Char Dham

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For the religious sites in Nepal, see Char Dham, Nepal. For denomination Himalayan pilgrimage sites, see Chota Char Dham.

Char Dham
  • Jagannath Puri
Rameswaram
Dwarka
Badrinath
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Locations of the Char Dham

The Char Dham (

Hindu pilgrimage sites in India,[2] consisting of Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram.[3][4] Badrinath, Dwarka, and Puri are shrines of Vishnu, whereas Rameswaram is a shrine of Shiva
.

Defined by Adi Shankara, each dhāma represents a particular yuga, with Badrinath representing Satya Yuga, Rameswaram representing Treta Yuga, Dwarka representing Dvapara Yuga, and Puri representing Kali Yuga.[3][5] Many Hindus believe visiting these sites can help achieve moksha (liberation or salvation).[citation needed]

The Char Dham is not to be confused with the Chota Char Dham, which is a devotional circuit in Uttarakhand.

Description

According to Hindu legend, Badrinath became prominent when Nara-Narayana, an avatar of Vishnu, performed tapas there. As the area then had a profusion of berry trees, the site was initially named badarikāvaṇa, the forest of berries. Per legend, a large berry tree grew above Nara-Narayana to save him from the rain and the sun. A local interpretation holds that Lakshmi became the berry tree to save Narayana. After completing tapas, Narayana said declared that people should always invoke her name before his. Therefore, Hindus refer to "Lakshmi-Narayana."

Within the satya yuga, the area came to be known as badrināth, the lord of the berry trees, in recognizance of Nara-Narayana’s penance. The temple to him is located on the banks of the Alaknanda River in the Chamoli district of Uttrakhand.

The second dhāma, Rameswaram, has its origins in the Treta Yuga when Rama built a lingam there and worshipped it to get atonement from Shiva for slaying his devotee Ravana.[dubious – discuss] It is believed that Rama's footprints are imprinted there.[6]

The third dhāma, Dwaraka, was established in the Dvapara Yuga when Krishna made the city his residence. [7]

At the fourth dhāma, Puri, Vishnu is worshipped as

Jagannath, his avatar for the current epoch, Kali Yuga
.

The monk

Badarikashrama in the North.[8]

The table below gives an overview of the four Amnaya Maṭhas founded by Adi Shankara.[9]

Shishya

(lineage)
Direction
 Maṭha
Mahāvākya
Veda
 Sampradaya
Padmapāda
 		East
Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ
 		Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is Brahman)
Rig Veda
 Bhogavala
Sureśvara South Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ Aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman)
Yajur Veda
 Bhūrivala
Hastāmalakācārya West
Dvāraka Pīṭhaṃ
 		Tattvamasi (That thou art)
Sama Veda
 Kitavala
Toṭakācārya North
Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ
 		Ayamātmā brahma (This self "soul" is Brahman)
Atharva Veda
 Nandavala

The four sites of the Char Dham

The Char Dham Highway project (connecting Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri) is functional, and many service providers offer a Char Dham Yatra by helicopter.[10]

Puri

Jagannath Temple, Puri

tirthankaras.[11]

The word Jagannath means the “world personified' in a Jain context, derived from Jinanath. Evidence of the Jain terminology such as of Kaivalya, which means moksha or salvation, is found in the Jagannath tradition.[12] Similarly, the twenty two steps leading to the temple, called the Baisi Pahacha, have been proposed as symbolic reverence for the first 22 of the 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism.[13]

According to Annirudh Das, the original Jagannath deity was influenced by Jainism and is none other than the Jina of Kalinga taken to Magadha by Mahapadma Nanda.[14] The theory of Jain origins is supported by the Jain Hathigumpha inscription. It mentions the worship of a relic memorial in Khandagiri-Udayagiri on Kumara Hill. This location is stated to be the same as the Jagannath temple site. However, Starza, a Jain text mentions Jains restored the Jagannath shrine, but the authenticity and date of this text are unclear.[15] This is the plume for Oriya people to celebrate a special day in this Dham which is known as Ratha Yatra (Chariot Festival).[16][17]

Rameswaram

Rameswaram Temple, Rameswaram

Jyotirlingas
.

Dwarka

Dwarakadheesh Temple, Dwarka

Krishna. It is generally believed[who?] that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvārakā had submerged six times, and modern-day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area.[18][19][citation needed
]

Badrinath

Badrinath Temple

Badrinath, is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, at an altitude of 3,133 meters (10,279 feet). The temple of Badrinath is dedicated to Lord Vishnu[citation needed] Uttarakhand. It is in the Garhwal hills, on the Alaknanda River banks. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560 m). There are other interesting sightseeing spots like Mana, Vyas Gufa, Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka, Bhimkund, and the Mukh of the Saraswati River, within 3 km of Badrinathjee. Joshimath is situated on the slopes above the confluence of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers. Of the four Maths established by Adi Shankaracharya, Joshimath is the winter seat of Chardham.

While the three other Dhams remain open throughout the year, Badrinath Dham only stays open for pilgrims' darshan from April to October each year.

Chota Char Dham

Another circuit of four ancient pilgrimage sites in the Indian state of Uttarakhand viz. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath is referred to as Chota Char Dham to differentiate it from this bigger circuit of Char Dham sites. The Chota Char Dham shrines are closed in winter due to snowfall and reopen for pilgrims with the advent of summer.[20][21][22][23]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-3-11-080584-0
    .
  2. ^ "Chaar Dham Yatra: A True Test of Every Hindu's Quest Towards Spiritual Enlightenment". NewsGram. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Dass, Parmeshwar (21 February 2022). "History of Chardham - The Amazing Story of Chota Char Dham". Namaste India Trip. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. ^ Chakraborty, Yogabrata (28 June 2023). "পুরীধাম ও জগন্নাথদেবের ব্রহ্মরূপ বৃত্তান্ত" [Puridham and the tale of lord Jagannath's legendary 'Brahmarup']. dainikstatesmannews.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Dainik Statesman (The Statesman Group). p. 4. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ ADMIN (5 February 2023). "Char Dham Yatra : Journey To Spiritual Liberation". TEMPLE KNOWLEDGE. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  6. ^ Seeger, Elizabeth, 1889-1973. (1969). The Ramayana. New York :W.R. Scott
  7. ISBN 81-208-0053-2
  8. ^ "Sankara Acarya: 4 - Monastic Traditions". Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
  9. ^ "The Amnaya Peethams". Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham. Archived from the original on 26 June 2006.
  10. ^ "Why schools in Kedarnath are going soundproof - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. ISBN 978-81-8450-150-6
    .
  12. ^ Barik, P M (July 2005). "Jainism and Buddhism in Jagannath culture" (PDF). Orissa Review: 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  13. ^ Avinash Patra (2011). Origin & Antiquity of the Cult of Lord Jagannath. Oxford University Press. pp. 8–10, 17–18.
  14. ^ Das, Aniruddha. Jagannath and Nepal. pp. 9–10.
  15. ISBN 90-04-09673-6
    .
  16. ^ Char Dham Yatra, by G. R. Venkatraman. Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1988.
  17. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3
  18. ^ Santosh, Urmila (22 November 2016). "Where Mythology Meets Reality: Sunken City Of Dwarka". gounesco.com. GoUNESCO. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  19. ^ Shankar, Kalyani (15 March 2007). "Legends by the sea". The Economic Times. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  20. ISBN 1-74104-308-5
    . Page 468.
  21. ISBN 978-81-88913-25-1
  22. ^ "Welcome To Alekh Prakashan". Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra to restart from May 2014". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. 24 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2014.

External links

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