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Chardham
If I want to tell you about the Chardham Yatra in simple words, it means the journey to attain salvation. And there is also such a belief in our Hindu religion that if you visit the Chardham in one go in your life, then you attain salvation and you become free from the infinite cycle of life and death.
By the way, there are two types of Chardham Yatra in our country and both these pilgrimages have equal importance in the Hindu religion. The four major pilgrimage sites of our country are Badrinath Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple, Sri Jagannath Temple and Ramanatha Swamy Temple (Rameswaram).
These four temples are part of the main Chardham Yatra. And while the four major pilgrimage sites of Uttarakhand Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath temples, these four temples are revered as Chota Chardham Yatra.
Due to the similar religious beliefs of Chardham and Chhota Chardham Yatra, there is a situation of great confusion among most of the devotees and for this reason, most of the people consider Chhota Chardham Yatra as Chardham Yatra.
That is why the main Chardham Yatra is known today as Badi Chardham Yatra. The four pilgrimage sites of Chardham Yatra where are located in four different directions of the country. Such as Badrinath in the north, Dwarkadhish in the west, Ramanatha Swamy Temple (Rameshwaram) in the south, and Sri Jagannath Temple in the east.
Whereas all the pilgrimage sites of Chhota Chardham are located in Uttarakhand. So far no such definite rules have been set about why Chardham Yatra is done in Hinduism. Nor do you get to see the description of this journey in any religious text.
Now the question arises that if there is no description of this yatra in any Puranas and texts, then why Chardham Yatra has so much religious significance. And when we find the answer to this question, we come to know that in our Puranas and ancient texts, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva have been described as eternal friends of each other.
Apart from this, it is also told in many Puranas and texts that Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are also considered to be the biggest devotees of each other. And we find similar similarities in all these four pilgrimage sites like Badrinath temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Kedarnath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Apart from this, the Dwarkadhish temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the Somnath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Sri Jagannath temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the Lingaraj temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, located nearby in Bhubaneswar.
And finally, the Ramanatha Swamy Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Ram-Setu built-in Tretayuga is dedicated to Lord Rama (the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu). Apart from this, the Shivling of lord Shiva established in the Ramnath Swamy temple was established by Lord Rama himself.
Due to this similarity among these four pilgrimage sites, Hindu Dharma Chardham Yatra is done very prominently. Apart from all these things, devotees believe that by visiting these four pilgrimage sites, they will get freedom from all sins and sufferings and they will attain salvation by being freed from the cycle of life and death.
Badrinath Temple
Situated in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, the Badrinath Temple is situated in the Himalayas near the banks of the Alaknanda River. Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Badrinath Lord in the Badrinath temple.
The Deity of Lord Badrinath installed in the temple is made of Shaligram stone, and it is believed that the Deity installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is one of the eight self-manifested idols of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath Temple is a part of the main Chardham Yatra as well as the Chhota Chardham Yatra of Uttarakhand.
You can estimate the reverence for the Badrinath temple in such a way that in the year 2012, in just six months, 10.6 lakh pilgrims visited the Badrinath temple. The time of construction of the Badrinath temple, situated at an altitude of 3133 m (10279 ft) above sea level, is believed to be around the 07th to 09th century.
Badrinath temple is the only temple among all the temples of Chardham, which remains open only for six months in a year. In the winter season, the temperature of Badrinath temple goes down very low and along with it, there is a lot of snowfall, due to which many feet of snow accumulate here.
Therefore, during the winter season, the festival idol of Lord Badrinath is taken from Badrinath to Joshimath and installed in the Narasimha temple. Then the Utsav idol of Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the Narasimha temple for the next 06 months. By the way, every year, the doors of the Badrinath temple are opened for the devotees around Akshaya Tritiya, which is estimated in April and May.
And after that in November, after the Bhai Dooj that comes after Deepawali, the doors of the Badrinath temple are closed for 06 months. Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the form of Badrinarayan in the temple. Apart from this, devotees also like to call Lord Vishnu by the name of Badrivishal.
