Adi Sankaracharya, a saint, reformer, and philosopher of the ninth century India(Bharat), played a prominent role in reviving Hindu Dharma in our country. Born in a brahmin family in a town called Kaladi in the state of now Kerala, he became a sanyasi at a very tender age. It is believed that he was the reincarnation of Lord Shiva. He traveled from north to south and east to west rejuvenating our Hindu culture and thus became instrumental in national integration and established the authority of Hindu Dharma in our country.

Char Dhams are the sacred temples dedicated to Lord Bishnu or his incarnation. These also represent four Yug called Satya Yug, Tretaya Yug, Dwapara Yug, and Kali Yug. The four sacred places are Badrinath in the north, Rameswaram in the south, Dwarka in the west and Puri in the east. Since these places are spread across the country, Char Dham tirthyatra is known as MAHAPARIKRAMA.

By establishing four centers in four corners of India, Adi Sankaracharya has set a classic example of tradition, culture and national unity of Akhand Bharat.

Badrinath is situated on the bank of river Alakananda in the mountain range of Himalayas. The city lies in between the mountain range Nar and Narayan and the shadow of peak Nilakantha. Badri is one kind of berry grown in that locality and Nath refers to Lord Vishnu. It is believed that while taking bath Adi Sankaracharya discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan in Alakananda river and enshrined it in a nearby ‘Tapt Kund’ later it has moved to the present temple by king of Garhwal and it became the Dham or Abode of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath. Thats why it is also known as ‘Bhu-Baikuntha‘ or ‘Earthly Abode’ of Lord Vishnu.

Raameswaram is an ancient city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.Here Lord Shiva worshiped as Sri Ramanatha Swami cause in this very place Shiv Linga was worshiped by Lord Sri Ram on his way to Lanka. It is also considered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingam of Bharat. The Ramanatha Swami temple was built by several rulers over a period of time setting a perfect example of Hindu temple architecture. The main temple has 40 wells where the taste of the water is different from each other. It holds the rituals that every Hindu must visit this place at least once in lifetime,making it a major Hindu Pilgrimage.

It is believed that Dwarka is one of the seven most ancient city in Bharat.It was the dwelling place of Lord Shri Krishna thus making it a legendary one. It is also believed that due to the damage and destruction by the sea, Dwarka has submerged six times and the modern Dwarka is the seventh city to be built in the area. The city got its name from the Sanskrit word Dwar which means Door or Gateway to Swarg. The main temple was built by Sambha, the grandson of Lord Krishna and it has five storey tower. There are two gateways called Swarg dwar to enter the pilgrims and Moksha dwar to exit. From the top of the temple,the view of river Gomati flowing towards and falling in to the  Arabian see is magnificent.

The Jagannatha temple in Puri is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannatha located in the coastal town of Puri in the state of Odisha where Lord Vishnu incarnate himself at his own will. The name Jagannatha or the Lord of Universe derived from two Sanskrit words Jagat(Universe) and Nath(Lord) combining together. The huge temple complex covers an area of 400000 square feet and surrounded by highly fortified walls. It has 120 temples and shrines inside apart from the main temple. It is one of the most magnificent and beautiful monuments of Bharat with its richness in sculpture and the Odishan style of temple architecture.

N.B. This is just an introduction to the Char Dham. Full description of each dham on next blog.