Tirth Yatra GuideThe four Char Dham
Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram: four shrines in four directions.
The Char Dham, "four abodes", are four temples at the four corners of India that the tradition links with the sage Adi Shankaracharya, who set up his monasteries (maths) in the four directions. A pilgrim who visits all four is said to have gone round the whole country in worship. They are not the same as the Chota Char Dham of the Himalaya (see below), though Badrinath belongs to both.
| Dham | Where | Direction | Deity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badrinath | Chamoli district, Uttarakhand | North | Vishnu as Badrinarayan | The temple stands on the bank of the Alaknanda in the Himalaya. It is one of the four Char Dham and of the Chota Char Dham. |
| Dwarka | Devbhumi Dwarka district, Gujarat | West | Krishna as Dwarkadhish | The city is said to have been the capital of Krishna after he left Mathura. It is also one of the Sapta Puri. |
| Puri | Puri district, Odisha | East | Vishnu as Jagannath | The temple is famous for its Rath Yatra, when the three deities are taken out in huge chariots, and for its Mahaprasad. |
| Rameswaram | Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu | South | Shiva as Ramanathaswamy | It is also a jyotirlinga, and the place from which Rama is said to have built the bridge to Lanka. |
Order of the visit
Traditionally the journey starts at Rameswaram in the south and goes round the country clockwise to Dwarka, Badrinath and Puri, or starts at Puri and goes round; there are different views. Because the seasons differ, with Badrinath open only from spring to autumn, plan around the open season of the Himalayan shrine.
Temple rules, opening seasons, booking arrangements and routes change. Before you travel, check the official website of the temple or the state tourism board, and be careful of anyone who asks for money to book darshan or a stay by phone or message. We do not sell tours or packages. Information on this page was last checked in November 2026.