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About Uttarakhand -Uttarakhand - the land of gods, the home of Himalayas and truly a paradise on earth, allureseveryone from everywhere. The fresh air, the pure water, the chilling snow, the adversingmountains, the scenic beauty, the small villages, the simpler people and a tougher lifesytle isTraditional Hindu lore describes Uttarakhand as "Devabhumi" (Land of God), and they hold manyimportant pilgrimage places. Just as importantly, the trouble and effort that it took the faithful toreach these places was seen as a means to help cleanse one's soul, just as beating wet clothesagainst a rock knocked out all the dirt.Uttarakhand is paradise for different types of adventure activities. Like River Rafting, Trekking,Skiing, Camping, Rock Climbing, Rappelling, River Crossing. Mountaineering, Paragliding and HotBallooning make Uttarakhand one of the most attractive destinations for adventure sports not onlyin the India but the world

:: CHAR DHAM YATRA ::

GangotriThe Shrine of Gangotri situated at an elevation of himalayas 3200 mts. above sea-level amidstcaptivating surroundings is 100 kms. from Uttarkashi. The temple, constructed by the GorkhaGeneral Amar Singh Thapa in the 18th century, is situated on the right bank of Bhagirathi. It isvisited by thousands of pilgrim every year. A number of Ashrams are located on the other side ofHimalayas some of which provide accommodation facilities to the Gangotri visitors.

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YamunotriThe Shrine of Yamunotri, source of river Yamuna is situated in the direction opposite to Gangotriand the road bifurcates and goes to Yamunotri from Dharasu, a place between Rishikesh andUttarkashi. Yamunotri can also be visited via Mussoorie and Barkot.Situated at an elevation of 3235mts. above sea - level, the shrine of Yamunotri is one of the 'Four Dhams' od Uttranchal. Thesource of Yamuna lies about one km. ahead at an altitude of about 4421 mts. The approach isextremely difficult and pilgrims therefore offer pooja at temple itself.

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KedarnathThe holiest of Shiva's shrines is likened to gold among base metals so that every pilgrim findspeace here, and it is said that devotees who die here become one with Shiva himself. The temple ofKedarnath, located at a height of 3,581 mts, stand at the head of the Mandakini river, with

Kedarnath peak keeping vigil above it. The temple is dedicated to the Sadasiva or invisible form ofShiva, and is represented by a natural rock formation.

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BadrinathAlso known as Vishal Badri, this temple located at the height of 3,133 mts. is the largest himalayasand most popular of Vishnu pilgrimages among the five Badries. The original temple here isbelieved to be built by King Pururava and the icon of the lord carved by Vishwakarma, the creator ofthe gods. The idol was recovered by Adi Shankaracharya from the waters of the nearby Naradkundand consecrated once more in the temple, restored in the 19th century by the royal houses ofScindia & Holker.:: PANCH BADRI YATRA ::

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The five Badries are revered by all as the apt tribute to Lord Vishnu. Badrinath is devoted to theworship of Vishnu who, according to an amusing tale, usurped this place from Shiva. For Vishnuhad come here as the gods once did, to offer penance. He loved the place so much that he plottedto unseat Shiva from his meditation here. He took on the form of a beautiful child and began to wail.Shiva's wife, Parvati picked him up but could not calm the child. Since his wailing continued todisturb Shiva, he shifted to Kedarnath in exasperation, leaving the spot free for Vishnu to occupy.

But remainders of Shiva's stay continue to linger, most visibly in the name, badri, a kind of berry thatShiva was most fond of, and the gigantic tree, invisible to the morale eye, that served Shiva.Considered one of the Char Dgam or four principle places of Hindu worship at himalayas,Badrinath's four subsidiary badries include Bhavishya Badri, Yogdhyan Badri, Vridha Badri and AdiBadri.

BadrinathAlso known as Vishal Badri, this temple located at the height of3,133 mts. is the largest himalayas and most popular of Vishnupilgrimages among the five Badries. The original temple here isbelieved to be built by King Pururava and the icon of the lordcarved by Vishwakarma, the creator of the gods. The idol was

recovered by Adi Shankaracharya from the waters of thenearby Naradkund and consecrated once more in the temple,restored in the 19th century by the royal houses of Scindia &Holker. So holy in this shrines that it forms one of the fourprominent places of Hindu worship. The epic Mahabharata, it isbelieved, was composed in the Vyas and Ganesh caves closeby. The Vishnu Ganga which later becomes Alaknanda flowsbelow the while Neelkanth keeps vigil over all devotees.

Bhavishya BadriThe Futute Badri is located at 2,744 mts. amidst the thick

forests surrounding Tapovan. According to a divination, it ishere that all devotees will throng once Badrinath is no more.While there can be no conceivable reason why this shouldhappen, scientists agree that Joshimath, the entry point into thearea before the final, most strenuous climb, is sited on anancient landslide and has been sinking, and with a barragecoming up close by, may actually see the fulfillment of the divineprophecy.But whatever happens, Bhavishya Badri is popular even now.Enshrined here is the lion headed image of Narsingh. Visitorspass the serene the Tapovan a place known for its hot watersprings en route to the banks of the Dhauliganga, and on toshrine.

