PANCH KEDAR YATRA WITH BADRINATH

Overview: The Panch Kedar refers to five places of the Shaivite or the five Hindu Holy Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. These five temples of Lord Shiva are located in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. The Panch Kedar has 5 temples of Lord Shiva namely Kedarnath, Rudranath, Madmaheshwar, Kalpeshwar and Tungnath. Out of all the temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, the cluster of five shrines of Shiva is the most revered. They are known as Panch Kedar. According to Mahabharata, when Pandavas were searching for Lord Shiva, he turned himself into a bull to avoid detection. However, when Bheema tried to capture the bull, it disappeared and later reappeared in body parts at five locations, presently known as Panch Kedar.The hump reappeared at Kedarnath, the arms appeared in Tungnath, the navel appeared in Madhyamaheshwar, the face showed up at Rudranath and the hair and head appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavs built temples at these five places for worshiping Shiva.Many devotees of Lord Shiva take part in Panch Kedar Yatra to all the five Shiva temples mentioned above. Kedarnath temple is also a part of the Chota Char Dham circuit.  Panch Kedar trek is also popular among younger people who like the thrill of trekking to the holy places perched in the mountains.

Panch kedar itinerary Highlights

Delhi – Haridwar – Guptkashi – Kedarnath – Madmaheshwar – Chopta – Tungnath – Rudranath – Kalpeshwar – Josimath – Badrinath.

ITINERARY:-

 DAY 01 Arrival Delhi

On arrival at Delhi airport after clearance of customs and immigration, meet your representative, transfer to hotel. Evening visit Aksardham Temple. ‘Akshardham’ means the

divine abode of God. It is hailed as an eternal place of devotion, purity and peace. Swaminarayan Akshardham at New Delhi is a Mandir – an abode of God, a Hindu house of worship, and a spiritual and cultural campus dedicated to devotion, learning and harmony. Timeless Hindu spiritual messages, vibrant devotional traditions and ancient architecture all are echoed in its art and architecture. The mandir is a humble tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781- 1830), the avatars, devas and great sages of Hinduism. The traditionally-styled complex was inaugurated on 6 November 2005 with the blessings of HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj and through the devoted efforts of skilled artisans and volunteers. Dinner will be at Aksardham Temple. After dinner you will proceed to your hotel. Overnight stay will be at Delhi Hotel.

DAY 02 DELHI – HARIDWAR (215 KMS 5 HRS.)

After breakfast check out from the hotel and start journey to Haridwar. Haidwar: The largest of several sacred ghats (bathing steps), Har Ki Pauri hosts a nightly Ganga Aarti (river-worshipping ceremony) in which tiny flickering lamps are floated off the steps. Evening visit Har Ki Pauri and Ganga Aarti. Overnight stay at Haridwar. (Meals: Breakfast & Dinner)

DAY 03 HARIDWAR – GUPTKASHI  

After breakfast checkout from the hotel and drive to straight to Guptkashi. On arrival Check In to hotel, overnight stay in Guptkashi.

DAY 04 GUPTKASHI – KEDARNATH

Early morning with pack breakfast check – out from the hotel and drive to Gaurikund. Start your trek from Gaurikund. Gaurikund to Kedarnath ji distance is 18 kms to each side (3583mts). You can also opt to ride on a pony/helicopter to cover this distance. On arrival in Kedarnath, proceed to hotel, after some rest then perform your pooja & darshan after darshan check into the hotel/camp and overnight stay. Dinner and Overnight stay will be in kedarnath. Don’t forget to visit Bhairav Temple for its prominence and amazing view of the Kedarnath Valley.

Note: (Accommodation on quad or six per room and very basic accommodation)

DAY 05 KEDARNATH – GUPTKASHI

Early morning perform pooja and darsan you will proceed to Gaurikund. On arrival we will visit Triyuginarayan Temple the ancient temple is dedicated to God Vishnu. Its fame us credited to the legend of God Shiva’s marriage of Goddess Parvati witnessed by Vishnu at this venue. Then

drive to Guptkashi. On arrival at Guptkashi Check-in into the hotel. Day free for leisure. Dinner and Overnight stay will be at Guptkashi.

DAY 06 GUPTKASHI – RANSI VILLAGE

After breakfast check – out from the hotel. Then start your journey again and drive to Ransi Village to relax for the remaining part of the evening. Ransi village is the starting point of the trek to Madhmaheshwar. Dinner and Overnight stay will be at Ransi Village.

DAY 07 RANSI VILLAGE – NANU

After breakfast check – out from the hotel. A newly made road leads to some 1km beyond Ransi Village. We drive to that point and start the trek. The route is fairly easy all the way to Gaundar, a small settlement near the river with a few good lodges and guest houses. Watch out for a beautiful waterfall right before reaching Gaundar. The route  from Gaundar onwards is steep and will require some effort. We hike all the way to Nanu. Overnight stay will be at Nanu.

