Uttaranchal is known as Devbhoomi,
meaning the Land of Gods. The holy land
houses some of the most revered
religious destinations of India. The
Himalaya range in Uttaranchal are said
to be the home of the gods. This land is
very sacred for the Hindus as well as
the Sikhs. Uttaranchal has always been
associated with spirituality, temples,
pilgrimage, holy shrines and mountain
tourism. Uttaranchal is one of the state
in India which has some of the most
important pilgrimage shrines. Temples
are scattered all across the state and
the holy river of Ganges sanctifies
their presence. It is suggested by the
historians that the land and culture of
Uttaranchal was once under the influence
Buddhism, until Adi Shankaracharya
revived Hinduism here in 8th century AD.
The idol of Badrinath is said to be
derived from the Narad Kund by Adi
Shankaracharya.
The whole land of Uttaranchal is always
alive and vibrates with the music of
chiming bells, bathing people at various
Ghats, chanting of Hymns, song of local
folks during festivals and fairs. Most
of the temples in Uttaranchal are
associated with some Puranic or
Mahabharata story. There is no specific
pattern to the construction of these
temples and most of them are devoted to
Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Kali
and Nanda Devi along with the temples of
local gods and goddesses. The main
temples in Uttaranchal are the temples
of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Panch Prayag,
Gangotri, Yamunotri, Hemkund Saheb,
Sirkanda Devi, Haridwar and Rishikesh.
The famous Chardham trip is in this
state which include a visit to four of
most revered Hindu temples, Yamunotri,
Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The
Char Dham tour is very significant for
Hindus. Haridwar, meaning Gateway to
God, holds an important place in Hindu
religion. It is one of the most visited
pilgrimages in India. Rishikesh,
situated 24 Km from Haridwar also very
important pilgrimage site for the
Hindus. Rishikesh is also known as the
Yoga Capital of the World. Hemkund
Sahib, an important pilgrim is
associated with the Sikhs as well as
Hindus. The place is associated with
Guru Govind Singh Ji, 10th guru of
Sikhs. Meetha-Reetha Sahib and Piran
Kaliyar are the other major holy places
for Sikhs. The famous Amarnath Yatra, is
also conducted from Uttaranchal. Kailash
Mansarovar and Tholingmath, now in
Chinese occupied Tibet, are amongst the
most difficult to be reached temples for
Hindus, but every year many thousand
people visit this place.
The sense of Uttaranchal gets completed
by visiting the holy places and getting
oneself involved with the chastity of
the temples here. The godlike mountains,
spiritual ambience, melodious streams,
mystic valleys, luxuriant forests,
magnificent fauna, perennial rivers,
ageless pilgrimages, all together makes
Uttaranchal justly the Land of Gods.
