Char Dham: Four Corners of Faith

Tradition credits the eighth century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya with binding India's spiritual map into four great abodes, one in each direction. Completing the Char Dham yatra remains a lifelong dream in many families.

Badrinath in the north rests in the Himalayas beside the Alaknanda river, where Vishnu is worshipped as Badri Narayan.

Dwarka in the west is Gujarat's own: the golden city of Shree Krishna. The flag above the Dwarkadhish temple is changed several times a day, and devotees gather each time to watch it rise.

Puri in the east is the home of Jagannath and his grand chariot festival.

Rameswaram in the south is where Shree Ram worshipped Shiva at the bridge to Lanka. Its Ramanathaswamy temple holds the longest pillared corridor of any temple in India.

Together the four dhams tie the four directions with a single thread of faith. The Himalayas hold a smaller circuit too, the Chota Char Dham: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.