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Char Dham Tour :
During the April to November pilgrimage season, when the Char
Dham temples are oopend in the Garhwal hills for Char dham
yatra, or char dham tour, direct buses connect Rishikesh's
yatra bus stand with Badrinath (297 km), Kedarnath (210 km
via Gaurkund), Gangotri
(250 km), and Yamunotri (280 km via Hanuman Chatti). Book
at leas a day in advance as buses start to leave around 4
am and few complete the journey in a day; the roads are treacherous
and tedious, so you might prefer to break the journey along
the way.
Cradled in a deep cleft in the lap of Bandarpunch, and thus
denied mountain vistas, the temple of Yamunotri 223 km northeast
of rishikesh, marks the source of the Yamuna, India's second
holiest river after the Ganges. The least dramatic but most
beautiful of the four Dhams (Char Dham Temple) of Garhwal,
it's also the most unspoiled and the least commercialm and
the undemanding fourteen -kilometre treak up to it from Hanuman
Chatti is one of the regions' most popular short hikes.
The Scared river Ganga ---- the life giver --- has exerted
a powerful hold over the imagination of all Indian. A pilgrimage
to its many sacred towns is the ultimate desire of the pious
Hindu. Survival of ancient customs, rituals and patterns of
life that are peculiar to these towns make them fascinating
fo the visitor. |
