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Garhwal and Char Dham

Pilgrims go to the four holy places—Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, which are called “Char Dhama.” Char Dhama means four Ksetras or shrines. They are in the Garhwal region of Uttar Pradesh. This area is called “Dev Bhoomi” or “Uttara­khand.” In the Vedas they are known as Kedarkhand.

In Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, “Out of all immovable things, I am the greatest mountains in the world, the Himalayas.” Lord Siva resides in the Himalayas at Mt Kailash, and his wife, Parvati, is known as Himavati, the daughter of the Himalayas.

The Himalayan range extends west to east in an arc shape, stretching from Pakistan, through northern India to Nepal. The length of the northern mountain wall, from west to east is approximately 5,000km. The western wing is 1,500km, the eastern Himalayas is 1,000km, and the central Himalayas’ arc is 2,500km. The tallest peaks are Mt Everest, (Sagar-­matha) at 8,848m (29,028 feet), Mt Godwin Austin at 8,611m (28,250 feet), and Kanchanjangha, at 8,598m (28,216 feet).


Delhi to Rishikesh 245km
Rishikesh to Hanuman Chatti   209km
Rishikesh to Gangotri 240km
Hanuman Chatti to Gangotri    215km
Gangotri to Gaurikund 334km
Gaurikund to Badrinath 233km
Rishikesh to Gaurikund 209km
Badrinath to Rishikesh 301km

Transportation for Char Dhama
There are a few types of transport you can choose from. You can go by taxi, which is fairly comfortable, but also expensive. Taxis can be arranged with the Nigam Tourist Offices (GMVN), and they can also arrange places to stay. You can also go as part of a tour. Taking a 2 x 2 luxury bus is a good way to travel.

If you are not going on a tour or by taxi, you are stuck with going on the GMOU buses, which have five-across, fairly soft seats. The problem with these buses is that the seats are much too close together, so you almost have no legroom. For a 12 hr bus ride they are extremely uncomfortable.
If you want to take the first bus and guarantee yourself a seat, you must reserve a seat the evening before, regardless of what you are told. Reservations for early morning buses usually start at 5 pm the day before. If you are told to purchase your ticket an hour before the 6.30 am departure, do not believe this for a second. You can be almost totally certain that the bus will be full when you arrive at 5.30 am. Get your ticket the night before.

The bus from Rishikesh to Yamunotri leaves about 6 am and arrives in Hanuman Chatti (220km) about 9 hours later, around 3 pm. To go to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, or Badrinath from Rishikesh you must come at 5 pm the night before to insure yourself a seat on an early morning bus from the Yatra Bus Stand. I would advise you to arrive at 4 pm, as there can be a long queue (lines), and you may not get a seat for the bus if you arrive too late (especially in June).

You can also pay a travel agent in Rishikesh a commission to reserve a seat for you. This could be a good idea, as I was asked for just a Rs 20 commission, which would have saved me two and a half hours of waiting in line. They need a few days to arrange a ticket.

Sharma Travels (30364), Haridwar Rd, has taxis that deliver newspapers to various places in the mountains. They also take passengers.

Organized Tours
The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Office (GMVN) offers 18 different options for tours to the Char Dham locations. Tours depart from Delhi and also the Tourist Rest House in Muni-ki-reti, Rishikesh. Tours can be taken on 3 x 2 buses (which are very uncomfortable), 2 x 2 luxury buses, or taxis. Besides arranging your transportation, these tours also arrange your accommodations, which can be difficult to arrange yourself, as you often arrive late at night when most of the places are full. With the cheaper tours you will get a decent room with a common bath. With the more expensive tours you get a room with an attached bath. If you can tolerate being on a restrictive schedule, this is the most comfortable way to travel.

Tours vary from the 4-day Rishikesh to Badrinath tour (Rs 1200) to the 13 day tour on a 3 x 2 bus that starts in Delhi and goes to the four dhamas, plus a trek to Gaumukh for Rs 3305.

A good tour is the 12-day tour on a 2 x 2 bus, which starts in Rishikesh and goes to the four dhamas. Besides a nicer bus, you also get the best accommodations available in the Tourist Bungalows, which are usually the best places to stay while doing Char Dham.

