RED ALERT: The Most Haunted Places In India

Last night I got up from my sleep all of a sudden in the mid night. There was something which was disturbing me. It was a dream, a dream of horror. Today I thought to write on some haunted stories & haunted places in India, which would definitely take your breath out for some moments. So, beware & keep your doors closed while going through the article.
Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan:<br> "Staying after sunsent is strictly prohibited in this area." This is what the ASI(Archaeology Survey Of India) has put a signboard at bhangarh. Bhangarh is a deserted town in Rajasthan, which was establisehd by kind Madho Sing in 1613. It is supposed that the town was cursed by a magician & so always remained vacant. Only temples survive & local folks say that whenever a house is built here, it gets collapsed soon. It is also that anyone who stayed there after dark, never returned back. So please do nit dare to visit the place in night.
Dumas Beach, Gujrat:<br> People visit beaches for fun & some enjoyment. But what if you visit a beach in dark & then disappear forever? Horrible! Isn't it? Dumas beach of Gujrat is full of spirits of deap people in its wind. Actually Hindus burn the dead bodies here. It has been reported that people hear starnge whispers on this Dumas beach.
Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune:<br> "Uncle save me". This was the last call from Narayan, the heir of the kingdom during the Peshwas rule in western Indian province; before he was assasinated on the order of his uncle Madhavrao's wife. Even today, locals say that they here his cires for help at mdnight on new moon day.
Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad:<br> This place is haunted by notorious ghosts of the dead soldiers; as the place used to be war ground in past. You can hear knowcks from a closed bathroom, see shadows in changing room etc in the hotels of the film city.
Wonder how the film shootings progress here with such terrific stuffs. Delhi Cant, Delhi:<br> Ever crossed Delhi cant? You must be lucky enough if you cross this place safe without coming across any paranormal actovities. Most of the times, people reported viewing a lady in white dress asking for lift & if you go through, then she runs as fast as the car runs & people find her sitting there.
Damn, even I stay in Delhi. But for sure, I would never cross Delhi Cant alone.
Mahim, Mumbai:
A chawl named d'souza chawl is known to be the haunted place of a lady who died by falling into a local well & since then she appears everyday near that well, though she never harm anyone.
Dow Hill, West bengal:<br> Dow Hill forest in West bengal has been reported with a headless young boy walking around & suddenly dissapearing into the trees. It is said that in past, there has been a lot of murders in this forest.
Vrindavan Society, Thane:
Bldg No 66B; a building in Vrindavan society of Thane is been regarded as a haunted house, where a man had committed suicide. Many weird happenings occur in this area.
Now, if you are really full of guts, then do visit these haunted places of India & priove yourself. but make sure, you return home safe. Now as it is already night here & I have to sleep well, let me not think much on these haunted stories & haunted places. Oh! Jesus; save me from the Ghosts and ghost dream tonight.

Eternal Love Storie Of India: Here Is Where Love Survives...!!

