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Pilgrim
Centers or Tirthsthans
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Garhwal
is known as Devbhoomi, meaning the Land of Gods. The holy land houses
some of the most revered religious destinations of India. The Himalaya
range in Garhwal are said to be the home of the gods. This land is
very sacred for the Hindus as well as the Sikhs. Garhwal has
always been associated with spirituality, temples, pilgrimage, holy
shrines and mountain tourism. Garhwal is one of the state in India
which has some of the most important pilgrimage shrines. |
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The whole land of garhwal is always alive and vibrates with the music of
chiming bells, bathing people at various Ghats, chanting of
Hymns, song of local folks during festivals and fairs. Most of
the temples in Garhwal are associated with some Puranic or
Mahabharata story. There is no specific pattern to the
construction of these temples and most of them are devoted to
Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Kali and Nanda Devi along
with the temples of local gods and goddesses.
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The main temples in Garhwal are the temples of
Badrinath, Kedarnath, Panch Prayag, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Hemkund
Saheb, Sirkanda Devi, Haridwar and Rishikesh. The famous Chardham trip is in this state which include a
visit to four of most revered Hindu temples, Yamunotri, Gangotri,
Kedarnath and Badrinath. The Char Dham tour is very significant for
Hindus. Haridwar, meaning Gateway to God, holds an important place in
Hindu religion. It is one of the most visited pilgrimages in India.
Rishikesh, situated 24 Km from Haridwar also very important pilgrimage
site for the Hindus. Rishikesh is also known as the Yoga Capital of
the World. Hemkund Sahib, an important pilgrim is associated with the
Sikhs as well as Hindus. The place is associated with Guru Govind
Singh Ji, 10th guru of Sikhs. Meetha-Reetha Sahib and Piran Kaliyar
are the other major holy places for Sikhs.
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five Badries are revered by all as the apt tribute
to Lord Vishnu. Badrinath is devoted to the worship
of Vishnu who, according to an amusing tale, usurped
this place from Shiva. For Vishnu had come here as
the gods once did, to offer penance. He loved the
place so much that he plotted to 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 to disturb 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 that Shiva 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
Adi Badri. |
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five Kedar lies in the valleys between the rivers Bhagirathi
and Alaknanda. The term Kedar itself means a natural rock
formation or a glacial moraine. According to legend, himalayas
Kedarnath, the chief seat of the Panch Kedar, come into being
during the period when the five Pandava brothers were asked to
seek Shiva's blessings, purging them off sin of fratricide, or
killing their cousin brothers in the terrifying bettle of
Kurukshetra.Shiva disguised himself as a bull and started to
plunge underground when he was spotted by Pandavas. No wonder
the natural rock formation that is worshipped here resembles
the rump of bull. The other four places where Shiva is
worshipped take their appearance from different part of his
body - the navel at Madmaheshwar, the arm at Tungnath, the
face at Rudranath, and the matted hair at Kalpeshwar. |
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| Panch
Prayag, confluence of most sacred rivers, is considered
the epitome of immortal piety. River confluences in
India are considered very sacred, especially since
rivers themselves are extolled ad goddesses. And outside
of Prayag, the great confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and
the mythical Saraswati at Allahabad, the most revered
confluences are in the Garhwal Himalayas. Since the two
mighty rivers and tributaries trace their source to
these mountains, the points at which they meet are
sanctified as major pilgrimage centers. It is here that
propitiatory and cleansing ceremonies are performed as
part of the tenets of Hindu religion. Five Prayags are
Vishnu Prayag, Nand Prayag, Karna Prayag, Rudra Prayag
and Deo Prayag. |
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Shrine of Gangotri situated at an elevation of
himalayas 3200 mts. above sea-level amidst captivating
surroundings is 100 kms. from Uttarkashi. The
temple, constructed by the Gorkha General Amar
Singh Thapa in the 18th century, is situated on
the right bank of Bhagirathi. It is visited by
thousands of pilgrim every year. A number of
Ashrams are located on the other side of himalayas , some of
which provide accommodation facilities to the Gangotri visitors. |
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| The Shrine of
Yamunotri, source of river Yamuna is situated in the direction
opposite to Gangotri and the road bifurcates and goes to
Yamunotri from Dharasu, a place between Rishikesh and
Uttarkashi. Yamunotri can also be visited via Mussoorie and
Barkot. |
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| Situated at an
elevation of 3235 mts. above sea - level, the shrine of
Yamunotri is one of the 'Four Dhams' od Uttranchal. The source
of Yamuna lies about one km. ahead at an altitude of about
4421 mts. The approach is extremely difficult and pilgrims
therefore offer pooja at temple itself. |
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high altitude Lokpal lake, known as Hemkund ( 4329 mts.)
lies in heavenly environs. A steep trek from Ghangharia
leads one to this spot in about four to six hours. It is
an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, as well
as for people from other faiths. There is a Sikh Gurudwara
and a Lakshman temple built on the bank of the lake. Encircled
by seven snow clad peaks and their associated glaciers,
it reflects its surroundings enchantingly on its crystal
clear serene waters. The glaciers from Hathi Parvat and
Saptrishi peaks feed the lake and a small stream called
Himganga flows out of this lake. As alluded to, in the holy
Granth Sahib, Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikh
faith had meditated on the bank of this lake in one of his
earlier births. |
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