Char Dham Highway : Explore the Route to Divinity

Located in the peaceful and picturesque range of the Himalayas are the four peaceful pilgrimage sites Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, which are grouped as Char Dham. In the entire northern region of India, these four pilgrim sites draw the maximum number of tourists every year hence, making these places a hub of devotees. As per the traditions, the pilgrimage begins from the west and ends in the east. In this context, the Char Dham Yatra commences from Yamunotri, followed by Gangotri, and ends in Kedarnath and Badrinath.

To make this pilgrimage journey, a little easy for the devotees, the government of India has proposed the Char Dham project which is a road. But, before we proceed to the details of the Char Dham road project, let’s delve into the significance of these four pilgrimage sites.

All of the four sites are significant to different deities of Hindu Mythology. First, Yamunotri is for Goddess Yamuna who appeared in the form of a river on earth, and the site is nestled in the altitudes of the Rawai Valley. Next is Gangotri which is significant to Goddess Ganga and the site overlooks the River Bhagirathi which is also one of the names of River Ganga. This name came into existence from ancient times when King Bhagirath succeeded in bringing Goddess Ganga in the form of a river, from heaven to Earth. Proceeding further towards the story, Kedarnath is a Jyotirlinga which is also among the Panch Kedar and dedicated to Lord Shiva. Lastly, Badrinath is all about Lord Vishnu located in the town of Uttarakhand. It is believed that Lord Vishu went into meditation there and during that time his wife Goddess Lakshmi took the form of Badri which is a berry to provide him shade.

The route of Char Dham Yatra is usually busy during the summers and at times it becomes a little exhausting to complete the pilgrimage. Hence, with the motive of easy accessibility to these sites and a soulful experience for the tourists, the Char Dham Highway is under construction. And here is all that you need to know about the ongoing Char Dham Pariyojana.

Char Dham Highway Project

Border Road Organization is constructing a two-lane highway which will be helpful for this all-weather road Uttarakhand project which upon completion will connect the four pilgrimage sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. It was in the year 2016, that the foundation of the all-weather road Uttarakhand was laid by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on December 27 at the Parade Ground in Dehradun. He iterated that the objective of this route is to enhance the connectivity of the Char Dham. The Char Dham Yatra Marg will also have multiple tunnels, long bridges, and railway links to avoid mishaps on the accident-prone roads.

About the Char Dham Road Project,

About the Char Dham Road Project,
The length of the highway	719 kilometers
It’s North End	Mana
It’s South End	Rishikesh
Maintenance By	National Highway Authority of India
Discussed Routes	Rishikesh- Yamunotri Rishikesh- Gangotri Rishikesh- Kedarnath Rishikesh- Badrinath

Char Dham Route Map

Char Dham Project — **Pic Source: indiaclimatedialogue.net**

The need for all-weather roads in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is popularly known as Devbhoomi because of the presence of multiple temples and pilgrimage sites. Char Dham Yatra and Hemkund Sahib Yatra are the backbones of Uttarakhand Tourism.
Every year, tons of adventure-loving people and devotees visit Auli Valley, Hemkund Sahib, and Char Dham. But due to natural calamities like landslides, accident-prone areas, and disturbed roads, a lot of people lose their lives.
The project will ensure the safety of people traveling to all the mentioned tourist sites in Uttarakhand.

What are the advantages of Char Dham Road?

To boost the economic status of travel industries in Uttarakhand
Reduction in the number of accidents
The addition of bridges and tunnels will reduce the cost and time of travel
New safety measures and signboards will help in safe driving
To build the trust of pilgrims in the safety of traveling to Char Dham
Construction jobs to support the locals
Strengthening of security around India- China border

Char Dham Highway Project Route

Badrinath Dham:

This holy site is at a height of 3133 meters above the sea and is located near the river Alakhnanda. Badrinath is associated with Lord Vishnu and along with this temple, you can visit Yogadhyan Badri Temple, Tapta Kund, Pandukeshwar, Charan Paduka, Ganesh Cave, Narad Kund, Vyas Cave, Mata Murti Temple, Neelkanth Peak, Satopanth Lake, Mana Village, Sheshnetra, and Brahma Kapal.

Kedarnath Dham:

Kedarnath is nestled along the river Mandakini at a height of 3584 meters above sea level. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and this one portrays him as a fierce light column. In Kedarnath, along with the Jyotirlinga, you can visit Son Prayag, Samadhi, Gandhi Sarovar, Gaurikund, Triyugi Narayan Temple, Kalimath, Chandrapuri, and Vasuki Tal.

Gangotri Dham:

In the serenity of Uttarakashi, is the Gangotri Dham which is at a height of 3200 meters above sea level. It is believed that a dip in the holy water of River Ganga wards off the sins and leads to salvation. You should also check out a few places like Jalmagna Shivalinga, Kedartal, Gangnani, Gaumukh, Bhojbasa, Gangotri Temple, and Bhaironghati when you visit Gangotri Dham.

Yamunotri Dham:

The westernmost pilgrim site in the Garhwal region is Yamunotri and it is believed to be the origin of River Yamuna. While being in the Yamunotri Dham, you can also visit, Saptrishi Kund, Divya Shila, Kharsali, Yamunotri Temple, and HanumanChatti.

The controversy associated with Char Dham Highway Project

In the year 2018, the Char Dham Yatra Route was questioned by an NGO because cutting the trees, altering the hills, and dumping muck could be a potential threat to the ecology of the Himalayas. To examine the arising issues, the Supreme Court formed a high-powered committee under the supervision of the environmentalist, Ravi Chopra.

The concerns related to Char Dham Pariyojna

Some environmentalists questioned the unlimited cutting of trees and alteration of hills in the lieu of damaging the Himalayan ecosystem and also that the all-weather road would lead to more accidents as the area becomes vulnerable to landslides.
Though the government ordered the contractors to work on the slope before proceeding to a new point of construction, it was analyzed that majorly this was not the case. And this leads to a rise in the number of landslides in the region.
Another concern raised was the dumping of muck or debris on the slope despite having assigned dumping sites. When the debris is dumped on each side of the river, it narrows the course and eventually leads to flood.

Latest News about Char Dham Road Project

All 4 Dham list is now going to have an all-weather road by the year 2022. This was notified by the National President of BJP, JP Nadda. The project was commenced in the year 2016 and now the Char Dham Highway status shows that it will be completed by the year 2022. JP Nadda also mentioned that the project will increase the tourism of the state and give it global recognition.

On November 5th, 2021, the Chief Minister of Uttrakhand remarked that the project is under construction and that many construction projects have been undertaken in the state under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.