I got my tracks running when you came to me,
those blocked roads, got risible when you came to me.
Never know how far will you travel with me;
But it is also true you will ever sustain in me.
I know there is no perfect destination of this track,
but gaining your company, I do not want to turn back.
My present way with you is blessed with fine shower of fondness
which make me realise I amm alive & no way into a mess!
This fine track with you will ever be saved in my heart
Though after this journey, we may stay apart.
A heart felt feeling will ever sustain for you
which in real is just meant for few...!<br> Love is a worship right from the heart without any hope, without any expectation. the person who fall in Love; starts enjoying every moment of his life. But, there are many lovers who struggle all throughout their life for their love, yet stay away from the same. These love stories remain akive forever in our books or become a part of our tales.
India is the land of Love, peace & romance. The Indian love stories are full of passion, sacrifices & dedication. Here below we will discuss on some of the great eternal love stories of India. Oops! Spare my Love story please :P
HEER- RANJHA:<br> This is a great love story from Punjab written by Waris Shah in 1766. It tells the love affair of Heer & her lover Ranjha.
Heer is a beautiful woman from a Jat family. Ranjha is also a Jat with his four brothers. due to some quarrel with his brothers over land, Ranjha leaves home & settles down in Heer's village. He starts working as a caretaker of Heer's cattles, where Heer & Ranjha fall in love. Heer gets mesmerized by the melodious flute, played by Ranjha. After Heer's uncle get to know about their love, heer is forced to marry another guy called Saida Khera. Ranjha gets heart broken, & turns to a Jogi(Sage). Reciting the name of "Alekha Niranjan", Ranjha wanders all over Punjab & one day reaches Heer's village. Now, Heer's parents agfree to their marraige. However, on the wedding day, Heer's uncle poisons heer's food & she intake the food & dies. Ranjha gets heartbroken once again & he even take the poisoned Laddu(sweet) & dies by her side.
Heer & ranjha are burried in Heer's hometown, Jhang.
SALIM- ANARKALI:
This immortal love story of Salim 7 Anarkali will definitely attract you. It is about the Mughal prince Salim & a courtesan Anarkali.
Akhbar tried everything to stop Salim to fall for Anarkali; but all his efforts were worthless. Salim then called for a war against his father where he was defeated & was sentenced to death. To save Salim; Anarkali made the sacrifice & she was entombed alive before her lover's eyes.
SHAH JAHAN & MUMTAZ MAHAL:<br> Who is unaware of this Love story. Almost everyone who know about Taj mahal, is aware of the love story of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan & wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Mumtaz was Shah Jahan's favourite wife & bore him 14 children. Upon her death, Shah Jahan built her a Maesoleum of white marble, which is known as Taj Mahal a& is regarded as one of the 7 wonders of the world.
RADHA- KRISHNA:<br> This is a passionate love story of Indian mythology. The most famous narration of Radha Krishna Love affair is "Geet Govinda" by Kabi Jaydeb.
The Love of Radha & Krishna was so strong that though these two love characters couldnot marry eachother, yet they both are worshipped together.
DEVDAS- PARVATI:
Devdas by Sarat Ch. Chattopadhyay is a fabulous love story whihc is also been adapted to films many times.
Devdas & Parvati were childhood friends & their friendship turned to love when they grew elder. However the alliance between Devdas & Parvati was denied by Devdas's family & thus Parvati got married to another man much more elder than her. Devdas turned to be a drunkard, & while his death he came to parvati's house, where again their meeting was denied by Parvati's in-laws. Thus Devdas died all alone with a broken heart.
Conclusion:<br> Now, it can be rightly said, if you want to fall in Love, then there is no better place than India. Come & fall in Love...who knows, it might be your love story in our forthcoming days, which would be read by all!

The Great Indian Minds: Scientists Of India...!!