DAY 08 NANU – MADHMAHESWAR  

Early morning start your trek to Madhmaheshwar. Madmaheshwar Temple (Rudraprayag), One of the 5 Kedars dedicated to Lord Shiva. Start early morning to cover 2hr trek and reach Madhmaheshwar on time. After Darshan, spend the remaining time around the temple premises. After lunch head to Budha Madhmaheshwar (1.5km) from the temple. The view of Chaukhamba peaks is unlike anything else from here. Dinner at Madmaheshwar and Overnight stay at Tents/Homestay in Madhmaheshwar.

DAY 09 MADHMAHESHWAR – CHOPTA

After visiting the morning aarti and having breakfast, trek down to Ransi Village (18kms)  and drive to Chopta. It is roughly 2 hours drive. Dinner at Chopta and overnight stay Chopta

DAY 10 CHOPTA – TUNGNATH – CHOPTA

After breakfast start your trek to Tugnath Temple & beyond to Chandrashila. Located at 3780mts above sea level, Tungnath Temple is the highest temple of Lord Shiva in the world. After reaching the Temple take some blessing from God and trek back to Chopta. Dinner and overnight stay will be at Chopta.

DAY 11 CHOPTA – SAGAR VILLAGE – PANAR BUGYAL

After brekfast check – out from the hotel and drive to Sagar village. On arrival Sagar village start your trek to Panar Bugyal which is almost 12 km and the toughest part of the trek as there is a long steep climb through dense forest. Panar Bugyal is a gorgeous expanse of a meadow overlooking the Garhwal Himalayas. Dinner and overnight stay will be at Panar Bugyal.  

DAY 12 PANAR BUGYAL – RUDRANATH (Alt 3500 M) – PANAR BUGYAL

Start early in the morning for Rudranath (3500mts) as the trek involves a climb to Pitradhar (highest point of the trek). The route further passes through Panch Ganga and thereon to Rudranath Temple. After reaching the temple take some blessings from Lord Shiva and enjoy the environment and surroundings of the temple and return to PanarBugyal. Dinner and overnight stay in PanarBugyal.

DAY 13 PANAR BUGYAL – KALPESHWAR TEMPLE – JOSIMATH

After breakfast, trek down to Saggar Village and drive to Josimath via Gopeshwar and Helang. On the way we will visit Kalpeshwar Temple (2100mts) is almost on-road and the only one amongst the Panch Kedar which remains open throughout the year. After darsan and pooja we will drive to Josimath. On arrival at Josimath check – in to hotel. Dinner and Overnight stay will be at Josimath.

DAY 14 JOSIMATH – BADRINATH – JOSIMATH

After an early breakfast, proceed to Badrinath by road (50 kms/1.5 hours). Badrinath’s ease of accessibility makes it the most popular of the four dhams. Upon reaching Badrinath, visit the temple of Lord Vishnu. After your visit, proceed back to Joshimath (50 kms/1.5 hours). Here, you’ll be served lunch and dinner during your overnight stay. Badrinath, a holy town in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, is the most accessible and thus the most popular of the Char Dhams. The Badrinath temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The town itself lies between Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak.

 DAY 15 JOSHIMATH – HARIDWAR

After an early breakfast, proceed to Haridwar (280kms/8 hours). Upon reaching Haridwar, you’ll be served dinner and will stay overnight in the hotel.

Haridwar or ‘hari-dwar’ literally means Gateway to God in Hindi. The ancient Indian mythology refers to Haridwar as Gangadwar, Kapilsthan and Mayapuri. Haridwar opens the door to the Char Dham. One of the oldest beliefs states that anyone taking a dip in the holy river Ganga here can achieve salvation. Haridwar is a treasury of various temples and religious places of interest.

DAY 16 HARIDWAR – DELHI

After breakfast check – out from the hotel and drive to Delhi. On arrival at Delhi, transfer to Hotel. Evening free for shopping. Dinner and overnight stay will be at hotel.

DAY 17 DEPARTURE

Enjoy breakfast and checkout from the hotel. Now you will be transferred to Delhi airport to Board your flight for journey back home

Package Includes:

• Accommodation in 3 Star 4 Star hotel in standard room on twin / double / triple sharing basis (3* hotel wherever available, else best available (Guest House / Tents) option will be provided. Triple room will have mattresses for Third person)
• Daily Breakfast & Dinner
• Bottle of Water per person per day during vehicle journey
• Services of Tour Manager
• All transfers by Private A/c Vehicle Basis

 Package Does Not Include:

• Visa fee
• Travel insurance
• Lunches
• Expenses of personal nature like laundry, telephone bills, drinks, laundry etc.
• Expenses of personal nature like laundry, telephone bills, drinks, laundry etc.
• Pony / Doly / Porter during Trekking
• Helicopter Tickests
• Tips and Porterages
• Any items not mentioned
• Any entrance fees / Monument charges
• Expenses caused by factors beyond our control like rail and flight delays, roadblocks, vehicle mal-functions, political disturbances, weather conditions etc
• Single Room supplement