The Char Dham is the most important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in the Indian Himalayas. All sites are located in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand previously known as Uttaranchal. Chardham Yatra consist of four sites - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. While each site is unique in its own fashion, inclusion in the Char Dham has, over time, caused them be viewed together in popular imagination and actual pilgrimage practice.
Most pilgrims to the Char Dham embark from the famous temple town of Haridwar. Others leave from Haridwar's sister city, Rishikesh, or from Dehra Dun, the capital of Uttarakhand.
Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the goddess Yamuna, is a full day's journey from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The actual temple is only accessible by a six km walk from the town of Hanuman Chatti. The site includes hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into prasad. Gangotri, the source of the Ganga (Ganges) River and seat of the goddess Ganga, can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri. More popular than Yamunotri and is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 17 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the Ganga. Kedarnath is very nice pilgrimage center in India.
Kedarnath is a two-day journey from Gangotri, is one of remotest dham among the four. Besides its affiliation with Siva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Shankaracharya's samadhi. The actual temple, an impressive stone edifice of unknown date, is accessible only after a steep 13 km walk. Kedarnath is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. Badrinath is a two-day journey from Kedarnath. It is the most important of the four Char Dham sites. Badrinath receives many more visitors than the other three sites
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