India is a territory of divinity
and different religious convictions, where
lies the tranquility of its inheritance. India
is a nation, where it's past memorials and
attractive shrines represent its architectural
heritage. India as a convergence of diverse
religions has constantly fascinated pilgrims
from all over the globe. India is abode to
numerous religions like Hinduism, Christianity,
Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Islam and
all of them have their significant seats of
reverence.
India, frequently called the 'Dev
Bhumi' or the dwelling of the gods, each inch of
this terra firma is deeply entrenched in legends
and every open space has its own fable. India is
enclosed with sacred places connected with the tales
of the gods, the waters of holy rivers or the existence
of consecrated men. Millions of inhabitants have
been passing through its length and breadth to get
to these centers of devotion. In this terra firma
of multiplicity, the trip to these sacred seats
has been the chief type of interface among populace
from diverse regions of the nation. Carrying on
this extensive ritual, pilgrimage tour in the country
these days have attained unparalleled levels. The pilgrimage tour in India offered by Lets travel
India are designed to give all adequate spiritual
introduction of this unexplained land.
All humanity desires cleansing of
the body, mind and the spirit. To accomplish the
same, the pilgrimage tour of India offered by Lets
travel India are designed. The secular character
of India and the diversity of religious convictions
pursued by the populace of the nation are incredible.
The belief echoed in the hymn of 'Om', 'Budhham
Sharanam Gachhami' and 'Wahe Guru' all tells us
about the oneness of Almighty and focus on the gospel
of harmony and be devoted for humanity. Being a
nation of the devout, India is scattered with worship
places. Thus, Pilgrimage tourism India is extremely
popular. Great religions like Hinduism, Buddhism
and Sikhism have originated on the Indian soil.
The unity in diversity is the keyword for the grand
country. The Hindus flock to take a dip in the holy
rivers, the Sikhs walk up to a height of 4329 meters
through the difficult terrain to reach the Hemkunt
Sahib. The cradle of Buddhism, devotees from the
world over frequent the holy city of Sarnath.
Haridwar, or the entrance to
the abode of God, at the foothills of Shivaliks,
is a pilgrim destination for the Hindus. The
Aarti held every sunset at the Har-ki-pauri,
with countless suspended Dias and flowers
is a must for all. The Yatra to the char-Dhams
consists of trip to sacred seats of Badrinath,
Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The char
Dhaam Yatra is a chief pull for Pilgrimage tourism
India. Rishikesh, in the laps of the Himalayas
happens to be the frequent spot for all the
four pilgrim spots in addition being blessed
itself. It happens to be a grand site for
rafting and trekking as well. The starting
places of the two most holy rivers of India
Ganga and Yamuna, Gangotri and Yamunotri are
among the four places of pilgrimage tour in the
Himalayas.
The pilgrim spot
of Dev Prayag, located at the confluence of
the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi rivers besides
is renowned for the Raghunath Ji temple. Similarly,
the town of Uttarkashi is situated on the
banks of the river Bhagirathi and its Vishwanath
temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, attracts several
pilgrims. The holy city of Rudra Prayag located
at the confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini
draws several pilgrims to the Rudra Nath,
Chamunda Devi and the Koteshwar temples. Further
up at Gauri Kund, the visit the famous Gauri
temple and bathe in the hot water pond. The pilgrimage tour package is completed with visit to Joshi Math,
Badrinath and Govind Ghat.
The Buddhists pilgrimage too
have a number of worshipping places in the
country that are linked with the origin and
instruction seats of Buddha. The sacred town
of Varanasi is located on the banks of Ganga.
Its name has been resultant of the two steams
flowing all the way through it namely, Varuna
and Assi. Pilgrims to the sacred land, follow
the age-old custom of taking a dip and performing
Puja at the Ghats.
The Alamgir Mosque
or the Beni Madhav Ka Darera close up to the
central town is an illustration of the exquisiteness
of combination of the Hindu and Mughal techniques
or structural design. Perceptibly, the mosque
was previously the Vishnu temple. It shows
off of the principal housing institution of
higher education is Asia, the Banaras Hindu
University. The university grounds have additional
attractions like the Vishwanath temple and
a museum. Another chief attraction for the
pilgrims happens to be the Bharat Mata temple,
which is not devoted to any God or Goddess
but Mother India.
