The Char Dham is the most important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in the Indian Himalayas. All sites are located in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand previously known as Uttaranchal. Char Dham Yatra consist of four sites-Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. While each site is unique in its own fashion, inclusion in the Char Dham has, over time, caused them be viewed together in popular imagination and actual pilgrimage practice.
Most pilgrims to the Char Dham embark from the famous temple town of Haridwar. Others leave from Haridwar's sister city, Rishikesh, or from Dehra Dun, the capital of Uttarakhand.
Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the goddess Yamuna, is a full day's journey from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The actual temple is only accessible by a six km walk from the town of Hanuman Chatti. The site includes hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into prasad. Gangotri, the source of the Ganga (Ganges) River and seat of the goddess Ganga, can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri. More popular than Yamunotri and is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 17 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the Ganga.
Kedarnath is a two-day journey from Gangotri, is one of remotest dham among the four. Besides its affiliation with Siva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Shankaracharya's samadhi. The actual temple, an impressive stone edifice of unknown date, is accessible only after a steep 13 km walk. Kedarnath is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. Badrinath is a two-day journey from Kedarnath. It is the most important of the four Char Dham sites. Badrinath receives many more visitors than the other three sites.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Spiritual Tourism and India
Over 4,000 years, India--one of the most spiritually enriched places on earth--has been the cradle of spirituality. Actually, the Land of the Vedas and Temples, India is the Spiritual Capital of the World. India, its people, its infrastructure, and, in fact, its very soil, encourage and nurture spiritualism, allowing religions to thrive, flourish and prosper.
No wonder every major religion in the world, as well many of their off-shoots and facets, get support and nourishment in India. Many of these religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism were conceived in India, and others sought refuge in India after being persecuted in their own countries.
Apart from religions, numerous sages, philosophers and founders of religions also sought and received sanctuary and enlightenment in India's soil and spirit. The trend continues even today after so many years, the reason being as the people across the world veer towards the capitalistic way of life, the quest for spirituality becomes even more urgent.
Spiritual Destinations of India
India is dotted with several spiritual destinations. A visit to them is essential is one is on the path of self spiritual discovery. Actually, spiritual tours of India enable one to nurture the spirituality within oneself by delving deep into the rich spiritual history of the country.
Spiritual tours of India take one on tours to several spiritual destinations of the country which are much renowned for their religious and spiritual significance. Scattered all over India, these places give the tourists the bliss and peace that may have eluded them for long and which may have inspired them to visit the spiritually and religiously rich India.
Golden Temple and Anandpur Sahib (Amritsar); Varanasi, Mathura, and Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh); Somanth (Gujarat); Dargah Khwaja Saheb (Ajmer); Rishikesh and Haridwar (Uttrakhand); Pushkar (Rajasthan); Jagannath Puri (Orissa); Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh); and Bodh Gaya (Bihar) are just some of the many top religious and spiritual destinations of India that inspire the religiously inclined people from far off places to go on spiritual tours and discover the meaning of their life and physical existence.
No wonder every major religion in the world, as well many of their off-shoots and facets, get support and nourishment in India. Many of these religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism were conceived in India, and others sought refuge in India after being persecuted in their own countries.
Apart from religions, numerous sages, philosophers and founders of religions also sought and received sanctuary and enlightenment in India's soil and spirit. The trend continues even today after so many years, the reason being as the people across the world veer towards the capitalistic way of life, the quest for spirituality becomes even more urgent.
Spiritual Destinations of India
India is dotted with several spiritual destinations. A visit to them is essential is one is on the path of self spiritual discovery. Actually, spiritual tours of India enable one to nurture the spirituality within oneself by delving deep into the rich spiritual history of the country.
Spiritual tours of India take one on tours to several spiritual destinations of the country which are much renowned for their religious and spiritual significance. Scattered all over India, these places give the tourists the bliss and peace that may have eluded them for long and which may have inspired them to visit the spiritually and religiously rich India.
Golden Temple and Anandpur Sahib (Amritsar); Varanasi, Mathura, and Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh); Somanth (Gujarat); Dargah Khwaja Saheb (Ajmer); Rishikesh and Haridwar (Uttrakhand); Pushkar (Rajasthan); Jagannath Puri (Orissa); Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh); and Bodh Gaya (Bihar) are just some of the many top religious and spiritual destinations of India that inspire the religiously inclined people from far off places to go on spiritual tours and discover the meaning of their life and physical existence.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Travel and Tourism in India - A Wonderful Experience
The largest democracy in the world, India is one of the most popular travel and tourism destinations in the world. Every year a large gathering of tourists from all around the world come for experiencing the fascinating charm of travel and tourism in India. India is well-known for its oldest civilization (5000 years old civilization) and great diversity. During India tours, one can find diversity in its people, culture, tradition, landscape, climate, appearance, lifestyle, cuisine, costumes, language, religion, and others. And this is India's diversity which makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations among travellers from all around the world.