"Science is a systematic enterprise that builds & organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations & predictions about the universe." This is what we get to know from wikipedia when we search for the term "Science". But those who actually are born with science, with great minds; who pursue knowledge & discover something new are the real Scientists. India has a ton of great scientists who spend their entire life in science & discovering new things. These are the "Men of Honour" who dream, think off & achieve. Let us have a close look on some of these beautiful minds from India.
Homi Bhaba: He was a famous Indian atomic scientist who with the support of Jawaharlal nehru, laid the foundation of a scientific establishment & was responsible for the creation of two premier institutions; Tata Institute Of fundamental Research & Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
C.V.Raman: Every Indian must be aware of C.V.Raman. He is one of the most renowned scientists in India who won the Nobel prize for physics in 1930 for his pioneering work on scattering of light.
Subhramanyam Chandrasekhar: He was awarded Nobel prize in Physics in 1983 & was one of the greatest scientists of 20th century.
Har Gobind Khurana: He is an American molecular biologist, born to Indian couple. For his work on interpretation of the genetic code & its function in protien synthesis; he was awarded with Nobel prize in 1968.
Srinivasa Ramanujan: This man is widely believed to be the greatest mathematician of the 20th century.
Aryabhatta: Everyone is well aware with this name. He invented "Zero". Though this number has got no value on itself, yet it can not be neglected as "when a zero is placed infront of any other number, the value of the number increases ten times." Aryabhatta's mind is always an inspiration for every Indian.
APJ Abdul Kalam: Who in this world step behind in respecting Dr. Abdul Kalam? Almost everyone related to science, pay the highest respect to this great scientist & infact a great man. He is often referred as the Missile Man Of India. He is a notable scientist & engineer who also served India as the 11th President from 2002-2007.
Note On Some Emerging Science Stories & Scientist Of India:
science is a field which never take backfoot; it is always in a progression mode. So as the Indian scientist. We have many emerging scientists in India who developed many new things & developed in a better way.
Recently, an Indian scientist successfully converted polythene into fuel. This is really a big achievement for India.
There is another achievement in the scientific field. A delhi based couple has developed novel method of detecting latent fingerprints. It utilizes novel spray formulations based on dyes & is cost-effective & non hazardous.
Scientists from Indian Institute Of science Education & Research, Kolkatta; explained how the sun lost its spot & solar storms for a long period. They also explained the sun was made of a hot gas called "Plasma".
Anand Swarup, Principal & Head of the Orthopaedic Dept in Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi College; developed a new technology called "High Tibial Osteotomy" to cure the knee problems. Patients undergoing the treatment are realesed from hospital in 3-4 days & are then able to walk on their own. The best part of this treatment is that it costs only 10,000 rupees. Wonder how beneficial is this method for we people!
With so much of new discoveries in the field of science from India on a daily basis; it would be very appropriate here to say "Everyday is a New Day".

AYURVEDA: A Traditional Indian Natural Healing Science...!!

Ayurveda- The most trusted form of medicine is a traditional type of medicine which is native to India. It is also known as" mother of all medicine" & is the knowledge for long life. Ayurvedic literature deals vastly with measures of healthful living during the entire life span of a person. Ayurveda is not just about treating disease; rather it involves preventing diseases & enhancing healthy living. In this article, we will discuss about the basic concepts of Ayurveda along with its treatments & significance.
Basic Concepts Of Ayurveda:
Ayurveda speaks that in human body; disease occur due to an imbalance of three fundamental elements of the body which are Vaata, Pitta & Kapha. Ayurveda also explains that the entire universe is made of five elements which include Akaasa(Space), Vaayu(Air), Tejas(Light), Ap(Water), Prithvi(Earth). Now when we talk about the fundamental elements of our body, we will also share talks on the five elements which play most significant part in the human system. Vaata: Vaata is the evidence of life. It is the form that allows one to interact with the environment. It transmits signals to mind & responses to various place of body. The skin 7 ear depend on Vaata, waste matter from the body are transported by Vaata. Agni(Fire) is stimulated by Vaata through which Joy is produced. Pitta: Its structure is Tejas. It functions in vision, digestion, heat production, hunger, thirst, softness of body, cheerfulness & intelligence. Kapha: kapha is one of the primary constituent of the body which has water & Earth as elements. It functions in conserving & stabilising. the tissues are organised to microscopic & macroscopic form by Kapha.
Ayurvedic Diet:
The Ayurvedic science has classified food into following three categories. Satvic/ Spiritual quality Rajasic/ Active quality Tamasic/ Material quality
Satvic Food: It mainly include milk, fruits, fresh vegetables, cereals like lentils, sprouts & natural sweetners like honey & jaggery; natural oils like ghee, butter & vegetable oils. People intaking satvic food are usually spiritual & clean in mind.
Rajasic Food: As per Ayurveda; people who intake Rajasic food are likely to be veru active & energentic. these kind of food includes non-veg like meat, fish, eggs, chicken; all pulses & dals.
Tamasic Food: This mainly includes the short eats & unnatural, processed, overcooked food. According tio Ayurveda, people who take Tamasic food are slow & stagnant in nature.
Ayurvedic Rasayans/ Vitalizers:
These are a mixture of herbal products which help our body fight against disease & help in slowing down the ageing process. Ayurvedic rasayanas are available in form of tonic & medicine and are rich in herbs wgich have rejuvenation power & contains lot of micronutirents.
Following are the different forms of Rasayanas.
* Ashwagandha Rasayana(helps in rejuvenation of reproductive organs &revitalizes nerves & bone marrow)
* Chyavanprasha Rasayana( builds immunity & maintans youthfulness)
* Shilajit Rasayana( increases the metabolic rate of body & thus enhances digestion)
* Pippali Rasayan( plays major role in digestion, assimilation & metabolism of foods)
* Vacha Rasayana(helps in more of mental activity)
* Triphala Rasayana(acts mainly as a skin tonic)
* Brahmi Rasayana(improves intelligence)
Ayurvedic Treatments:
Ayurveda involve plant-based medicines & treatments. Around 7500 species of vascular plant are used as this traditional natural healing treatment in India. However, some animal products like milk, bones etc may also be used in Ayurveda. Minerals like sulfur, arsenic, lead, gold & copper sulfate are addeed to herbal medicines and this practice is called as " Rasa Shastra"
Alcohol is used in some cases as a nracotic while operation. to stop bleeding oil & tar are used.
Ayurvedic treatments also includes steam based treatments as a means to open up the channels( Shrotas) that transport fluids from one point to other.
Baba Ramdev & Ayurveda:
Ayurveda/Yoga Guru Swami Ramdeva has the greatest role in getting Ayurvedic treatment to the world through his best efforts. Patanjali Yogpeeth at Hardwar has its own importance to the people who believe in Ayurveda & Yoga. Divya medicinces of Swami Ramdev are really effective & comprises of Amla, Ashwagandha, Giloy etc which are used in various forms of Ayurvedic medicines like Divya pidantaka rah, divya shilajit, divya mukta vati, divya triphala churna, divya medhavati, divya giloy sat, divya hridayamrita vati etc. Conclusion: Recently, Ayurveda has become more popular all over the world & is now slowly entering into the maistream health care. For a perfect & pure life; Ayurveda is the basic concept. So, with Ayurveda as your part of healing, live a complete life; a life full of health, perfectness & relaxation.