Lumbini is noteworthy
for being the birthplace of Buddha. The town
of Sarnath is well-liked among the Buddhist
as the place for his initial lecture, which
exposed the eight-fold course following His
illumination. Lord Buddha had attained illumination
beneath the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, which
too is a India Buddhists pilgrimage tour. The pilgrimage tour to Vaishali is significant as Buddha
delivered His last sermon here and announced
His Nirvana. Similarly, there are a number
of other spots for pilgrimage tourism India.
For the Sikhs one
of the most revered shrines is the Hemkunt
Sahib. Pilgrims trek to a height of 4329 meters
to pray at the world's Highest Gurudwara.
The pilgrimage tour starts at the base camp of
Govind Dhaam. Devotes visit the Sri Guru Nanak
Dev Ji Gurudwara at Manikaran known for the
hot water springs with healing properties.
The sacred city of Poanta Sahib is visited
to regard the tenth guru, Guru Govind Singh. Pilgrimage tour also flock to Anandpur Sahib, the
residence and meditation spot for the Gurus.
With faith in the Almighty, the India pilgrimage tour covers the most difficult of terrains with ease.
So, are you geared up for the heavenly journey with Lets Travel India?
Char
Dham Yatra Tour
The holy river Ganges and her
tributaries flow past the Four Dhams that
are located in the state of Uttranchal in
North India. It is understood that goddess
Ganga came down on Earth in the shape of a
River to assist the distressed civilization.
It was divided into four streams; namely Alaknanda
(in Badrinath), Mandakini (in Kedarnath),
Bhagirathi (in Gangotri) and Yamuna (in Yamunotri).
Each one of the 4 Dhams is sanctified with
a magical charm and picturesque splendor and
innumerable prehistoric temples. Every year,
innumerable tourists from across the world,
visit here in hunt of tranquility and serenity.
In the crease of the snow-covered reaches
of the lofty Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand
are located four sacred Hindu shrines.
Badrinath
Kedarnath
Gangotri
Yamunotri
The area is called as the terrain
of the gods in the prehistoric Puranas. Countless
numbers of devotees come to the holy places
by laboriously trekking the length of the
mountain paths, all for a spiritual union
with the divine. Over the centuries, these
sites have been described in sanctified scriptures
as the very places where devotees could earn
the merits of all the pilgrimages put collectively.
Subsequently, temples were built at these
sanctified sites.
Kedarnath
Dhaam…
Devoted to Lord Shiva, the
delicately carved Kedarnath temple is said
to be more than a 1000 years old. Built of
extremely large, heavy and evenly cut gray
slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how
these heavy slabs were handled in the earlier
days. The temple has a "Garbh Graham"
for worship and a Mandap apt for assemblies
of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation
inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva
in his Sadashiva form.
Amidst the dramatic mountain escapes of the
majestic Kedarnath range stands one of the
twelve 'Jyotir Lingams' of Kedar or Lord Shiva.
Lying at an altitude of 3584 metes on the
head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath
is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for the
Hindus. According to legend, Lord Shiva wished
to elude the Pandavas, who had come to seek
penitence for having killed their kin in the
battle of Kurukshetra. He took refuge in Kedarnath
in the form of a bull. Bhima, one of the Pandavas
brothers, found Shiva amongst a herd of cattle.
Having identified the meanest and most arrogant
of the herd as Shiva, Bhima is said to have
grabbed him by the hindquarters. What remains
at the shrine in Kedarnath is the rear end
of the bull, with the rest of its body scattered
throughout the Garhwal. Shiva dived into the
ground leaving behind him a hump on the surface.
This conical protrusion is worshipped as the
idol. It is the main site of the Paanch Kedars
temples.
There are four other Kedars
Madhyamaheshwar,
Tunga Nath,
Kalpeshwar &
Rudranath.
Badrinath
Dhaam...
Badrinath Dhaam is one of the oldest Hindu
places of devotion. On the right bank of
the river Alaknanda lies the consecrated
shrine suspended at an elevation of 3133
m above sea level, protected on both faces
by the two mountain peaks Nar & Narain
with the immense Neelkanth peak providing
a fabulous setting. Also famous as the Vishal
Badri, the principal amongst the five Badris,
it is respected by all as the fitting mark
of respect to Lord Vishnu. Once the spot
was carpeted with 'Badris' or feral berries
and therefore was famed as 'Badri Van'.
