The tradition
About This Yatra
The Do Dham Yatra — Kedarnath and Badrinath — is the shorter Uttarakhand pilgrimage chosen by families who cannot undertake the full Chota Char Dham including Yamunotri and Gangotri but still wish to bow at the seats of Shiva and Vishnu in the high Garhwal Himalaya. Both open in late April or early May around Akshaya Tritiya and close around Diwali; the yatra is most often undertaken in 6 to 7 days from Haridwar or Dehradun, with helicopter packages compressing it to 2 to 3 days.
Why this route
Spiritual Significance
The Do Dham is held in high regard because it offers darshan of two of the most important Himalayan dhams in a single yatra. Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and the spiritual heart of the Panch Kedar; Badrinath is one of the 108 Vaishnava Divya Desams and the northern dham of Adi Shankaracharya's pan-India Char Dham. To bow at both is to honour Shiva and Vishnu together in their high mountain seats.
