarakhand under Char Dham Pariyojana. The under construction highway will complement the under-construction Char Dham Railway by connecting the four holy places in Uttarakhand states namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The project includes 900 km national highways which will connect whole of Uttarakhand state. It will connect Delhi–Dehradun Expressway on its southern end to India-China Border Roads on its northern ends.
The Char Dham Railway, the Indian Railways's under construction twin railway lines under Char Dham Pariyojana project by connecting the holiest places of Hinduism called Chota Char Dham, from the existing Doiwala railway station near Dehradun to Gangotri and Yamunotri via a fork at Uttarkashi and another set of twin rail links from the upcoming railway station at Karnaprayag to Kedarnath and Badrinath via a fork at Saikot. The line is also of strategic military importance and has been designated a national project.
Saikot is a village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in India. Situated on the banks of Alaknanda River, it is a proposed y-forked railway junction on Chota Char Dham Railway for two different railways going to Kedarnath and Badrinath.
The Doiwala–Dehradun–Uttarkashi–Maneri Gangotri Railway, notified as the project of national strategic importance, is Indian Railways's one of the four constituent routes of the proposed Char Dham Railway connecting the holiest Chota Char Dham of Hinduism. This 131 km route starts from the existing Doiwala station near Dehradun and will terminate at Maneri close to Gangotri.
The Uttarkashi–Palar Yamunotri Railway, notified as the project of national strategic importance, is Indian Railways's one of the four constituent routes of the proposed Char Dham Railway connecting the holiest Chota Char Dham of Hinduism. This 22 km route starts from Uttarkashi and ends at Palar near Yamunotri.
The Karnaprayag–Saikot–Sonprayag Kedarnath Railway, notified as the project of national strategic importance, is Indian Railways's one of the four constituent routes of the proposed Char Dham Railway connecting the holiest Chota Char Dham of Hinduism. This 99 km route starts from Karnaprayag and ends at Sonprayag 13 km before Kedarnath.
The Saikot–Joshimath Badrinath Railway, notified as the project of national strategic importance, is Indian Railways's one of the four constituent routes of the proposed Char Dham Railway connecting the holiest Chota Char Dham of Hinduism. This 75 km route starts at Saikot and ends at Joshimath 46 km before Badrinath.
The Rishikesh–Karnaprayag line is an under-construction railway line, which will run from Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station in Rishikesh to Karnaprayag. It is Indian Railways' proposed route for the Char Dham Railway to connect the Char Dham pilgrimage of Uttarakhand. The line is also part of an Indian geostrategic initiative to build infrastructure along the India-China border to discourage Chinese expansion. The project is considered to be of national strategic importance and is being tracked on the Central Government’s PRAGATI portal. When ready, it will help improve connectivity to the Char Dham shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
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