The Chardham Yatra in the state of Uttarakhand is one of the holy pilgrimage tours in India. While it is a spiritual tour taken to attain ‘moksha’, there are many other things to do in Chardham and beautiful places to visit in Chardham Yatra.
The ancient towns with stunning ancient temples, hiking and trekking sometimes via dense forests, and seeing waterfalls from massive heights all in the picturesque backdrop of the Garhwal Himalayas.
Here is our list of the top 5 places to visit in Chardham Yatra.
1. Har Ki Pauri
This place is synonymous with the famous Ganga Aarti Ceremony that takes place at sunset. It is believed in ancient times, it is here that King Bhagirath did penance to Lord Shiva to help the souls of his ancestors for the attainment of salvation.
2. Surya Kund
The famous Surya Kund hot water springs is something that every pilgrim will do on his pilgrimage yatra to Chardham. It is believed that the temperature in the Kund 88 degrees at times although it is situated in the snowy Himalayan region. The waters are believed to heal many ailments when people take a dip in these waters.
3. Kempty Falls
The gorgeous waterfalls is located in a top tourism hot spot which is also one beautiful hill station in India. Kempty waterfalls is one of the top attractions in Musoorie that also makes for a wonderful picnic spot especially if you are clubbing this spiritual tour with your family holiday. This is enroute the first pilgrimage site of the Chardham yatra – Yamunotri, so it is situated conveniently on the Yamunotri trek.
4. Vishnuprayag
Situated near the river joining point of two famous rivers with great religious significance, this is one of the top 5 places to visit in Chardham. Moreover, it forms one of the 5 prayags of the ‘Panch Prayag’ sites in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
Pilgrims make it a point to visit Vishnuprayag's water springs called Vishnu Kund as it is near two water bodies - River Alaknanda and River Dhauliganga. The place has a Vishnu Temple where many devotees visit and take darshan.
5. Mana Village
This scenic small village is known as the ‘last village’. Reason? Because it is on the Indian border and it is the last village bordering the nations. It is situated very high at an altitude of 3200 meters above sea level sitting amidst the snow bound huge Himalayas.
This place would be closer to the Badrinath pilgrimage site as it is located within 5 km from here. You can sip a hot tea in one of the most famous points in this village called the ‘last tea shop’.
There are several other famous sites and tourist attractions accessible from here. It is situated on the banks of River Saraswati, a holy river believed by some people as ‘the lost river’. Mythologically, River Saraswati is of great significance as it is also believed that the Rigvedas was made here. Others include Vyas Cave, magnificent Vasundhara waterfalls, Bheem Pul, etc.
Do not miss out on Mana Village as it is one of the top 5 places to visit in Chardham Yatra.