Char Dham Yatra has been one of the most iconic and famous pilgrimages in India. It is a dream for many to go on this soul-searching journey through the Garhwal hills of the Himalayas to the holy places of worship that make up this pilgrimage which is Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Every year, hordes of pilgrims from the deepest corners of India and across the globe head over to these spiritual centers on the lap of the scenic Himalayas.
Why Do People Go For Char Dham Yatra?
The pilgrimage was established during the 8th century by the great sage, seer, philosopher, and propagator of Advait Vedant, Adi Shankaracharya. He was a defining personality in the establishment of Hinduism across the subcontinent and he did so by traveling to different parts of the country and debating his way through. The main motive behind the establishment of these holy Maths and temples was reigniting the feeling of Hinduism and devotion to the faith among the Hindus in India which was shaken greatly by numerous invasions by outside forces who wanted to completely wipe out the religion.
Adi Shankara made his way from Kerala to Uttarakhand and established these holy pilgrimages which had a lot of history and legends associated with them. This was done to remind Indians and Hindus of their rich cultural and traditional heritage. Ever since then, these temples remain a very strong foundation on which the beliefs and culture of Hindus were later on defined and carved out.
Being one of the most important places of worship, many people from all walks of life make it a point to visit the holy Char Dham temples. Recently many famous personalities like actors and high-end politicians have made their way to the Char Dham Yatra. Here are some popular personalities who have visited Char Dham:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Kedarnath Dham and other Char Dham temples rose to popularity when the honorable prime minister of India, Narendra Modi had graced the temple with his visit prior to the declaration of election results which gave him another term of serving India as the prime minister. He had also made the visit to the holy temple of Lord Shiva with the aim of also opening up the Rudra Cave which is located about 1 km uphill from the temple. After that visit, the popularity of Kedarnath and the list of people looking to stay at the cave skyrocketed and continue to be one of the most famous temples in India.
Sushant Singh Rajput
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput was always spiritually bent. He was a massive devotee of Lord Shiva and used to sing hymns in his praise which was clear through his social media posts. It is understandable that once he was offered the movie Kedarnath, he took it up at once without hesitation. He not only researched intently for his role in the movie, but he also spent a lot of time in and around the Kedarnath temple complex. He was even seen spending time on top of the mountain rock that had stopped the floodwater from demolishing the temple completely.
Sara Ali Khan
Sara Ali Khan, daughter of Saif Ali Khan, is known for being very religious and spiritual. Being the female lead in Kedarnath she was also a part of the crew who stayed and spent a lot of time around the temple complex. During that time, the Rudra Cave was not functioning but both the stars did not hesitate in spending ample amounts there to get into the spiritual vibe of the place. She posted several pictures of herself with the cast and crew of Kedarnath and also said how much she appreciated that place for its spiritual vibe and peaceful Aura.
Janhvi Kapoor
Recently Janhvi Kapoor, daughter of late movie icon Sridevi, made her way to the Char Dham Yatra. She was accompanied by Sara Ali Khan, who had already been there on several occasions. The actress posted pictures of herself and her companion actress from outside the temple premises looking happy and content. Janhvi Kapoor had risen to fame with her debut movie Dhadak which was also the debut movie of Ishaan Khatter. She was seen in Kedarnath taking pictures and completely engulfed in the Holy Spirit.
Samantha Akkineni
Family man 2 was all about action-packed scenes, Manoj Bajpai and the menacing guerilla soldier, Raji which was played by the South Indian stunner, Samantha Akkineni. Recently she went to the Char Dham Yatra with her best friend through one of the many Chardham Yatra by Helicopter. She posted pictures from different spots at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. She recently made headlines for divorcing Naga Chaitanya, son of the great South Indian Superstar Nagarjuna, after 4 years of married life.
Bachchan Family with Amar Singh
In the year 2008, the Bachchan family, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had made a trip to the holy 4 Dham temples of Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand. This was after the grand wedding of the 2 actors had taken place. Accompanying them was the very close friend and confidant of the Bachchans and the iconic political figure, Amar Singh. Amar Singh passed away in August 2020 following kidney failure. All the 4 Dham temples were lit and beautifully decorated to welcome the Bollywood family.
Sonia Gandhi with Priyanka Gandhi
The 2013 floods had an irreversible impact on the environment and life of the people involved in it. Thousands lost their lives and thousands of others went missing, never to be found. To speculate the damage done and show their support to the locals, congress party head Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi made their way to the site of the flooding. In order to assess the situation, several politicians had headed down to the flooding site and offered their help to the people who needed it the most.
Mukesh Ambani
The Ambanis are regular visitors of Char Dham Uttarakhand which is clear with the fact that they are in the Badri Kedar temple committee with their son Akash Ambani as one of their members. The billionaire industrialist and the owner of reliance is a very spiritual and religious individual that helps in keeping himself deeply rooted and humble. During his visit, not only did he offer his prayer, he even donated 2 crore rupees to the Badri Kedar temple committee so that they are able to buy sandalwood and saffron.
This goes on to show the glory and serenity the Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand has to offer to everyone and anyone who makes their way to this stairway to heaven.
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