Chota Char Dham

The Chota Char Dham is a pilgrimage site revered by Hindus in the state of Uttarakhand. It means the small four abodes of the Gods. It begins in the month of April-May during Akshaya Tritiya and ends after 2 days of Diwali during Bhai Dooj. One should not misunderstand it with the Char Dham sites that are Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, Rameswaram and Badrinath.

Chota Char Dham

The four pilgrimage sites are:-

• Kedarnath (dedicated to Lord Shiva)
• Badrinath (dedicated to Lord Vishnu)
• Gangotri (dedicated to Goddess Ganga)
• Yamunotri (dedicated to Goddess Yamuna)

Gangotri and Yamunotri are worshipped as the head of the river Goddesses as it the source point of the rivers. River Ganga is the holiest river in Hinduism. River Yamuna is the second holiest river in Hinduism.

Kedarnath is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. Badrinath is also one of the pilgrimage sites of the Char Dham Yatra. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and people worship Lord Vishnu as Shree Badrinarayan here.

Best Time to start the Chota Char Dham Yatra

April to May: Although this circuit is open for tourism for 6month throughout the year. But the ideal time to go on this pilgrimage tour. Considering the weather conditions and ease of travelling, one should Ideally start Chota Char Dham Yatra in the month of April or May.

This time is also great if you want to explore the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, be it in Himachal or Uttarakhand. If you are planning a visit then make sure you read this Himachal Trip guide and Uttarakhand Trip guide so that you don’t make the same mistake as others.

Some need to know things

The sites are open for tourism only for 6 months and they remain shut for the next 6 months as there is heavy snowfall. The Char Dham Yatra is done in a clockwise direction. It starts from Yamunotri the Gangotri reaching Kedarnath up to Badrinath in the end.

Some devotees only visit two of these sites – Kedarnath and Badrinath. The pilgrimage can be done by road or by air. Some devotees even prefer walking long trails as done in the old times.