The Uttarakhand Chardham tour is considered as one of the most difficult holy spot in india. I remember, my grandpa use to say that once anyone have left their home to visit uttarakhand chardham, they never use to come back home. And this is true, b'coz still the roads are not fully secured.
The tour begins from Haridwar, which is considered as the gate of god ( Hari- God, Dwar- Gate). In haridwar, there are many places to visit but the main attraction and is compulsory to visit are mansa devi temple, chandi devi temple and hari ki pauri. For both the devi's temple, one can go by rope way which doesn't cost much. Hari ki Pauri is the place where holy Ganga flows and everybody takes bath to destroy their bad works. But i insist to visit Hari Ki Pauri during sunset when the ganga aarti takes place, its must to watch. There are other attraction in Haridwar like Vaisnodevi Temple, Bharat Mata mandir, Pawan Dham, etc.
The next spot is Rishikesh, as name indicates is a place where all rishi's and sadhus stays. The main attraction here is Laxman Zula, Ram Zula, which is built without any pillars. Here there will be many shops which are government authorised and sell Rudrakash, You can purchase if you want it.
The next spot is Yamunotri, which is place where holy Yamuna has source. By the way, on way to yamunotri you can view a pleasant natural look of Dehradun, Mussorrie and inbetween places.In Yamunotri, the actual source, a frozen lake of ice and glacier (Champasar Glacier) located on the Kalind Mountain, about 1 km further up, is not frequented generally as it is not accessible; hence the shrine has been located on the foot of the hill. The approach is extremely difficult and pilgrims therefore offer puja at the temple itself.Close to the temple are hot water springs gushing out from the mountain cavities. Surya Kund is the most important kund. Near the Surya Kund there is a shila called Divya Shila, which is worshipped before puja is offered to the deity. Devotees prepare rice and potatoes, tied in muslin cloth, to offer at the shrine by dipping them in these hot water springs. Rice so cooked is taken back home as Prasad. One has to travel from Jankichatti with the help of Pony, Pithu, Palkhi or even walkable distance of 6 KM.
The next is Gangotri, the origin of the holy Ganga. Actually, The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to absolve the sins of King Bhagiratha's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries. Near the Temple one can view the statue of King Bhagiratha, in the flow of ganga.
The Next is most difficult Kedarnath,There are 2 ways to reach Kedarnath: 1) By foot for a steep 14 km trek through a paved path (horses or palanquins are available for rent) from Gaurikund, 2) Through helicopter service.
Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva the protector and the destroyer. Shiva, is considered the embodiment of all passions-love, hatred, fear, death and mysticism which are expressed through his various forms.
According to legend, the place came into being during the period when the five Pandavas brothers were asked to seek Shiva's blessings purging them of the sin of killing their cousins. Lord Shiva unwilling to give darshans to the Pandavas frled Kashi to live incognito in Guptkashi, where eventually he was detected by the Pandavas. While fleeing Shiva took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull and started to plunge underground when he was spotted by the Pandavas. He dived into the ground, leaving behind his hump on the surface. No wonder the natural rock formation that is worshipped here resembles the hump of a bull. Thus Shiva pleased with the determination of the Pandavas, exonerated them from their sin, gave them darshan & bestowed upon them the opportunity to worship his hump. The other four places where Shiva is worshipped take their appearance from different parts of his body -the naval at Madmaheshwar, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, and the matted hair at Kalpeshwar. The latter four along with Kedarnath are known as the Panch Kedars.
The Next and last is Badrinath, located only a few kilometers from the Indo-China (Tibet) border, Badrinath is generally a two-day-long journey from either Kedarnath, the site that precedes it in the Char Dham circuit, or one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage site, is on the way to Badrinath, so the road is especially crowded during the summer pilgrimage season. The temple and its substantial surrounding village are accessible by road. The best time to visit Badrinath is between June and September. Warm clothes are recommended all year. The Badrinath area is referred to as Badari or Badarikaashram in Hindu scriptures. It is a place sacred to Vishnu, particularly in Vishnu's dual form of Nara-Narayana. Thus, in the Mahabharata, Krishna, addressing Arjuna, says, "Thou wast Nara in a former body, and, with Narayana for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years." One legend has it that when the goddess Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity, the earth was unable to withstand the force of her descent. Therefore the mighty Ganga was split into twelve holy channels, with Alaknanda one of them. The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are said to have ended their life by ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini - literally, the 'Ascent to Heaven'. Local legend has it that the Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of Mana, 4 km north of Badrinath, on their way to Svarga (heaven). There is also a cave in Mana where Vyasa, according to legend, wrote the Mahabharata
