The Char Dham Yatra Significance
The Char Dham Yatra is a pilgrimage done by Hindus visiting four of the most sacred sites in Hinduism:
- Badrinath in the North
- Rameswaram in the South
- Dwarka in the West
- Jagannath Puri in the East
It is of major significance as it symbolises the four yugas (ages) of Hinduism, as well as the four vedas.
Badrinath
Badrinath is a small town in the Northern state of Uttarakhand, with a population of less than 1,000. Yet for a town that size it receives over 600,000 pilgrim visitors each year.
The main attraction in the town is the Badrinath Temple, which houses an 8 foot black stone statue of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan. It is believed by many that this statue actually self-manifested.
The temple is regarded as a holy site as it is even mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Skanda Purana. It is believed that Nar-Narayan, another incarnation of Vishnu did penance there and at the time, the area was filled with plum trees, called badri.