Char Dham Yatra: The Two Circuits Explained

Char Dham means two different circuits, which is why the answer you get depends on who you ask. The Badi Char Dham is the all-India set laid out by Adi Shankaracharya: Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram. The Chhoti Char Dham is the Uttarakhand Himalayan circuit: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Badrinath appears in both, which is what causes the confusion.

The Badi Char Dham, across India

Four sites at the compass points of the country, associated with Adi Shankaracharya in the eighth century. The yatra is traditionally done in a clockwise order.

• Badrinath. At 3,100 metres beside the Alaknanda, open roughly May to November. Brahma Kapal, where Pind Daan is performed, is behind the temple.
• Dwarka. Krishna’s kingdom on the Gujarat coast, with the Dwarkadhish temple and Bet Dwarka offshore.
• Puri. The Jagannath temple and the Rath Yatra, when the deities are drawn through the streets on chariots.
• Rameshwaram. On Pamban island, where Rama is held to have worshipped Shiva before crossing to Lanka. The corridors of the temple are the longest of any in India.

The Chhoti Char Dham, in Uttarakhand

Four Himalayan shrines within one state, and what most people in north India mean when they say Char Dham. All four close for winter.

The traditional order is Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, moving west to east. Kedarnath requires a 16-kilometre trek from Gaurikund, or a helicopter; the others are reachable by road with short walks.

When to go

The Uttarakhand shrines open around Akshaya Tritiya in late April or May and close in November around Diwali. Within that window, May and June are busiest, July and August bring the monsoon and landslide risk, and September and October are the most settled.

The all-India dhams are open year round. Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram are best avoided in peak summer.

Ancestral rites on the yatra

Many families performing the Char Dham yatra also perform Pind Daan at Brahma Kapal, the rock behind Badrinath temple. It is the one point on either circuit where ancestral rites are traditionally performed, and families already making the journey often take the opportunity.

The rite takes about two hours and costs from ₹10,999. Because it depends on the temple being open, the date has to sit inside the May to November window. Our guide to Pind Daan at Brahma Kapal covers the procedure and the timing.

Planning either circuit

• Chhoti Char Dham. Ten to twelve days by road from Haridwar or Rishikesh. Registration is required for the Uttarakhand yatra; check the current year’s process before travelling.
• Badi Char Dham. Three to four weeks if done as one journey, and most families do it in stages across years rather than in one trip.

Common questions

Which Char Dham do people usually mean?

In north India, usually the Uttarakhand four. Elsewhere, often the all-India four. Ask which before booking.

Can the Uttarakhand circuit be done in winter?

No. All four close. The deities are moved to winter seats in the valley, where worship continues.

Is Pind Daan part of the yatra?

Not required, but commonly done at Brahma Kapal by families who want it. It is arranged separately from the yatra itself.

If the yatra includes ancestral rites

Tell us your Badrinath dates and we will fit the rite into them, confirming the pandit and the total beforehand. Everything is on our Pind Daan at Brahma Kapal page.