Chota Char Dham is a Hindu pilgrimage circuit of the four abodes where people journey up the mountains of four sacred temples in the Garhwal region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
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 List of Char Dhams:Â
 1. Yamunotri TempleÂ
✓ Yamunotri temple is one of the beautiful forms of the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sacred by Hindus.
✓ It is an alluring pure source of the Yamuna River and the temple of the goddess Yamuna.
✓ It is located in the Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand, which is very popular for its thermal spring and beautiful glacier.
✓ It is situated at an altitude of 3,293m (10,804 ft), considered the beginning of the char dham yatra.
✓ If you are planning to visit Yamunotri, take a flight to the Jolly Grant Airport, the Dehradun airport, and hire a taxi from there since the distance from Dehradun to Yamunotri is about 200km.
✓ You can also book a seat on the train to get there.
 2. Gangotri TempleÂ
✓ Gangotri Temple is the highest temple of the goddess Ganga.
✓ Hindu devotees visit Gangotri to worship the goddess Ganga which has a 20ft high structure made of white granite.
✓ It is located in Uttarkashi, having a great value in Goddess Ganga since the temple is at the heart of Gangotri.
✓ Amar Singh Thapa, a Gorkha General in the 18th century, built it.
✓ Gangotri is situated on the left of the bank of the river Bhagirathi, with beautiful surroundings of deodars and pine trees.
✓ The temple is geographically unique since it is rich in flora and fauna.
✓ It is also famous as Gangotri national park, which is a habitat of numerous species, i.e., bharal, blue sheep, back dear, brown bear, Himalayan monal, Himalayan thar, Himalayan snowcock, musk deer, and snow leopard.
 3. Kedarnath TempleÂ
✓ Kedarnath temple is the holiest Hindu shrine of the god Shiva.
✓ As per Hindu legends, It was built by Pandavas.
✓ People believe visiting Kedarnath is the ultimate way of getting moksha (salvation).
✓ It is considered a most potent temple as it has o great value in its triangular jyotirlingas.
✓ The journey to take Darsan of Kedarnath is adventurous, but people believe that taking Darsan of it is an excellent way of karma purification.
✓ It is a significant attraction in northern India at an altitude of 3584m from the sea level, situated on the bank of the Mandakini River.
 4. Badrinath TempleÂ
✓ Badrinath temple is a famous pilgrimage of Hindu devotees in the Himalayas, surrounded by snow-clad mountains.
✓ The temple is famous as a preserver of the universe since their God Vishnu is worshipped as a preserver.
✓ It is strongly believed that Goddess Laxmi appeared as a berry (Badri) tree to protect her husband from the harsh mountain weather.
✓ It is a temple of the Himalayas since it is said that every single Hindu must visit Badrinath temple at least once in their lifetime.
✓ It is located on the bank of the Alaknanda River at an altitude of 3,133m (10,279ft) from sea level.
 Frequently Asked Questions:Â
 1. What is the history of dham?Â
✓ The word “dham” is derived from a Hindu word that means “abode” and “place of pilgrimage,” and its history is long and complex.
✓ According to the ancient Indian text, it is considered that the dham was found in the rig veda.
✓ It is said that the origins of Dham go back to Chamba Valley more than 1000 years ago.
✓ It consists of four sites, i.e., Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, etc.
 2. What exactly is a Chota Char Dham?Â
✓ Chota Char Dham is the small four abodes and a well-liked destination for Hindus.
✓ It is a challenging as well as a rewarding journey and destination for the people who are theist devotees.
✓ It has a dangerous craze of visiting char dham to clean sins and to achieve moksha (salvation).
 3. What is the importance of chota char dham?Â
✓ Most people and Hindu devotees firmly believe that every Hindu must visit chota char dham once in their lifetime.
✓ It is defined as Adi Shankara since it consists of four Hindu pilgrimage sites.
✓ People believe that if we visit Char Dham, then it will help to clean our sins and provides moksha (salvation).
 4. Why is it called char dham?Â
✓ Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath are the four Dham, where char means ‘4’ and dham means ‘religious destinations.’ Therefore it is called char dham.
 5. Who invented Char Dham?Â
✓ The invention of Char Dham is credited to the great 8th-century philosopher and reformer Shankaracharya (Adi Sankara).
 6. Does Chota char dham and Dham different?Â
✓ Both are the same where Dham refers to religious sites and chota char dham refers to 4-small Dham.
 7. Is Kedarnath a safe place to visit?Â
✓ Kedarnath is an alluring destination for a solo trip since it has breathtaking beauty and is easy to travel around.
✓ Before planning a trip, avoid monsoon season since the road leading to Kedarnath is prone to landslides.
 8. Is it safe to visit a Chardham by solitary female traveler?Â
✓ Of course, yes! Thousands of Hindu women devotees travel to Chardham to be on the lookout for the blessing of the deities every year.
 9. Is it possible to do the Chardham yatra by own vehicle?Â
✓ Their road is very narrow since it is not recommended to take your vehicle.
✓ But it is suggested to hire one of the experienced travel company.
 10. What are the safety precautions that must ensure the safety of visitors?Â
✓ Stay hydrated
✓ Be prepared for altitude
✓ Hire a local guide
✓ Avoid children and senior citizen
✓ Keep a water bottle and first aid box, etc.
 11. Which Dham to visit first?Â
✓ Yamunotri, Haridwar is considered as the beginning point of char dham. Then after visiting Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, respectively.
 12. What are the benefits of char dham yatra?Â
✓ According to the Hindu devotees, getting salvation by washing sins of a lifetime is a significant benefit of the Char Dham Yatra.
 13. Is Char Dham Yatra arduous?Â
✓ Of course, yes! The Char Dham Yatra isn’t easy as you may be expected.
✓ Only two temples, i.e., Gangotri and Badrinath, are assessable by vehicle, and the rest of the two temples, i.e., Kedarnath and Yamunotri, require treks.
 14. What is the suitable outfit for the Chardham yatra?Â
The weather of the Char Dham or the Himalayas is very unpredictable since one must pack outfits like:
✓ Warm and good Clothes
✓ Rain gear outfits
✓ Waterproof jackets
✓ Thermal inner wears
✓ Warm gloves
✓ Warm Hat, etc.
 15. Can we do Char Dham yatra by helicopter?Â
✓ The divine Char Dham yatra starts in Dehradun since it covers all Dhams of Uttarakhand, i.e., Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
✓ Chardham Yatra by Helicopter is the most advantageous way to reach Uttarakhand.