"Pranama": An Integral Part Of Vision...!!

"Pranama- Namaste" !! When I was in my childhood, first thing my parents taught me that whenever any guest come home or I visit anyone's home I must make Pranam or Namaste. This tradition is taught in almost every family in India. Even in schools we learn to make Pranam to our teachers. As a matter of fact in India; people greet their elders, saints, teachers with Pranam. It is a show of respect which is usually taken as an integral part of "Darshana"( Sanskrit term, meaning Sight or Vision). Pranama is one of the most effective and important traditions in Indian culture.
Different Forms Of Pranamas
There are basically six forms of Pranams. Let us mention all of them for your knowledge.
• Ashtangana: It is an act of touching the ground with knees, belly, chest, hands, elbows, chin, nose, temple.
• Shastanga: This act is something where you touch the ground with toes, knees, hands, chin, nose.
• Panchanga: The act where you touch the ground with knees, hands, chin, nose is called as Panchanga
. • Dandavata: Bowing forehead down and touching the ground is termed as Dandavata.
• Namaskar/ Namaste: This is an act of folding hands and touching the forehead.
• Abhinandan: bending forward with folded hands touching the chest is called as Abhinandan.
A Short Story On Pranama To Understand Its Real Sense:
A Sadhu( saint) visited a village and made a home out of the village under a banyan tree. He was a real Sadhaka( someone who practice a particular form of Sadhana or a way of life designed to realize the goal of one's ultimate ideal or diety). The villagers came to the Sadhu daily to pay respect and contribute pranamas and other offerings. Out of them, there was a person who used to visit Sadhu, listen to his words carefully, contribute whatever he could, but he never did pranam to the sadhu. This was the reason of Sadhu's dissatisfaction. Actually the other person was also a Sadhaka on his own advance way. he came to know that the Sadhu was unhappy and hurted by him; so hye brought a coconut along with him and kept it beside the Sadhu., then he called the gathering and infront of all he prostrated the coconut. Soon after this, the coconut broke into many tiny pieces. This confirms that the reason behind his not making pranam was not disrespect, rather it would be dangerous to the Sadhu. This is really an amazing story for you guys for sure. So, this story shows that one should not expect and accept Pranams in fornt of all persons- it is wrong and could be dangerous
Positive Facts On Namaste/ Namaskara:
As discussed earlier, Namaskar is a form of Pranama where we greet others by folding our hands and touching the forehead.
• It is a clean and divine act that ensures self protection and avoids contaginous diseases, energy loss due to frequent shaking of hands.
• Moreover, it also avoid contact with minds and hands that might have been imprinted with impure thoughts and acts.
• Another important significance of Namaskara; is that it generates oneness of Atma in both of us
Anjali Mudra/ Pranamasana:
Anjali Mudra9 Anjali is sanskrit term meaning salutaion or offerings and Mudra means Sign or Seal) So the phrase is thus " Salutation Sign". This gesture is also known as Hrudayanjali mudra meaning "Reverence to the heart seal" and Atmanjali Mudra meaning " Reverence to the self seal". Anjali Mudra has the same meaning as the Namaste and can be performed while saying Pranam or Namaskar. it is an act performed by pressing the palm opf the hands together. The fingers are together with finger tips pointing up. The hands are pressed together firmly and evenly.The physical benefit of this Mudra is that, it helps to lessen mental stress and anxiety.
Conclusion to Pranam:
So, now that we are aware of the meaning and importance of Pranama, there is no wrong in greeting a Pranama to the whole world and at first to our Motherland. It has really got a deeper meaning and satisfaction than a mere "Hello" or " Hi". Pranama..!!