Yogdhyan BadriEvery so often in the Garhwal Himalayan, tales from theMahabharatha spring magically to life. Yogdhyan Badri, 1,920mts. is located at Pandkeshawar, named after the PandavasKing. It is said that the Pandavas, victorious after their battleagainst the Kauravas, but emotionally scarred, came to thehimalaya.And it was here that they handed over their capital, Hastinapur,to Raja Prikshit and took up penance before seeking out the

highway to heaven. The importance of the badri is immenceand the sanctum has an image of the lord in a meditativepostures.

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Virdha BadriBefore Badrinath was designated one of the four Char Dhams ofHindu worship by Adi Shankaracharya, the idol of Badrinahcarved by divine Vishwakarma was enshrined and worshipped

here. It is said that when mankind entered the age of Kali,Vishnu chose to remove himself from the temple. Interestinglythe image was found by Adi Shankaracharya at NaradKund,and restored, through part of it remains damaged. This, the firstBadri, is located at the height of 1,380 mts. at Animath. WhileBadrinath closes during winter, the idol and priests hibernatingat Joshimath, Virdha Badri remains opens throughout the years.

Adi BadriAnother pilgrimage centre of local importance is this group of 16temples en route to Ranikhet and closes to the confluences at

Karan Prayag. The main temple is dedicated to Narayan andhas a raised platform in the pyramidal form. Within the temple, ablack stone idolis installed.It is believed that thease temples, dating to the Gupta age , wassanctioned by Adi Sankaracharya who wanted to spread thetenents of Hinduism to every remote corner of the country.

Garhwal PilgrimageChar Dham Yatra

Badri - Kedar YatraGangotri-Yamnotri Yatra

Panch Badri YatraPanch Kedar YatraPanch Prayag Yatra

Do Dham Badri-Kedar YatraBadrinath YatraKedarnath Yatra

Do Dham Yamnotri-Gangotri Yatra

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Kumaon Pilgrimage

Adi Kailash YatraPatal Bhuvneshar Yatra

Jageshwar MahadevBinsar Mahadev

Mukteshwar YatraBaijnath Mahadev

:: PANCH KEDAR YATRA ::

The five Kedar lies in the valleys between the rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. The term Kedaritself means a natural rock formation or a glacial moraine. According to legend, himalayasKedarnath, the chief seat of the Panch Kedar, come into being during the period when the fivePandava brothers were asked to seek Shiva's blessings, purging them off sin of fratricide, orkilling their cousin brothers in the terrifying bettle of Kurukshetra. Shiva disguised himself as a bulland started to plunge underground when he was spotted by Pandavas. No wonder the naturalrock formation that is worshipped here resembles the rump of bull. The other four places whereShiva is worshipped take their appearance from different part of his body - the navel atMadmaheshwar, the arm at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, and the matted hair at Kalpeshwar.

KedarnathThe holiest of Shiva's shrines is likened to gold among basemetals so that every pilgrim finds peace here, and it is said thatdevotees who die here become one with Shiva himself. Thetemple of Kedarnath, located at a height of 3,581 mts, stand atthe head of the Mandakini river, with Kedarnath peak keepingvigil above it.The temple is dedicated to the Sadasiva or invisible form ofShiva, and is represented by a natural rock formation.Beyond thetemple is the highway to heaven, called Mahapanth

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MadmaheshwarShiva is worshipped at Madmaheshwar in the form of navel -shaped lingum. Located at base of Chaukhamba peak, at analtitude of 3,289 mts, the classic temple architecture belongs tothe north - Indian style. So sanctified is the water here that evena few drops are considered sufficient for absolution.The natural scenery is dramatically wild, with deep gorges andhimalayas valleys, mountainsides flung upwards towards theskies, and forests where the snow lies thick in winter, only to bereplaced by a carpet of greenery in the summer. Kedarnath andNeelkanth peaks are also visible from here, the entire ring ofmountains associated with the life and times of shiva. Theconfluences of two streams at Gaundar just short of the temple,is one of the prettiest spots in the region.

TungathThe sanctity of the region of Tungath is considered unsurpassed.The peak of Tungnath is the source of three springs that from theriver Akashkamini. At this temple at 3,680 mts, Shiva's arm isworshipped. The highest hindu shrine in the Himalayas, 3kmsuphill from Chopta, Tungath is reached through a path thatwends through alpine meadows and rhododendron thickets. Anhour's climb from here leads to Chandrashila with its panoromicviews. The entire journey and the shrine are located in some ofthe finest, most picturesque pocket of the Himalaya.

RudranathDevotees come to Rudranath to offer ritual obeisance ti theirancestors, for it is here, at Vaitarani river that the soal of dead

cross when entering another world. The temple of Rudranath at2,286 mts, entails trekking through ridges at almost twice thatheight before reaching the meadow where it is located. Withinthe sanctum, Shiva's image is worshipped in the form of his face.The temple is surround by several pools - Surya Kund, ChandraKund, Tara Kund, Manas Kund - while the great peaks of NandaDevi, Trishul and Nanda Ghunti rear overhead.

KalpeshwarA favorite spots for sages who come here to meditate, following the precedent of Arghya whoperformed austerities and created the celebrated nymph, Urvashi, here, and the irascibleDurvasha who meditated under the wish fulfilling tree, Kalpavriksha, Pilgrims pray at the smallrock temple at a height of 2,134 mts. before the matted tresses of Shiva enshrined in rock in thesanctum sanctorum. The sanctum is preceded by a natural cave passage. Surrounded by thickforests and terraced fields in the Urgam valley, the temple is reached following a 10 km. longtrek.