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BADRINATH DHAM
Badrinath Dham is one
of the oldest of Hindu places of worship.On the right bank of the
river Alaknanda lies the sacred shrine perched at an altitude of
3133 m above sea level, guarded on either side by the two mountain
peaks Nar & Narain with the towering Neelkanth peak providing a
splendid back-drop. Also known as the Vishal Badri, the largest
among the five Badris, it is revered by all as the apt tribute to
Lord Vishnu.
BADRINATH TEMPLE
Dedicated to Lord
Vishnu, it is built in the form of a cone with a small cupola of a
gilt bull & spire. Legend dates the temple prior to the vedic age
and the original temple is believed to be built by King Pururava
and the icon of the lord carved by Vishwakarma, the creator of
gods. A Hindu reformist Adi Shankaracharya re-enshrined the temple
back in 8th century. A flight of steps takes pilgrims to the main
gate & then into the temple. The temple is divided into three
parts - the 'Garbha Griha' or the sanctum sanctorum, the 'Darshan
Mandap' where the rituals are conducted and the 'Sabha Mandap'
where devotees assemble. The Garbha Griha portion has its canopy
covered with a sheet of gold offered by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar.
The complex has 15 idols. especially attractive is the one-metre
high image of Badrinath, finely sculpted in black stone. It
represents Lord Vishnu seated in a meditative pose-padmasan.
KEDARNATH DHAM
At Yamunotri &
Gangotri, the pilgrims are cleansed body & soul and with having
achieved purity in that sense, pilgrims to Sri Kedarnath
becomes most rewarding. It is also customary to worship Lord Shiva
with water of Ganga, which pilgrims going from Gangotri as well
take some there to Kedarnath. Kedarnath is the seat of Lord Shiva.
It is one of the twelve "Jyotirlingas" of Lord Shiva. Lying at an
altitude of 3584 m at the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of
Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus. It is
no wonder that Adi Guru Shankaracharya - a great scholar & saint,
chose to enshrine Lord Shiva in this land, where the unholy
becomes oly and the holy becomes holier. It is the place where
Lord Shiva absolved Pandavas from the sin of killing their own
cousins Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra. The origin of the
revered temple can be found in the great epic Mahabharat.
KEDARNATH DHAM TEMPLE
Kedarnath Temple: An
imposing sight, standing in the middle of a wide plateau
surrounded by lofty snow covered peaks. The present temple, built
in 8th century A.D. by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the
site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls
of the assembly hall are decorated with figures of various deities
and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue
of the Nandi Bull stands as guard.
GANGOTRI DHAM
The picturesque
pilgrimage in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is the most sacred
spot where Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth fro the first
time. According to mythology, Goddess Ganga, the daughter of
heaven, manifested herself in the form a river to absolve the sins
of king Bhagirath's predecessors, following his severe penance of
5500 years. Lord Shiva received into his matted locks to minimize
the impact of her fall. The river itself begins at Gangotri which
literally means Ganga Uttari or Ganga descending She came to be
called Bhagirathi at her legendary source. The Shrine of Gangotri
situated at an elevation of 3200 m above sea level amidst
captivating surroundings along the right bank of Bhagirathi is 100
km from Uttarkashi. The Shrine of Gangotri opens during the last
week of April or the first week of May, on the auspicious day od
Akshaya Tritiya. The temples opening is preceded by a special Puja
of Ganga both inside the temple as well as on the river bank. The
temple's closes on the day of Diwali followed by a formal closing
ceremony amidst a row of oil lamps. It is believed that the
Goddess retreats to Mukhwa, her winter abode (12 km downstream)
GANGOTRI TEMPLE
As the legend goes,
King Bhagirath used to worship Lord Shiva at the sacred stone,
near which this 18th century temple is located. The slab on which
King Bhagirath is believed to have meditated is called Bhagirathi
Shila. The mother Ganga is worshipped as Goddess and the holy
river in the temple. Before performing the Puja rituals, a holy
dip in the Ganga flowing nearby the temple is a must. The Pujari's
(priest) belong to Brahmin community from Mukhwa village. Ten of
them are selected by rotation every year to perform all the
functions covering the temple and they also perform the duties of
pandas.
YAMUNOTRI DHAM
The sacred shrine of
Yamunotri, source of the river Yamuna, is the westernmost shrine
in the Garhwal Himalayas, perched atop a flank of Bandar Poonch
Peak (3615 m) & situated opposite to Gangotri. The actual source a
frozen lake of ice & glacier (Champasar glacier) located on the
kalind mountain at the height of 4421 m above sea level, about 1
km further up, is not frequented generally as it is not accessible
and hence the shrine has been located on the foot of the hill. The
tiny Yamuna has icy cold water and its absolute innocence and the
infantile purity heightens that deep feeling of reverence,
Yamunoyri for the devout.
YAMUNOTRI TEMPLE
Temple of Goddess
Yamuna : The temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the
19th century. It was destroyed twice in the present century and
rebuilt again. The temple remains closed from November to April/
May.
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