What are the Char Dhams of Hindu Mythology?
Also known as the four adobes of Hinduism, Char Dhams hold an important part in the Hindu pilgrimage. They are among one of the holy places that every Hindu must visit once in their lifetime.
The Char Dhams are Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri, and Rameswaram. As per Hinduism, visiting them can help one attain Moksha (liberation or salvation). According to Hinduism, people believe that each Dham represents a Yuga.
- Badrinath – Satya Yug (shrine of Vishnu)
- Dwarkadish – Dvapara Yug (shrine of Vishnu)
- Jagannath Puri – Kali Yug (shrine of Vishnu)
- Rameswaram – Treta Yug (shrine of Shiva)
The Char Dhams
Badrinath
Geography and weather
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It has an average elevation of 3,100 m and is situated on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The temple lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges. It remains open for pilgrims from April to October. It becomes inaccessible because of heavy snowfall in winter.
History and Legend
The accounts state that Adi Shankaracharya established this place as a pilgrimage site in the ninth century. The present deity is Lord Badrinarayan, made of Shaligram stone found in the Alaknanda River. Badri Vishal is another name for Badrinath.
People consider the deity in the temple to be self-manifested in the form of Shaligram (black granite).
As per the legend, unaware of the cold weather of this place, Lord Vishnu sat there for meditation. Laksmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, in the form of a Badri tree, protected him.
According to Vishnu Purana, Yama had two sons, Nara and Narayana. They both chose this place to spread their preachings.
There is a natural hot water spring near the temple known as Tapt Kund. People take a bath in the Kund before visiting the temple. The spring has a temperature of around 45-55 degrees Celsius irrespective of the outside temperature. It is dedicated to Lord Agni and is considered to hold medicinal and spiritual qualities.
Festivals
People celebrate Mata Murti ka Mela yearly, dedicated to Lord Badrinath’s mother. It is usually celebrated in the month of September.
Dwarkadish Temple, Dwarka
People dedicate the temple to Lord Krishna. The temple has another name, Jagat Mandir. As per Mahabharata, Dwarka is described as the capital of Lord Krishna.
Geography and weather
It is situated in the Dwarka city of Gujarat in the western ghats of India on the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch.
It has a hot and arid climate.
History and Legend
Six times, the sea has submerged the city of Dwarka, and we see now its seventh form. The temple Dwarkadish temple is believed to be 2500 years old. Vajranbhan, the great-grandson of Lord Sri Krishna built this temple as per the belief.
As per the legend, Meera Bai, the Rajputana princess and a Krishna devotee merged with this temple’s deity during her last days.
There are two dwars or gates of the temple: swarga dwar (gate to heavens) where the pilgrims enter and moksha dwar (get to liberation) where the pilgrims exit.
Festivals
People celebrate Janmashtami, or the birthday of Lord Krishna, every year with traditional festivities like dahi handi, raas, etc.
Jagannath Puri
The devotees dedicate the temple to Lord Jagannath, a form of Vishnu. Jagannath, Subhadra, and Balabhadra are the major deities of the temple.
Geography and weather
The temple is located in Puri in the state of Odisha on the eastern coast of India. Summers are usually hot and humid from March to May. The monsoon showers in June bring down the temperature.
History and Legend
At the end of Dvapara Yuga, a Blue Jewel manifested as the original image of Jagannath near a Banyan tree. The Jewel could grant Moksha to anybody instantly so, the god of Dharma wanted to hide that in the earth in which he was successful.
Indradyumna in the Kali Yuga desired that image. For this, he performed harsh penance. Lord Vishnu instructed him to go to the seashore of Puri to find a floating log and draw that image it.
On finding the log, he did a Yajna from which Lord Narasimha appeared. Lord instructed him to create four fold expansion (four emanations) of Narayana of which the Narayana is the first one himself. This included:
- Paramatma (supreme self) as Vasudeva (Krishna)
- Vyuha (to arrange) as Samkarshana (Balabhadra)
- Yogamaya (form of Goddess Mahamaya) as Subhadra
- Vibhava (bright) as Sudarshana
Vishvakarma, the divine architect of devas disguised in the form of an artisan, appeared and created the images of Krishna, Balabhadra and Subhadra from the log. Upon seeing these images in the sea, Narada told the king to make three deities and place them upon a pavilion.
With the help of Vishvakarma, Indradyumna built a temple for the deities while ensuring that Lord Vishnu, disguised as a carpenter, was not disturbed until the work was completed.
But within two weeks the queen of Indradyumna got anxious. Because of no sound coming from the temple, they assumed the carpenter to be dead. The queen requested the king to open the door to which Lord Vishnu abandoned the work and the deities remained unfinished.
Due to this, the deities had no hands. A divine intervention told the king to place the deities in the temple and thus, the temple got its place.
Festivals
Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival is the most important festival in Puri. Every year in the month of June or July, a procession carrying three huge rathas or chariots of Jagnnath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken to their final destination, Gundicha Temple. The Gundicha Temple has the alternative name of the Garden House of Jagannath. Chariots stay at this temple for seven days and moved back to the main temple. The name Shri Gundicha Yatra is another term for Rath Yatra.
The Rathas are built every year. Devotees pull them with rope.
Rameswaram
It is the home of Ramanathaswamy Temple. The temple dedicates itself to Lord Shiva.
Geography and weather
The island is located in Tamil Nadu. It is a series of coral reef islands connecting India and Sri Lanka. It is the second closest point to Sri Lanka. People also know Rameswaram Island as Pamban Island. The place experiences a tropical climate. The Pamban Bridge connects Rameswaram to the mainland.
History and Legend
According to the Hindu epic, Ramayana, after killing King Ravana (a Brahmana), Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, and Laxman wanted to worship Lord Shiva as a part of atonement. Lord Rama desired to install a Lingam to do the same, so he sent Hanuman to the Himalayas to get it. Goddess Sita made a lingam from the sand of the seashore, as Hanuman took longer than expected which is the one in the sanctum of the temple.
Rama Setu is a bridge made of limestone that connects Rameswaram to Sri Lanka. According to Ramayana, Lord Rama constructed the bridge with the help of an army of Vanaras to reach Lanka to rescue Goddess Sita from Ravana.
Pamban Bridge
So, this was a brief overview of the char dham in Hindu Mythology. Once in a lifetime, one must visit these places to experience the divine powers of the Lord.
The journey of Char Dhams is considered sacred by Hindus. Hindus aspired to visit them once in their lifetime. The trip starts from Jagannath Puri in a clockwise direction.
Also, below are some of the links to the books where you can read more about Hindy Mythology:
Krisna : The Supreme Personality Of Godhead
You can buy from the following link:
