
Photo Credit: Dena v.d.Wal
The Yamunotri and Gangotri dham in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand is being visited by the tourists to receive blessings of Goddess Shakti and take a holy dip to the sacred Ganga and Yamuna rivers to purify themselves from sin. The origins of the two rivers in the form of glaciers bring greater significance to the visitors. On the other end, a visit to the most recognized yatra of two major gods mostly to be worshipped by the Hindu pilgrims namely Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva is famous as Badrinath Kedarnath tour.
Badrinath Kedarnath Yatra together termed as Do Dham Yatra brings greater significance and people from all across the world make a must visit to these two places while embarking their trip to Chardham. Kedarnath which beholds the majestic form of Lord Shiva as one of the twelve jyotirlingas resides on the glorious peaks of Himalayas in Rudraprayag district. It is believed that one of the original forms of Lord Shiva is worshipped amidst the stunning peaks of Garhwal Himalayas besides the Mandakini River. The Kedarnath temple is situated 92 kms away from Rudraprayag at an altitude of 3,581 m above the sea level and is more than 1000 years old. The foundation of temple was being made by great saint and revivalist Adi Shankaracharya and the grand architecture of that time still holds so much significance and attention.

Photo Credit: Ambuj Sarkar
Pilgrims can also pay their homage to Panch Kedar around the locations of Kedarnath temple. The Panch Kedar embodies five temples dedicated to Lord Shiva’s different modes and images at different locations. A visit to these temples will acknowledge the devotees about the legendary and religious significances of the protector and the destroyer, Lord Shiva.
The most famed Badrinath dham invites thousands of pilgrims every year to bow their heads in front of the shrine of Lord Vishnu in the form of Lord Badrinarayan, a meter tall statue made of Shaligram stone. This shrine possesses greater significance due to its great legendary. It is believed that Lord Vishnu meditated under a Badri tree for thousand years for the welfare of mankind and the image of Lord Vishnu in the meditative pose is the symbol of it. Situated at Chamoli district near Alaknanda River it is one of the holiest Hindu temples and is one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The Badrinath temple which is built in 9th century C.E. opens only for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.
There are fifteen more murtis around the Badrinath temple and a Tapt Kund below the temple catches attention of many people which is a hot sulphur spring considered to be medicinal where pilgrims take a bath before visiting the temple.
The pilgrims come here to find inculcation of humanity and a new way of living life. Along with that tourists can also visit Panch Badri, a group of five temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu at nearby locations. They are known as Vishal Badri, Yogadhyan badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri and Adi Badri.

Photo Credit: Dena v.d.Wal
Thus a trip to both the shrines can make your char dham yatra complete in all senses. The pilgrims can get finest accommodation at the related locations and can enjoy many other activities including trekking, sightseeing, water rafting and many more. Badrinath Kedarnath tour is surely a great combination of physical and mental rejuvenation.