The chief priest of the Badrinath temple is a Brahmin of the Namboodiri sect of Kerala, the residents prefer to call them here Rawal. In ancient texts like Mahabharata, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Vishnu Purana, the glory of Badrinath temple and Badrinath Lord has been mentioned in detail.
Just as the Panchkedar temple of Lord Shiva is located in Uttarakhand, similarly the Sapta Badri temple of Lord Vishnu is also located. Apart from Badrinath, Yogdhyana Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri, Shri Dhyan Badri and Shri Nrusingh Badri are worshipped as the Sapta Badri temples of Lord Vishnu.
Apart from this, there are many mythological events associated with the Badrinath temple and its surrounding area. Most of the mythological events heard here are related to Lord Shiva, Mata Parvati, Lord Vishnu and Mata Lakshmi.
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Dwarkadhish Temple
Dwarkadhish Temple, dedicated to Lord Shri Krishna, the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is located in the Dwarka district of Gujarat. Even today in Dwarka city, Lord Krishna is considered as the king of Dwarka because the city of Dwarka was established by Lord Krishna himself.
It is said that Lord Krishna settled the city of Dwarka at this place by asking for a piece of land from the sea to settle the city and established religion in the whole country from here. That is why even today in the Dwarkadhish temple, he is also worshipped as the king of Dwarka.
Devotees also like to name the Dwarkadhish temple Jagat Mandir and Nij Mandir. According to archaeologists, the original Dwarkadhish temple was built around 2500 years ago. But the temple you are seeing today was built around the 15th to 16th centuries.
According to historians, in 1472 AD, the Muslim ruler of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada, attacked Dwarka and destroyed the Dwarkadhish temple. After which the reconstruction work of the temple is done by Raja Jagat Singh Rathore around the 15th and 16th centuries.
Dwarkadhish Temple is a grand five-storeyed building standing on the base of 72 pillars. It is believed that before the construction of the Dwarkadhish temple, this place used to be the abode of Lord Shri Krishna and at that time it was known as Hari Griha.
Later, the Dwarkadhish temple was built at this place by Brajnabha, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna. The main building of the temple has been constructed using limestone. The height of the peak of the Dwarkadhish temple is 78.3 meters (257 ft) and a flag made of 52 cloth has been installed on this peak.
The sun and moon are built on the flag installed on the top of the temple, which is considered a symbol of Lord Krishna’s rule over Dwarka. It is believed that when the sun and the moon remain on the earth, then Lord Krishna will rule here. And this has to be done that Dwarka is also called Jagat Mandir.
Even after the reconstruction work of the temple was done, the work of fine work in the temple was continued by the successors of the royal family. There are mainly two entrances in the Dwarkadhish temple, in which the entrance located in the north direction is called Moksha Dwar and the door facing south is called Swarg Dwar.
56 steps built outside the south-facing gate lead to the banks of river Gaumati. Krishna Janmashtami and Gokulashtami both festivals are both celebrated with great enthusiasm both in the temple and in the city.
During these two festivals, both Dwarka Nagari and Dwarkadhish Temple are decorated in a very beautiful way. During these two festivals, a large number of devotees come to the Dwarkadhish temple to have the darshan of Lord Shri Krishna.
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Rameshwaram Temple
Rameshwaram temple is the only temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the Chardham Yatra, while the other three temples are dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his eighth incarnation, Lord Krishna. You will be surprised to know that the actual name of Rameshwaram Temple is Ramanathaswamy Temple.
Rameshwaram Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva along with being a part of Chardham Yatra. However, the Shivling of lord Shiva established in the temple was established by Lord Shri Ram himself in Tretayuga. But the construction of the main temple is only 800 years old.
09 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva have been established near the sanctum sanctorum of Vishalakshi Ji temple located in Rameshwaram temple complex, for which it is said that all these Jyotirlingas have been established by Lankapati Vibhishana.