Indian Traditional Fashion

India is all about tradition and culture. When we talk about Indian tradition, Indian traditional outfits puts a lot of fragrance to the Indian culture and tradition. Indian traditional fashion is just outstanding. A "he" or a "she" would surely love to be with Indian traditional outfits, oce he/she come to kow about the vast Indian traditioal fashion.
In fashion comes first is the clothing. In India clothing varies from regio to region. Let us discuss about various Indian dresses which would help you shop some awesome piece of outfits from India.
WOMEN'S CLOTHING IN INDIA:
Indian women love to be designed from top to bottom and what adds glamour to their beauty is their clothing. Here below we will discuss about various kids of women's outfits in India.
Saree: It is the most famous outfit geerally among the Indian married women; which is a strip of unstitched cloth ranging from 4-9 mts & is draped over the body in various styles. Sambalpuri sarees( From East India), Kanchipuram sarees( from south India), Paithani sarees( From west India) & Banarasi sarees( From north India) are various traditional types of sarees wore by Indian ladies.
Salwar Kameez: It is a traditional wear of women from Punjab, Haryanna, Kashmir, HP which has gained its popularity all over India now. Loose trouser( the Salwar), narrow at ankles, Tunic top(Kameez) & Dupatta/Odani(Veil) form the Salwar kameez set.
Churidar Kurta: It is a version of Salwar Kameez which is loose up to knees & then fits the calf below. Churidaar fits below the knees with horizontal gathers near the ankles. Usually a long kurta which goes below the knees is worn with the churidar.
Ghagra Choli: It is a traditional clothing of Rajasthani & Gujrati women. It is a combination of Lehnga( a form of long skirt), a thigh choli( A blouse shell garmet) and a Odhani.
Jwellery For The Beauty Of Women:
Jwellery holds supreme importance in Indian history & even today. Jwellery form an integral part of women's lifestyle.
Commendable designs, precious stones and metal and skillful craftmanship of Indian designers have given existance to the new line of Indian fashion jwellery which is elegant & keeps you distinguished.
List Of Indian Jwelleries:
* Tikka/Matha Patti: Tikkas are a traditional form of Indian jwellery that is worn from the part of hair to the center of forehead, somewhat like a hanging bindi.
* Necklace: These are designed beautifully for a woman's neck. These kind of jwellery is of much interest among Indian woman. These are also called Neckchain. *Arm Bracelet: These are otherwise called " baju bandh" made for the arms.
* Ear rings: Also called as Jhumkas, these are a pair of jwellery made for ear of a woman.
* Nose ringrs/ toe rings: Like ear rings. in Idia wome love to wear nose rings. And as a matter of fact hindu married women wear toe rings.
* Belly chain: These are also a kind of jwellery which are occasionally wore on belley like belts; but have got a traditional look.
* Bindis/ Tatoos: Bindis form the ultimate part of fashion interest in India women.
* Bangles/ Bracelets: Bangles & Bracelets are common jwellery in Indian women. Indian craftsmen make colored lac bangles, coloured Jhumka bangles, Zircon bangles, Gold/ Silver bangles, Wooden/ metal/ plastic bangles etc for the wrists. All these fabulous bangles add glamour to your outfit.
* Anklets/ Payal: These are a kind of jwellery wore by Indian women in their ankles.They are beautifully designed usually made of pure silver & embedded with zircons & beads. This is a perfect gift for a someone special.
MEN'S CLOTHING IN INDIA:'
After women's wearing, here we come with Men's wearig.
Dhoti: It is a 6 ft long white strip of cotton & is a traditional attire of Indian villagers mainly. Men usually wear a shirt or banyan over dhoti. It is for sure, you must have seen many people in India with such attire.
Lungi: Lungi is a traditional garment of India which are usually of two kinds: Open lungi which is a plain sheet of cotton or silk; & Stitched Lugi which has both of its open ends stitched together to form a tube like structure.
Sherwani: It is a long coat-boss jacket fastened with buttons. These are generally worn in weddings & other functions. A Sherwani is worn with tight fitting pants called churidars.
Conclusion: Now visit India & shop different kinds of Indian clothings. You will look really nice in your Facebook profile picture with Indian traditional outfits.

