Top places to Stay in Char Dham Yatra route
Uttarakhand is known as Devbhumi- ‘The land of Gods’ because of the circuit of Chota Char dham which means Four sacred abodes situated in this state. The original Char Dham Yatra as specified by Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century AD, consisted of four sacred places in the four directions – Badrinath(North), Rameshwaram(South), Puri(East) and Dwarka(West). A smaller circuit of The Char Dham also known as Chota Char Dham or Char Dham of Himalayas consists of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri, all situated in the state of Uttarakhand.
Every year, thousands of pilgrims travel to complete the Char Dham circuit in the hopes of attaining Moksha which means Freedom from the circle of life as scripted in the Hindu Vedas and Puranas. Adi Shankaracharya, who has been credited with the creation of the four holiest abodes in India, is believed to have attained Moksha - freedom from his bodily form in Kedarnath.
While on the quest for peace and calmness from the chaos of the world, research and planning to cover everything shouldn’t be compromised on.
Here are some of the popular attractions with the top list of hotels to stay while planning your Char Dham Yatra. All are in the route of Char Dham yatra with the best accommodation in it.
Temples adorn the city of Haridwar at every turn and yoga practitioners call this place The haven of yoga, attracting tourists from all around the world. It welcomes the holy river Ganga in the plains and is also the entry point of pilgrims for the char dham yatra.
Pilgrims flock to Bhramakund in Har Ki Pauri, which according to folklore is a place where drops of amrit (drink of immortality) fell from the sky while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda after the samudra manthan.
A dip in the Ganges is said to absolve you from all your sins and the aarti in the evening along the banks of river Ganga is a breathtakingly beautiful treat to the eyes and soul of the viewer.
Hotels in Haridwar:
Hotel Name | Category |
Hotel The Urmi | Standard |
Hotel Red Coral | Standard |
Hotel Shivaay | Standard |
Hari Ganga Resorts | Standard |
Hotel Regenta Orkos | Deluxe |
Hotel The Fern | Deluxe |
Hotel Lakshya P | Deluxe |
Godwin Hotel | Deluxe |
Fortune Park Select | Luxury |
Radisson Blu | Luxury |
Nestled in the laps of the Himalayas lies the town of Barkot which is a silent and spiritual bliss for those who can appreciate its serenity. It is a scenic stopover for devotees going to Yamnotri and Gangotri and adventurers alike.
Activities that can be done apart from taking a beat to see the hilly viewpoints are trekking, rock climbing, white water rafting in the Yamuna or just shopping around Tibetan artifacts, woollen garments and local handicrafts.
Hotels in Barkot:
Hotel Name | Category |
Riya Residency | Standard |
Hotel Aswal Deluxe | Standard |
Hotel Prince Palace | Standard |
Rig Veda Cottage | Deluxe & Luxury |
Adhvanta Camps & Cottage | Deluxe & Luxury |
Camp Nirvana & Cottage | Deluxe & Luxury |
Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of Bhagirathi which is another name for Ganga before the confluence of Devprayag. Distance from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is only 99 km away.
It is the home for a variety of flora and fauna and tourist attractions like the Maneri Dam, Kashi Vishwanath Temple which is the oldest temple in Uttarkashi and the Dodital trek, which is a 30 km picturesque trek from Sangam Chatti.
Hotels in Uttarkashi:
Hotel Name | Category |
Hotel Shree Niwas | Standard |
Gitanjali Resorts | Standard |
Shivlinga Resort | Deluxe |
Harshil Retreat | Deluxe |
Shiv Pariwar Resort | Deluxe |
Prakriti The Retreat | Luxury |
Shikhar Nature Resort | Luxury |
Guptkashi is a town situated on a ridge on the west side of Mandakini river valley at an elevation of 1,319 meters above sea level. Gaurikund, the town from where the trek for Kedarnath commences is situated 34 km ahead of Guptkashi.
It is a religiously important town of Uttarakhand as it houses ancient temples like Vishwanath temple and Ardhnareshwar temple. The star attraction of the town is the Manikarnika kund where two streams, Ganga and Yamuna meet.
Hotels in Guptkashi / Rampur / Sitapur:
Hotel Name | Category |
Hotel Dev Dham | Standard |
Hotel Panchwati | Standard |
Camp Nirvana | Deluxe |
Adhvanta Camps | Deluxe |
Village Retreat | Deluxe |
Villa Aradhya Resorts | Luxury |
Hotel Brusansh Heli | Luxury |
According to the legends, Badrinath temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya and when goddess Ganga was requested to descend on earth to help humanity from its misery and suffering, the earth couldn’t withstand the force of her descent so the majestic and mighty Ganga was split into twelve holy channels, with Alaknanda being one of them.
The town of badrinath lies between the Nar and Narayana peaks and under the shadow of Neelkantha peak. There is a place called ‘Brahama Kapal’ at a walking distance from the temple where Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. Also according to local legends, there is a cave in Mana where the great sage Ved Vyasa wrote the epic Mahabharata.
Hotels in Badrinath:
Hotel Name | Category |
Hotel Shankar Shree | Standard |
Hotel Urvashi | Standard |
Hotel CharanPaduka | Standard |
Himalayan Saro Resorts | Deluxe |
Hotal Kakash | Deluxe |
Hotel Managalam | Deluxe |
Sarovar Portico | Luxury |
Hotel Snow Crest | Luxury |
The busy town of Rudraprayag is named after the ‘Rudra’ roop of Lord Shiva who is said to have blessed Narad Rishi here. It is religiously popular also because the highly revered Rishi Agastya meditated here for several years.
NH58 and NH109 bifurcate from here and connect to Badrinath and Kedarnath respectively. Popular temples of Rudraprayag are Kedarnath, Tungnath, Madhyamahesgwar, and Kalimath.
It is also known for the confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini, Koteshwar Mahadev Temple and Dhari Devi temple.
Hotels in Rudraprayag / Devprayag:
Hotel Name | Category |
Hotel Pushpdeep Grand | Standard |
Hotel Love Kush | Standard |
Hotel Srikot Castle | Standard |
Hotel Shangrila Resorts | Standard |
Hotel Jwalpa Palace | Deluxe |
Monal Resorts | Luxury |
Banyan by the Ganges | Luxury |
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