Devoted to Lord Vishnu, the place of worship
is built in the shape of a conduit with
a small cupola of a gilt bull & spire.
Tales date the place of worship earlier
to the Vedic period and the original temple
is understood to be built by King Pururava
and the icon of the lord engraved by Vishwakarma,
the craftsman of the gods. A Hindu reformist
Adi Shankaracharya re-enshrined the place
of worship back in the 8th century.
Gangotri
Dhaam…
Gangotri, the beginning of the consecrated
river Ganges, draws tourists in big figures
each year. The altercation with the intimidating
rivers and efforts to disentangle the mysteries
of the paranormal world are omnipresent
highlights at this point. Besides the adventure
of winning nature, what one experiences
here is the spiritual feeling that India
is so well-known for.
The charming place of worship in the highlands
of Himalayas is the most sanctified place
where Ganga, the flow of existence, touched
ground for the first time. According to
legends, Goddess Ganga, the offspring of
heaven, manifested herself in the shape
of a river to pardon the offenses of King
Bhagirath's ancestors, subsequent to his
strict self-punishment of 5500 years. Lord
Shiva received her into his entwined curls
to reduce the blow of her drop. The river
itself commences at Gangotri which factually
means Ganga Uttari or Ganga descending.
Yamunotri
Dhaam…
The sanctified place of pilgrimage
of Yamunotri, starting place of the river
Yamuna, is a very significant holy place in
the Garhwal Himalayas, suspended on top of
an edge of Bandar Poonch Peak (3615 m) and
positioned opposite the Gangotri.
Amongst the chief appeals of Yamunotri
are warm water springs in close proximity.
Devotees cook rice and potatoes to present
at the place of worship, by sinking them
in these warm water springs, tied in cloths.
The march to Yamunotri is stunning, subjugated
by a vista of uneven peaks and thick jungle.
From Rishikesh, a 213 Kms drive by road
takes one to Hanuman Chattri. From here,
the left over 13 Km march is covered on
foot or on ponies. Palanquins and Porters
are also obtainable on rent.
Mata Vaishno Devi
Temple
The abode
of the Goddess Vaishno Devi is in the
Mountains of Tricuta Hills, in the Jammu
and Kashmir State of Northern India.
The Goddess resides in a beautiful cave
in the form of 3 'Pindis' namely, "Maha
Kali", "Maha Laxmi" and
"Maha Saraswati". The Goddess
Durga is said to have killed the demon
Bhairon here. Vaishno Devi is 61-km
north of Jammu and 14-km from Katra.
The cave is at an elevation of 1,700m
(5,100ft) and is 30m (93 ft) long and
just 1.5m (5ft) high.
Vaishno Devi is a tough four-hour
(13-km) ascend from Katra. The most excellent
time to come is March to July, as the rest
of the time of year can be very chilly. The
chief pilgrimage time is March-April and September-October.
In 1986, 1.6 million people came here, or
15 to 20 thousand people a day. The cave ideally
handles just 8 or 10 thousand people a day,
as only 12 or 15 people are let into the cave
at a time. On the full moon day in Kartik
(October/ November) the line to get into the
cave can be 4-km long. It is believed that
the arm of Goddess Sati fell at this place.
Amarnath
Temple Yatra
One of the
sanctified Trinity, Shiva is an existing
supernatural being. The most sacrosanct
and the most prehistoric manuscript
of India, the 'Rig Veda" evokes
his attendance in its hymns. Vedic legends,
rituals and even astronomy give evidence
to his subsistence from the dawn of
time. But Shiva, Destroyer, the mendicant,
is imperceptible.
Amarnath Caves
The Yatra (pilgrimage) on foot to Amarnath
Cave, well thought-out as one of the holiest
naturally occurring shrines of the Hindu faith,
has sustained annually for little more than
a hundred years. Extending up 130 feet, the
Amarnath Cave is elevated and shallow.
A Lingam of Ice
Contained by the large opening,
at the back an open-gated iron barrier, an
underground drip of water emerges 10 feet
up from a small crevice in the sedimentary
rock and freezes to shape a tall, even funnel
of frost.
Destinations Covered Include:
Amaranth Yatra, Nava Graham Temples, Tirupati
Balaji, Shirdi Saibaba, Vaishno Devi, Chaar
Dhaam Yatra and Varanasi
