IMPORTANCE OF CHAR DHAMS

Why the religious significance of the pilgrimage to the four dhams?

Just as Hindu culture has four Vedas, four Varnas, four directions, in the same way there are four Dhams. Jagannath Puri in the east, Dwarka Puri in the west, Rameshwaram in the south and Badrinath Dham in the north are established in the holy land of India. Jagannath Puri is considered by many Vaishnava saints to be a supernatural pilgrimage destination, here Mahaprabhu Shri Krishna
Spent few days of his life. It is believed that people of all religions sit together and eat food in Jagannath Puri, which increases the virtue of those who do pilgrimage. The literal meaning of Jagannath is the Nath of the world i.e. Lord Vishnu. The main idol in the Jagannath temple is that of Vishnu Krishna. Along with this the idols of Balarama and Subhadra are also revered. These idols are made of sandalwood. It is said that in the main idol, Lord Brahma himself provided the eyes and consecrated Lord Vishnu. There is said to be a bone box inside the idol, which is replaced every 12th year and enshrined in a new idol. It is said that these bone-relics belong to Lord Krishna. There are five shrines in Jagannath Puri namely Markandeya, Chandan, Parvati Talab, Shvetganga and Indradyumna.

Bhuvan is famous for the glory of the Mahaprasad of Shri Jagannathji. There is a law to take it even on the day of fasting without any untouchability. This God-feeling is not food or matter, but is a conscious element.

Dwarka is a place of mythological, historical and religious importance. It is said that after leaving Mathura, Lord Krishna came to Dwarka with his brother Balarama and Yadavas and made his new capital. In the eighth century, Adi Shankaracharya established Dwarkapeeth here for the propagation of Sanatan Dharma. Since then this city is counted among the four Dhams of India. The Harigriha of Dwarkadhish temple was built by Aniruddha's son Vajranath in the memory of his Baba Krishna. An idol of Lord Krishna is enshrined in the Harigriha of the temple. The Dwarkapeeth Math is said to have great religious significance here, as it is one of the Char Dhams of Hindus. Here the temple of Rukmini, the wife of Krishna, is a wonderful specimen of architecture.

It is written in the Skanda Purana Prabhaskhand that by the influence of Dwarka, all the sinners lying in the species like insects, moths, animals, birds and snakes etc. , what to say about them? The speed attained by all the living beings in Dwarka is rare even for the sages of Urdhvreta. Even after seeing and touching the people of Dwarka, people are free from great sins and live in heaven. The Raja of Dwarka, blown by the wind, has been said to liberate sinners, then what is the matter of Dwarka itself. The homa, chanting, charity and penance that are performed in Dwarka, are all virtuous and inexhaustible in the presence of Lord Krishna.

Regarding Rameshwaram, it is believed that when Lord Sri Ram returned after winning Lanka, he had expressed his gratitude to Shiva here. According to Ramayana, Lord Rama had bathed here and worshiped Shiva before his victory in the war against the demons. Vibhishana, the brother of the demon king Ravana, surrendered to Lord Rama and received his protection at the Kothandarmar temple. The Dhanushkoti temple has idols of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman and Vibhishana. The corridor of the Ramanatha Swamy temple is considered to be the largest among the temples of India. This temple is endowed with exquisite specimens of architecture.

Rameshwar is counted among the twelve Jyotirlingas. It is written in Skandapuran Brahmakhand that Rameshwar is the best in pilgrimages and areas only because of the bridge tied by Lord Shri Ram. The mere sight of that bridge leads to liberation from the ocean of the world and the increase of devotion and virtue in Lord Vishnu and Shiva. His physical, verbal and mental works are also proved, there is no doubt about it. Setubandha is said to be the form of all deities. All the sins of man are destroyed by merely contemplating on Setu, Shri Rameshwar Linga. By sleeping in the sand of the bridge, brahmhatyas are destroyed equal to the sticking sand particles.

Badrinath is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rishiganga and Alaknanda between the Nar and Narayan mountains.

The beauty of Badrinath has been discussed in Mahabharata, Skanda Purana and other Puranas. The main idol in the Badrinath temple is of Lord Vishnu. This sculpture made on Shalagram stone is unmatched in terms of art. According to mythology, this idol was obtained from a pool by Shankaracharya in the seventh century. In front of it is a hot spring on the banks of river Alaknanda. It is called Tapt Kund, in which devotees take a bath and get a very pleasant feeling. Bhima had placed a huge rock in the river for the Pandavas to cross the river, which is known here as Bhima Shila. It is said that Maharishi Vyas composed the Puranas in the Vyas cave here. Outside the cave, a huge rock appears like a book, which is called Vyasa Book. There are also two hot water lakes named Narad Kund and Surya Kund.

It is written in the Mahabharata that in other pilgrimages, by following the swadharma methodically, there is liberation on death, but salvation comes in the hands of a person only by the mere sight of Badrikshetra. Badri is the paramtirtha, the tapovan and the supremely transcendent Brahman. He is the Lord of all living beings, knowing whom sorrow, attachment and worry are immediately erased. If a person keeps on remembering Badri Ashram from anywhere, then that repetition is forbidden to Shri Vaishnav Dham.