India is a country where one can find a range of tourism options. And off course, India tourism never fails to enchant travellers with its various mesmerizing tourism options. Adventure, Culture, Heritage, Beaches, Monuments, Hill, lush green landscapes, mountain peaks, deserts, flora & fauna, etc are some major attractions of India tourism which are quite popular among tourists and attract them to travel in India. While you will travel to India you will find on every step something extra welcoming you. No matters, what are you interested in, the country is able to fulfill your desire. If you life adventure and sports in India, you may prefer to travel in the Himalayan region of the country where you will have a lot of tourism and adventure sport options.
During your North India travel, you will have a wonderful opportunity to explore the beautiful and snow clad Kashmir (popularly described as the Paradise on the Earth), Himachal Pradesh (blessed with natural beauty and breathtaking hill station), and Uttaranchal (widely known for superb natural beauty and Corbett National Park) at the foot of Himalayas, You will also enjoy traveling in the historic city Delhi - the capital of India, dotted with several historic monuments, life Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Old Fort, Qutub Minar, Jama Masjid, etc. One of the most predominant attractions of North India is Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The symbol of love - Taj Mahal is India's star attraction and considered as seventh wonder of the world.
While you will travel to the western region of India, you will have a glorious opportunity to the royal land of Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat where you will see a lot of magnificent forts, palatial palaces, stunning Havelis, terrific temples, Gurudwaras, wildlife parks & sanctuaries and other attractions. On your eastern India tours, you will have opportunities to explore beautiful landscapes of Assam, Sikkim, etc which are widely known for green tourism and Buddhist monasteries. In central India, one can explore states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra which are widely famous for temples and caves. South India travel takes you to the states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. These states are widely known for lovely beaches, beautiful hill stations, breathtaking backwaters, temples, churches, etc. Apart from above mentioned locations, don't forget to travel in Goa, the tiny but gorgeous state of India. The gorgeous land of Goa is famous for its lovely beaches, churches, and exotic culture.
Thus, traveling in any part of India provides a unique travel experience. You can get more information about India tourism from travel agents in India. If you want to travel India in more and more preferred way, an India travel agent can assist you and provide you India travel guide.
India is a country where one can find a range of tourism options. And off course, India tourism never fails to enchant travellers with its various mesmerizing tourism options. Adventure, Culture, Heritage, Beaches, Monuments, Hill, lush green landscapes, mountain peaks, deserts, flora & fauna, etc are some major attractions of India tourism which are quite popular among tourists and attract them to travel in India. While you will travel to India you will find on every step something extra welcoming you. No matters, what are you interested in, the country is able to fulfill your desire. If you life adventure and sports in India, you may prefer to travel in the Himalayan region of the country where you will have a lot of tourism and adventure sport options.
During your North India travel, you will have a wonderful opportunity to explore the beautiful and snow clad Kashmir (popularly described as the Paradise on the Earth), Himachal Pradesh (blessed with natural beauty and breathtaking hill station), and Uttaranchal (widely known for superb natural beauty and Corbett National Park) at the foot of Himalayas, You will also enjoy traveling in the historic city Delhi - the capital of India, dotted with several historic monuments, life Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Old Fort, Qutub Minar, Jama Masjid, etc. One of the most predominant attractions of North India is Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The symbol of love - Taj Mahal is India's star attraction and considered as seventh wonder of the world.
While you will travel to the western region of India, you will have a glorious opportunity to the royal land of Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat where you will see a lot of magnificent forts, palatial palaces, stunning Havelis, terrific temples, Gurudwaras, wildlife parks & sanctuaries and other attractions. On your eastern India tours, you will have opportunities to explore beautiful landscapes of Assam, Sikkim, etc which are widely known for green tourism and Buddhist monasteries. In central India, one can explore states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra which are widely famous for temples and caves. South India travel takes you to the states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. These states are widely known for lovely beaches, beautiful hill stations, breathtaking backwaters, temples, churches, etc. Apart from above mentioned locations, don't forget to travel in Goa, the tiny but gorgeous state of India. The gorgeous land of Goa is famous for its lovely beaches, churches, and exotic culture.
Thus, traveling in any part of India provides a unique travel experience. You can get more information about India tourism from travel agents in India. If you want to travel India in more and more preferred way, an India travel agent can assist you and provide you India travel guide.
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