"Karva Chauth: The Festival For Long Life Of Husband...!!

" Every married woman wish for long life of her husband & children. It remains the first dream of a married woman in India; to keep her family & home safe. "Karva Chauth" is a festival observed by Indian Hindu married women for long & blissful life of their husband. Any married woman observing the vrat or fast is termed as "Sauvagyavati" or" Joyous state of wifehood."
Terminology:
The term "Karva" is an earthern pot with a spout- a symbol of peace & prosperity that is required for the rituals. It is otherwise called Diya. "Chauth" means the "Fourth day". hence the name Karva Chauth.
Period Of Karva Chauth: This festival comes 9 days before Diwali on "Kartik ki chauth", i.e. fourth day of the new moon immediately after Dusshera, in the month of Kartik(October-November).
The Ritual & Fast Of Karva Chauth:
On this day, the married women keep fast or vrat, praying for the welfare & long life of their husband. They eat food early in the morning before the sunrise. They are not supposed to eat or even drink water till they break their fast after the moonrise. They listen to Karva Chauth katha & worship moon when it appears.
The Custom:
The married women dress up with beautiful sarees, Langha cholis etc, wear ornaments & decorate their hands with Heena or mehndi and move to a temple or a place where the pooja has been arranged. One must not forget, wife do expect for surprise gifts from their husbands :)
The Puja Process:
In the evening, the married women gathefr at the pooja place. Goddess Parvati's idol os kept in the pooja place. Each woman decorate her Pooja thali with flowers & eartern lamp in it and listen to Karva chauth katha. Sindoor, incense sticks & rice are also kept in the thali.
Once the moon rises, the women view its reflection in a thali of water or through shieve or a dupatta. They then offer water to the moon & seek blessings and pray for long life & prosperity of their husbands. This marks the end of the day's long fast.
Some Traditional Tales Associated With karva Chauth:
1. The Story Of Veervati:
Veervati was a beautiful queen with seven brothers. She observed her first karva chauth at her parent's home & her brothers could not see her staying hungry for the fast. So they played a trick & kept a mirror on the peepla tree which looked as if moon rise. Veervati saw that & broke her fast. Soon she got to know her husband is dead. She cried with pain until a Goddess came & say her abouth her brothers' doing. Veervati repeated the fast & got back her husband.
once moe in another karva Chaut day, she was fooled by her brother & broke the vrat. her husband was dead. She cried & worshipped Goddess parvati who appeared and instructed her to keep the complete fast next time. parvati cut her little finger & gave few drops of her holy blood, which Veervati sprinkled on her husband & she got him back.
2. The Legend Of Karva:
Karva was a legend who was a Pativrata(Dedicated wife0. while bathing at a river, her husband was caught by a crocdile. Karva bound the crocodile with a cotton Yarn and asked yama(God Of death) to give back her husband's life, else she would curse him. Yama gave back the life of her husband. To this day, Karva chauth is celebrated with great belief.
3. The Story Of Satyavan & Savitri:
Savitri was a pativrata & wife of Satyavan. In a jungle, Satyavan was lying dead, when savitri asked for her his life from Yama. Infront of the strong dedication of Savitri, Yama lost, 7 agreed to retun back Satyavan's life.

