Char Dham
Also called: Chardham · Topic: Human Settlements and Urbanisation in India · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 8 "How the Land Becomes Sacred"
Meaning
The Char Dham ("four abodes") are four Hindu pilgrimage sites, one near each corner of India. They are Badrinath in the north (Uttarakhand), Dwarka in the west (Gujarat), Puri in the east (Odisha) and Rameswaram in the south (Tamil Nadu). The circuit is linked to Adi Shankaracharya. A pilgrim who visits all four crosses the whole subcontinent. This helped people see India as one sacred land.
Example
Puri, on the coast of Odisha, is the eastern dham. It is a pilgrimage town that grew around the Jagannath temple.
Don't confuse with
- Chhota Char Dham: four Himalayan shrines, all in Uttarakhand: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. They form a mountain circuit, not a circuit around the four corners of India. Badrinath is the only shrine that appears in both lists.