Ancient Trek Route for Char Dham Used By Pandavas to Be Revive

Get ready to try a whole new route to the Char Dhams! The Uttarakhand tourism department is planning to revive a very ancient trek route to the sacred sites – the very one used by Pandavas some 3,000 years ago to reach the Dhams. This new Chardham trek route is also believed to boost the local economy.

The Ancient Route

The new initiative revives the historical pilgrim trail to the Char Dham. Devotees will follow the path walked by sages and ancient travelers across scenic routes and sacred rest points:

• Rishikesh – Bamori – Kathgodam – Bhimtal
• Naini – Bageshwar – Adi Badri – Simli – Karnaprayag
• Badri – Simli – Karnaprayag
• Chamoli – Badrinath

How’s It Progressing?

The revival works for the ancient walkway path of the Char Dham Yatra are being taken up by the tourist department. The purpose of this project is to provide travellers and pilgrims with an experience that the pilgrims of the ancient ages used to have. The project also aims to make the pilgrims get acquainted with the history of the rest over stops or Chattis. This work will be commencing this year from Yamunotri. As per the latest updates, a team will be reaching Yamunotri Dham on the day of its opening.

How It All Began?

In the ancient ages, the Char Dham Yatra was considered to be extremely inconvenient. Due to the lack of transportation facilities the pilgrims used to go on the Char Dham Yatra journey on foot. It used to commence from Mohan Chatti which is located close to Rishikesh. The entire pilgrimage route used to be extremely steep and difficult to complete.
In such a circumstance, the travellers used to stay the night in desolate and secluded places. This also used to be the place where the pilgrims used to meet up and share some stories with each other.
Now, after millennia, a group of 25 people embarked on the Char Dham Yatra taking the ancient route. The group discovered various cave shelters as well as river crossings. They also stumbled upon a number of halting stations, most of which are in a decaying state.

More Exciting Perks for Tourists

All the “Chatti” (aka resting places) that fall along the new route will be opened for the tourists. These Chattis are mentioned in a variety of folklore and visiting here will give the pilgrims a taste of old-time charm. And to give tourists a sense of luxury, these places will be provided with at least a basic level of amenities.
Tourists will also be given the benefit of a myriad of packages, offering Char Dhams tours and a different combination of them.

Help Needed for Digitally Mapping out the Routes

To make a complete GIS reading of the site, the tourism department has announced a prize of INR 100,000 and INR 51,000 for those who will provide quality inputs regarding the elusive trekking route. Good quality photographs, maps, genuine stop-over points, and any other important details are welcome.
The new trek route will help pilgrims open their eyes to a new and exciting adventure-filled route, full of old-world charm. This new path will also take devotees closer to the Mahabharata connection!