Char Dham Yatraचार धाम यात्रा

About the Char Dham Yatra

The original Char Dham are four sacred abodes placed at the four corners of India: Badrinath in the Himalayas to the north, Dwarka on the Gujarat coast to the west, Puri on the Bay of Bengal to the east, and Rameswaram on the island off Tamil Nadu to the south. Tradition associates the grouping with Adi Shankaracharya, who is said to have revitalised these centres and placed mathas near them.

Three of the dhams are Vaishnava — Badrinath (Vishnu as Badrinarayan), Dwarka (Krishna) and Puri (Jagannath) — and Rameswaram is a Shiva Jyotirlinga linked with Shri Rama. Completing all four is regarded as one of the great pilgrimages of a lifetime, and families often plan it across several years.

The usual route

1. Badrinath (Uttarakhand) — open about May to November
2. Dwarka (Gujarat) — with Bet Dwarka and Nageshwar nearby
3. Puri (Odisha) — Jagannath, with Konark and Bhubaneswar
4. Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) — Ramanathaswamy, often combined with Madurai and Kanyakumari

Routes vary by operator and starting city. Opening dates, timings and rules change — confirm with the temple or the official portal before you travel.

Temple guides for this yatra

Timings, aarti, how to reach, dress code and tips for each temple.

• Badrinath TempleBadrinath, Uttarakhand
• Dwarkadhish TempleDwarka, Gujarat
• Jagannath TemplePuri, Odisha
• Ramanathaswamy TempleRameswaram, Tamil Nadu

When to go

Badrinath is open only from about late April or May to November; the other three dhams are open all year. Most pilgrims cover the four over several trips.

Practical tips

• Plan Badrinath for its open season; the other three can be fitted around it.
• Combine each dham with its neighbouring temples rather than travelling between corners of the country in one trip.
• Rameswaram has a tradition of bathing in the temple's sacred wells (theerthams) before darshan — carry a change of clothes.

Read before you go

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