7 Things to You Should Know About Chardham Temple
Chardham Yatra refers to the annual Hindu pilgrimage to India’s four holiest locations. This journey includes stops in Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Further, the Chardham Yatra of Uttarakhand is one of the most significant Hindu pilgrimages. Further, People believe that the Chardham Yatra and visiting the Chardham temple cleanses the soul and washes away all sins. In addition, it brings redemption from the cycle of birth and death.
Annually, millions of Hindus participate in the Chardham Yatra. Furthermore, people visit the Chardham temple on foot or other pony or palki services. Additionally, for the pilgrim’s convenience, LIH Travel offers the best Chardham Yatra by helicopter services to ensure your entire Yatra remains safe and comfortable.
Until now, most devotees have completed the Chardham Yatra, yet they may not know the facts about Chardham temple. If you are among those, keep scrolling and read these seven facts about the Chardham Yatra and the temples.
Seven Facts About Chardham Temple One Must Know
1. The Char Dham Yatra is a circumambulation or Parikrama of the four most important Hindu pilgrimage sites.
Parikrama, also known as Pradakshina, refers to the circumambulation of holy sites, often performed from left to right. The Char Dham Yatra is the circumambulation of the four prominent temples. So it commences at Yamunotri Temple, the westernmost temple of the Garhwal. Further, it continues to Gangotri Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Ganga, following the Kedarnath Temple, among the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas’ of Lord Shiva, and ends at Badrinath Temple, the Lord Vishnu’s temple.
2. People prepare the Yamunotri prasad at the Surya Kund’s boiling water
Surya Kund, a hot water spring near the Yamunotri glacier, carries sacred importance for Hindus. According to Hindu mythology, Surya, the Sun God, is the Yamuna River’s father. Being surrounded by the snow-covered Himalayas, Surya Kund maintains a warmth of approximately 88 degrees, strengthening our confidence in God. So when people visit this Chardham Temple, they prepare prasad out of rice and potatoes by tieing these ingredients in a muslin cloth and dipping it in the kund. Further, they offer it to the deity and carry the rest with them.
3. Kedarnath Temple worships Shiva’s hind portion.
As per Hindu legend, the Pandavas constructed the Kedarnath temple, which sits majestically in the Garhwal Himalayas. After winning the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas were burdened with regret for slaughtering their brothers. Hence, they looked for Lord Shiva to ask for forgiveness. However, they were unable to locate him. Ultimately, Bheema could locate Shiva in the form of a bull; Shiva, who did not desire to meet them, had buried his hind in the ground. Since then, the hind portion of Mahadeva has been venerated at the Kedarnath temple.
4. The term Badri of Lord Vishnu is derived from Laxmi’s embodiment as a berry tree.
According to a famous tale, when Lord Vishnu undertook a severe meditation in the hills, his wife Goddess Laxmi adopted the form of a berry tree called a ‘badri’ or a ‘bayar’ tree. So she shielded him from the sun’s blazing rays. Laxmi Ji gave him shade for many years before transforming into a massive tree. The tree was called Badri Vishal, and her husband, Lord Vishnu as Badrinath.
5. Gauri Kund, the site wherein Goddess Parvati married Lord Shiva, and Ganesha received his new head.
Gauri Kund, situated in the Rudraprayag area at an elevation of 6000ft above sea level, acts as a campground for pilgrims traveling to Kedarnath, the Chardham temple. As per Hindu traditions, this location is the yogic premises where Goddess Parvati meditated for over a century to marry Lord Shiva. Further, the Gauri kund also recounts how Shiva, Ganesha’s father decapitated his son and resurrected him when Shiva realized his blunder.
According to legend, while goddess Parvati began bathing in the kund, she sent her dutiful son Ganesha to watch the entrance and prevent anybody from entering. When Shiva attempted to enter, Ganesha impeded his progress. The enraged Shiva then unleashed his anger on Ganesha and decapitated him. Shiva resurrected Ganesha’s body by putting the head of a roaming elephant onto his body after discovering from his wife Parvati that Ganesha was his son. Furthermore, Ganesha got his life, and Shiva awarded him the privilege of being revered as the God of happiness and prosperity by the people of the earth.
6. There is a prohibition on blowing the conch/shankh at the Badrinath shrine.
Interestingly, there is a prohibition on blowing the conch, one of Lord Vishnu’s preferred instruments, at the Badrinath Chardham Temple. As per Hindu mythology, two devils named Vatapi and Atapi fled while the sage Agasthya was slaughtering the demons of Kedarnath. Atapi sought shelter in the Mandakini River, whilst Vatapi hid under the conch shell to preserve his life. Hence people believe that Vatapi will emerge if someone attempts to blow the conch. Therefore, there is a prohibition on the conch blowing in this location.
According to scientists, blowing the conch may generate an echo because the Badrinath temple remains mostly covered with snow. These unique phenomena might trigger ecological disruption and ice storms and jeopardize human life.
7. During the reign of King Ashoka in India, people worshiped the Badrinath temple as a Buddhist temple.
As per the Skanda Purana, Adi Shankaracharya relocated Lord Badrinath’s idol to this shrine in the eighth century A.D. after retrieving it from Narad Kund. There are no such historical records regarding the Badrinath Temple’s origins. However, other reports claim there used to be a Buddhist temple at this place before Adi Shankaracharya changed it into a Hindu temple. Furthermore, the Badrinath temple’s construction and vibrantly painted façade are comparable to those of a Buddhist vihara (temple). Hence, this Chardham temple’s fact might be correct.
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Final Say
So these were some of the facts about Chardham temple. The Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand wasn’t its initial name, which is an important fact. Contrary to popular belief, the one that occurs in Uttarakhand is the Chhota Chardham Yatra, a shorter version of the Chardham Yatra. So, Uttarakhand’s Chardham Yatra comprises visiting the Chardham Temple in the four different directions of Uttarakhand.