Badrinath / Kedarnath / Gangotri / Yamunotri

24 Kms. from Haridwar, located in the laps of lower Himalayas, and is surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills on three sides with Holy Ganga flowing through it. The whole place is considered to be sacred as it is believed that meditation at this place leads to attainment of salvation. There are many templessome ancient, some new along the river Ganges. Rishikesh is important not only as pilgrimage centre closely associated with the Ramayana, but also as home for many important centres of Hindu religious thought and spirituality, and as a very great Yoga Centre. There are many ashrams and Yoga institutes here. Rishikesh is also the gateway and the start-off point for journeys to important religious places like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

Maharani Gularia of Jaipur built the temple in the 19th Century. It was destroyed twice in the present century and rebuilt again. Yamunotri temple is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. Yamunotri is the source of revered river Yamuna which originates from the Champasar Glacier lying 1 km ahead of the shrine situated at an elevation of 3235 mts. above sea level. The approach is extremely difficult and therefore pilgrims offer Pooja at the temple itself. Yamunotri was the home of an ancient sage Asit Muni. Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun just like Yama who is considered his son. It is believed that Yama would not torment any person at the time of death who takes a holy dip in Yamuna, his sister.

There are a Number of thermal springs in the vicinity of the temple, which flows into numerous pools. The most important is Surya Kund.

A rock pillar, worshiped before entering the Yamunotri Temple.

Gangotri temple is 18th Century temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga. It is located near a sacred stone where king Bhagirathi worshipped Lord Shiva Ganga is believed to have touched earth at this spot. According to another legend, Pandavas performed the great "Deva Yagna" here to a tone the death of their kinsmen in the epic battle of Mahabharata. The temple is an exquisite 20 ft. high structure made up of white granite.

Located in the Northern Himalayan belt within the Mandakini river valley, which has lush green forests. A number of streams and rivulets drain into the main Mandakini River. It has salubrious climate with its elevation being around 1,319 meters (4,330 ft.) The snow sparkling view of the Chaukhamba peak is a lovely sight to behold in the morning hours from here. The valley has large magnolia trees (locally called Champa) that provide a sweet scented atmosphere to the place. Kashi Vishwanath Temple & ArdhNarishwar Temple is Attraction point.

The present temple built in 8th Century A.D. by Adi Guru Shankaracharya lies adjacent to the site of an ancient temple built by Pandavas. The temple has a conical lingam - the main idol, a statue of Nandi - the celestial bull, a 'GarbaGrah' for worship and a man dap for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. The temple is more than 1000 years old.

Cradled in the twin Mountain ranges of Nar and Narayan is the holiest of the four main shrines - Badrinath along the left bank of river Alaknanda with the towering Neelkantha Peaks as the splendid backdrop. Once the spot was carpeted with 'badris' or wild berries and hence was famous as Badri van. Legend has it, when the Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity; the earth was unable to withstand the force of its descent. Therefore, the mighty Ganga was split into 12 holy channels. Alaknanda was one of them that later became the abode of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath.

A recess in the river, near Tapt Kund, forming a pool from where the Badrinath idol was recovered.

It is a flat platform a few yards north of the temple and on the bank of river Alaknanda. It is an important place for Shraddha ceremony or offering of pinds to ensure a heavenly place for dead ancestors or manes. It is said that offering pind here, the manes are permanently enshrined in heaven and no more pinds are to be done elsewhere ever afterwards. Legends have it that when Shiva chopped of the fifth head of Brahma, it got stuck to his trident. Lastly with the blessing of Lord Vishnu at Badrivan, the head of Brahma fell down from the trident at this place & hence the name Brahma-Kapal (head).

Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is the last Indian village before Tibet. The women of the village offer Choli to the deity on closing day of the temple each year.

On the other side of Mana village, a massive rock forming a natural bridge lies over the roaring Saraswati River. It presents a spectacular view of water thundering down through the narrow passage under the rock and is believed to have been placed there by Bhim, the second eldest among the five Pandava brothers.

Haridwar, lying at the feet of Shiva's hills, i.e. Shivaliks, in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand. Suryavanshi prince Bhagirathi performed penance here to salvage the souls of his ancestors who had perished due to the curse of sage Kapil. 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 Sagar. In the traditional of Bhagirathi, 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.