You can reserve a tour at the GMVN office in Rishikesh (01364/31793; fax 30372), at the Haridwar office (0133/424240) located at the UP Tourism office at Lalta Rao Bridge, and at the UP Tourism Office (011-332-6620; fax 011-371-1296) in the Chandralok Building, 36 Janpath, Delhi.

At the GMVN office in Rishikesh you can also reserve rooms for the Tourist Bungalows that they manage. You should reserve a room at least a week in advance.

Exchanging Money
When you head north from Rishikesh there is not much facility to change foreign currency. There are money changing facilities at the bank in Joshimath, on the way to Badrinath. Most of the other banks on the Char Dham route do not change money. There is little facility to change money on the street. If you can find someone to do it, you will most likely be offered less than the bank rate. It is important to bring enough rupees for your entire tour. You should also take into consideration that hotels and food are often 50% more than other places in India.

Guides
If you want to do trekking in the mountains, it is a good idea to get a guide. There is a Nepali gentleman named Lambu, who lives at Hanuman Chatti, the village on the way to Yamunotri, who I have been told is a good guide. If you want to go to Sapta Rishi Kund from Yamunotri, it is best to get a guide. I have been told that at one of the tea stalls at Gaumukh you can get a guide who can take you over the glacier to Badrinath (6 days).
How Long Char Dham Takes

As the crow flies, the four shrines are about 100km from each other. But as the mountains are impassable, you will have to travel 1,500km to visit these four places—beginning and ending at Haridwar. You will have to walk about 60km. If you go to Gaumukh, you have to walk another 40km. Before starting, you are first supposed to wash all your sins away by bathing in the holy Ganges at Hari-ki-Pairi in Haridwar. It is then customary to first go to Yamunotri and then in order to Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
The entire trip will take 10 to 15 days, depending on the weather and how fast you want to travel. Sometimes the road can be blocked because of an avalanche. You have to move at a quick pace to complete the trip in 10 days, spending 6½ days on a bus.

What to Bring
It is best to bring good walking shoes with you: boots or sneakers (trainers). If you are going to Gaumukh, you may have to walk through snow. It is cold at night even in the summer, so you need warm clothing. It is advisable to bring a warm sleeping bag, as the hotel facilities are not always so good. It can start raining at any time, so it is a good idea to have a rain jacket with you during the walks to Kedarnath and Yamunotri.

In June, which is the hottest time of the year, a warm sweater is sufficient, even at night. During early May and October it is much colder than in June.

Where to Stay and Eat
Along the Char Dham route there is no shortage of places to stay, but many of them lack modern amenities. For what you get, the accommodations along the Char Dham Yatra are the worst values in all of India. Except for the tourist bungalows, it is difficult to find a clean place. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), a UP government undertaking known as the Nigam, runs good tourist bungalows and lodges. They are by far the best places to stay, but should be booked at least a week in advance (especially in June) at their offices in Rishikesh or Delhi. Unless you are taking one of their tours, it may be difficult to get a room in one of the tourist bungalows.
Food in the mountains is more expensive than normal, because transportation is expensive. Badrinath has a few decent places to eat, but for the most part all the places are really basic.
You can usually get bottled water along the route. In Hanuman Chatti, on the way to Yamunotri, it may not be possible to get bottled water.

Best Times To Go
The temples open the last week of April or the first week of May and usually close the second week of November because of severe weather. The opening day is called Akhand Jyoti Darshan. May and June is the peak season, and next is September and October. September is right after the rainy season has ended and the area is green and beautiful. More people do Char Dham Yatra in June, which makes the buses and accommodations more crowded.

All the mountain places are fairly cold at night, even in the summer. During the summer (late May/June) it is fairly warm during the day. Rishikesh is hot at night in the summer, but it can be cold in the winter.

The rainy season goes from the last week in June to the beginning of September. During this period it can start raining at any time. During October the sky is clear, but it can be cold. As far as the weather is concerned, the middle of June and the end of September are the best times to go.

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