In the Rameshwaram temple, some copper plates are kept related to the construction of the temple, which is read and it is known that in 1173 AD, the main sanctum sanctorum of the temple was built in the King Parakram Bahu of Sri Lanka. In the sanctum sanctorum built by King Parakram Bahu, only the Shivling of Lord Shiva sits.
You do not get to see the idols and deities of any other gods and goddesses in this sanctum. The sanctum sanctorum built by King Parakram Bahu was called Nisangeshwar temple at that time. And presently this Nisangeshwara temple is known as Rameshwaram Temple or Ramanathaswamy temple.
Later on, construction works were done continuously in the Rameshwaram temple by other kings of South India. The main gopuram and corridor of the temple are considered to be the best examples of South Indian architectural style among the construction works done by South India from time to time.
The height of the Gopuram of Rameshwaram temple is 78 feet and the total length of the corridor of the temple is more than 4000 feet. The corridor of the Rameshwar temple is considered to be the longest corridor in Asia.
The construction work of the Rameshwaram temple started around the 10th century and this temple was completely completed in the 20th century. Many kings and people of the Vaishya family have contributed to completing the construction of this temple.
Rameshwaram Temple is one of the few temples in India whose construction work has taken such a long time to complete. Rameshwaram temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, hence the festival of Mahashivaratri is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm.
At this time of the year, you get to see a good crowd of devotees in the temple. Apart from Mahashivaratri, festivals like Vasanthotsavam and Thirukkalyanam are also celebrated with great pomp.
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Sri Jagannath Temple
Sri Jagannath Temple, located in the coastal city of Puri in Odisha in India, is dedicated to Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Lord Krishna is worshipped in the form of Lord Jagannath in Puri. By the way, the literal meaning of Jagannath is the lord of the world. Lord Shri Krishna is worshipped in Shri Jagannath Temple along with his sister Subhadra and brother Balarama.
This is the only temple in the world where Lord Krishna is worshipped along with his siblings. The deities of Lord Krishna and his brothers and sisters, installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, are made of wood, which are changed every 12 years.
The Sri Jagannath Temple was built around the 9th and 10th centuries by Ananthavarman Chodaganga Deva, the ruler of the Ganges dynasty and the Maharaja of Kalinga. After this, King Ananthavarman and King Anang Bhima Dev, respectively, got the development works done in Shri Jagannath Temple during their reign.
In the 16th century, the foreign invader General Kala Pahar started attacking the temples located in Odisha. The deity of Lord Jagannath is not harmed in these attacks, so the priests of the temple hide the idol of Lord Jagannath installed in the temple on an island near Chilika Lake.
Which is restored after some time under the rule of King Ramchandra Deb and at the same time worship of Lord Jagannath is started again in Shri Jagannath temple.
Many types of stories related to the construction of the Deity of Lord Shri Krishna established in the temple can be heard by the residents, apart from this, there are different differences among the historians regarding the construction of the Deity.
According to the most popular legend, the heart of Lord Shri Krishna has been kept in the Deity of Lord Jagannath established in the temple. It is believed that the heart of Lord Shri Krishna acts like a great source of energy. The deity of Lord Jagannath is made from a special type of wood so that the energy of Lord Krishna’s heart can be controlled.
Apart from this, there are many mythological stories related to Shri Jagannath Temple and Jagannath Bhagwan which can be heard by the residents here. The biggest festival celebrated in Shri Jagannath Temple is the Rath Yatra, which is organized every year on the second day of Ashadh Shukla Paksha in June and July.
Jagannath Bhagwan’s Rath Yatra festival has a total duration of nine days in which Jagannath Bhagwan along with his elder brother Balarama and sister Subhadra goes to his maternal home and returns on the ninth day.
During the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balarama and his sister Subhadra are installed in three huge wooden chariots. These three huge chariots made of wood are pulled by the devotees of Lord Jagannath.
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