During the month of May, several pilgrims flock to the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand. The foothills of the mountain mark the entrance to four sacred temples called as “Char Dham”. The temples signify the birth of the four sacred rivers: the Yamuna, the Ganga, the Mandakani and the Alakanda. It is believed that a visit to Char Dham cleanses one of all sins and redeems him from the cycle of life.

Char Dham is open to the public between the months of May and November. The highest number of pilgrims is seen at months of May and June. It is suggested to not visit Char Dham during the monsoon period between the months of July to September, because during that time the route is made slippery from rain.

Also, there is part of the route to Kedarnath and Yamunotri that requires to be trekked. As only part of the route can be traversed by vehicles where vehicle tracks are present such as for the areas of Gangotri & Badrinath.

Rishikesh, a sacred destination for the Hindus, is also generally visited by several pilgrims on their way to Char Dham Yatra.

The Ram Jhula, Lakshman Jhula and the Triveni Ghat are some of the most important sites that people visit in Rishikesh. The Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula are suspended bridges that connect the banks of the Ganga at two different locations. Triveni Ghat is also a sacred destination, which several pilgrims visit to take a holy dip at River Ganga.

Due to the hallowed nature of Rishikesh, owing to the River Ganga that flows through here, a trip to Char Dham Yatra would be incomplete without a visit to Rishikesh!