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Badrinath & Kedarnath Yatra
Duration : 07 Night / 08 Days
Day
01: Delhi - Haridwar (230 kms/6hrs)
Morning start from Delhi to Haridwar,
upon arrival check into the hotel. Visit Har-ki-Pauri for Ganga Aarti in
evening. Back to your hotel, Night stay at Haridwar. Haridwar, lying at the feet
of Shiva's hills, i.e., Shivaliks, in the Haridwar district of Uttaranchal
Pradesh, is a doorway. Suryavanshi prince Bhagirath performed penance here to
salvage the souls of his ancestors who had perished due to the curse of sage
Kapila. The penance was answered and the river Ganga trickled forth forms Lord
Shiva's locks and its bountiful water revived the sixty thousand sons of king
Sagara. In the traditional of Bhagirath, devout Hindus stand in the sacred
waters here, praying for salvation of their departed elder. It is doorway to the
sources of the Ganga and the Yamuna, 3000 to 4500 meters up into the snowy
ranges of the central Himalayas. The 'Aarti' worship of the Ganga after sunset
and the floating 'dia' (lamp) is a moving ritual. .
Day
02: Haridwar - Rudraprayag (160kms/5hr)
Morning visit Haridwar Local Sight
Seeing, later drive to Rudraprayag enroute visit Deoprayag. Check in Hotel,
night stay at Rudraprayag
Rudraprayag: It is the confluence of
river Mandakini and river Alaknanda. Temples: Rudranath and Chamunda Devi,
Koteshwar Temple (3 Kms).
Day
03: Rudraprayag - Kedarnath (75kms by road & 14kms Trek)
Morning drive to Gaurikund, Trek start
from Gaurikund to Kedarnath (3584 mts). Check in Hotel. Later visit Kedarnath
Temple. Night stay at Kedarnath.
Gaurikund: At a distance of 5kms from
Sonprayag and at an altitude of 1982 meters., one can take bath in the hot water
pond here and visit the Gauri Temple. This is the place where Goddess Parvathi
meditated to attain Lord Shiva. It is the base for a trek to Kedarnath.
Kedarnath: The Kedarnath shrine, one
of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the
backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range. Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva,
the protector and the destroyer. According to legend, the Pandavas after having
won over the Kaurava in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having killed their
own brothers and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He eluded
them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a
bull. On being followed he dived into the ground, leaving his hump on the
surface. The r! emaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places
and are worshipped there as his manifestations. The arms appeared at Tungnath,
the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madhmaheshwar and his locks (hair) with head
at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above-mentioned shrines are treated as
Panch Kedar.
Day
04: Kedarnath - Rudraprayag (14Kms Down Trek & 75kms/3hr by Road)
Early morning, after Temple Darshan
trek down to Gaurikund. Later, drive to Rudraprayag via Guptkashi. Check in
Hotel at Rudraprayag. Night stay at Rudraprag.
Day
05: Rudraprayag - Badrinath (165kms/7hr)
Drive to Badrinath via Joshimath.
Check in Hotel. Later at evening visit Badrinath Temple for Aarti. Overnight
stay at Badrinath.
Badrinath one of the 'Four Dhams' is
one of the most celebrated pilgrimage spots of the country and is situated at an
elevation of 3,133 meters, guarded on either side by the two mountain ranges
known as Nar & Narayan with the towering Neelkanth Peak providing a splendid
backdrop. This revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries. Thus the place
got the name "Badri van", meaning "forest of berries".
Tapt Kund: Natural thermal springs on
the bank of the river Alaknanda, where it is customary to bathe before entering
the Badrinath temple. Narad Kund: A recess in the river, near Tapt Kund, forming
a pool from where the Badrinath idol was recovered.
Brahama Kapal: A flat platform on the
bank of river Alaknanda. Hindus perform proppitiating rites for their deceased
ancestors.
Sheshnetra: 1.5kms. away is a boulder
having an impression of the legendary serpent, better known as the Sheshnag's
eye. Charanpaduka: 3kms. away is a beautiful meadow where the footprint of Lord
Vishnu is seen on a boulder.
Mata Murty Temple: Devoted to the
mother of Sri Badrinathji. Other important temples include Sesh Netra Temple,
Urvashi Temple and Charanpaduka.
Mana Village: Inhabited by an
Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is the last Indian village before Tibet.
Vyas Gufa (cave): Near Mana Village,
this is a rock-cave where Ved Vyas is believed to have composed the Mahabharata
and the pauranic commentaries.
Day
06: Badrinath - Joshimath (44kms/3hr)
Early morning, pilgrims after having a
bath in the Taptkund have the Darshan of Badrivishal. Brahamakapal is
significant for Pinddan Shraddh of ancestors (Pitrus). There are other
interesting sight seeing spot like Mana, Vyas Gufa, Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka,
Bhimkund and the "Mukh" of the Saraswati River. Just within the three kms of
Badrinathjee. Later drive back to Joshimath. Check in Hotel. Overnight stay at
Joshimath. Joshimath is situated on the slopes above the confluence of Alaknanda
and Dhauliganga. Of the four 'Maths' established by Adi Shankaracharya,
Joshimath is in the Badrinath to Joshimath and installed in the temple for
people to worship.
Day
07: Joshimath - Rishikesh (254kms/8hr)
Early morning, visit Narsingh Temple &
Shankracharaya Math. Later, Drive back to Rishikesh. Check in Hotel. Overnight
stay at Rishikesh.
Rishikesh, the 'place of sages' is a
celebrated spiritual town on the bank of Ganga and is surrounded by Shivalik
range of the Himalayas on three sides. It is said that when Raibhya Rishi did
hard penances, God appeared by the name of "Hrishikesh " and this area hence
firth came to be known as Rishikesh. Temples & Sight Seeing – Laxman Jhulla, Ram
Jhulla, Triveni Ghat, Bharat Mandir, Shivananda Ashram, Parmarth Ashram..
Day 08: Rishikesh -
Delhi (230kms/7hr)
Morning, visit Rishikesh Local Sight
seeing & Temples. Later drive back to Delhi. On Arr. Delhi, transfer to Railway
Station / Airport. |
