In Hinduism,
Char Dham (चार धाम) is a pilgrimage circuit of four sites in India that are supremely holy to Hindus. Believed to be the places to achieve
moksha (or salvation), the circuit includes
Badrinath,
Puri,
Rameshwaram, and
Dwarka, All of the sites of Char Dham host a prominent temple dedicated either to Lord Vishnu or related to Lord Vishnu in one way or other.
Etymology
Char means 'four' and Dham means 'abode' or 'shrine' in English. Hence, Chota Dham literally means four abodes or four shrines.
Circuit Sites
Badrinath (बद्रीनाथ) is a holy town in the Chamoli district of Uttrakhand known to be the home of Badrinath Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, one of the supreme gods in Hinduism. The modern-day Badrinath was also known as Badari or Badrikashrama in ancient times. According to Bhagwat Purana, The twin-duo incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Nara-Narayana, did extreme penance here for the welfare of mankind.
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| Badrinath Temple |
Puri (पुरी) is a coastal city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is known for being the home of Shree Jagannath Dham or Jagannath Temple. Lord Jagannath is believed to be the incarnation of Shree Krishna (a form of Vishnu) or simply an incarnation of Vishnu. In Jagannathism, a sub-denomination of Vaishnavism, Lord Jagannath is worshiped as the supreme deity along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra.
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| Jagannath Temple |
Rameshwaram or Rameswaram (रामेश्वरम) is a municipality in Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is home to Ramanathswamy Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Hindus believe that Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, erected a shivlingam here at the coast of Rameshwaram dedicated to Shiva. The temple is situated on the Pamban island separated by mainland India. According to Hindu texts, Lord Rama also built a bridge of buoyant stones from here across the ocean to Lanka to rescue his wife Goddess Sita from her abductor and Lanka's king Ravana.
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| Ramanathswamy Temple |
Dwarka (द्वारका) is a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is home to Dwarkadheesh Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was the king of the ancient Indian kingdom Dwaraka.
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| Dwarkadheesh Temple |
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