Mahaparikrama Of Char Dhams: The Four Abodes Across India...!!

Char Dhams are the sacred temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu or his avtars( incarnations). Badrinath, Rameshwaram, Dwarka & Puri are the four abodes. Since the four abodes are spread across the country in North, South, West & East; so the Char dham Tirthyatra is known as Mahaparikrama.
Chota Char Dham:
Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri & Yamunotri located at the foot hills of Himalayas; together are called as Chota Char Dham; where Chota means Small. These four are called as four abodes of Himalayas.
Role Of Adi Sankaracharya In Char Dham:
Adi Sankaracharya, a saint, reformer & philosopher of 9th century AD, played an important role in establishment of the char dham in Bharat( India). He established Badrinath in North, Rameshwaram in South, Dwarka in West & Puri in East and thus set a classic example of cultural & national unity of Bharat.
Badrinath:
Badrinath is situated in the North Indian state of uttarakhand; on the banks of Alkananda river in Himalayas. "Badri" refers to a berry that grows abundantly in the area & "Nath" refers to lord Vishnu. It is believed that a black stone image of lord Badrinarayan was discovered by Adi Sankaracharya in Alkananda river; which he cherished as sacred in a hot spring called TaptaKund. This was later moved to the present temple by the King of Garhwal.
Rameshwaram:
Rameshwaram is a town in South India, in tamil Nadu; where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the Rameshwaram temple as Sri Ramanatha Swamy. it was so named because here, Shiva-ling was worshipped by Lord Rama on his way to Lanka. It is considered as one of the twelve jyotir lingas of India. The marvellous Hindu architechture is seen in Rameshwaram. The temple comprises of forty wells, where the taste of each well differs from other.
Dwarka:
Dwarka located in the Western part of India was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is one of the seven most ancient cities in India. the city nderives its name from the word "Dwar" that means door. it is located close to where the river Gomti merges into the Gulf of Kutch. The temple has five storey tower which was built by Sambha, who is the grandson of Lord krishna. there are two gateways namely, Swarga Dwar for entry & Moksha Dwar for exit.
Jagannath Puri:
Puri, otherwise called the Jagannath Dham is located in the East India in the state of Odisha. It is situated on the coast of Bay of Bengal. Here, Lord Krishna is celebrated as Lord Jagannatha. The name Jagannath( Lord of the Universe) is a combination of two sanskrit words; "Jagat" means Universe & "Nath" means Lord. It is about 100o years old & constructed by raja ChodaGanga Deva & raja Tritiya Anaga Bima Deva. Here, Godess Subhadra is worshipped along with her brothers Jagannath & Balabhadra. It is one of the magnificient monuments of India that depicts rich sculptures & fine temple architechture.
Significance Of Chardham Yatra:
It is believed in Hindu relgion that a journey to these four abodes will wash away all of your sins. It is regarded as to be a journey of self realisation where one acknowledges his deeds, seeks blessings of God & lastly returns with a peaceful mind. So, every Hindu must go for a Chardham Mahaparikrama in his lifetime.