The four most holy pilgrimages of Uttrakhand - Traditionally, the yatra is done from the west to the east - starting from Yamunotri, then proceeding to Gangotri and finally to Kedarnath and Badrinath.
Badrinath is considered the holiest of the four important shrines. The shrine is dedicated to Vishnu the preserver and protector of Hindu Divine Trinity.
The Kedarnath shrine,
one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, According to legend, the
Pandavas after having won over the Kaurava in the Kurukshetra war, On
being followed he dived into the ground, leaving his hump on the surface. The
remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places and are
worshipped there as his manifestations. The arms appeared at Tungnath,
Yamunotri is the Source of Yamunotri River and the seat of Godess Yamuna, it is the westernmost shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas, The Yamuna, like the Ganges, has been elavated to the status of a divine mother for the Hindus and has been held responsible for nurturing and developing the Indian civilization.
The Shrine of Gangotri situated at an elevation of 3200 m above sea level amidst captivating surroundings along the right bank of Bhagirathi is 99 km from Uttarkashi. The temples opening is preceded by a special Puja of Ganga maa both inside the temple as well as on the river bank.
