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Darshan Guide —
Char Dham Yatra.
Temple Timings & Highlights
Morning Darshan
Public Entry
Afternoon Closure
Temple Closed
Evening Darshan
Public Entry
Before You Enter
Carry only essentials. Mobile phones and large bags are restricted at several temples. Complete footwear storage before joining the queue.
Temple Visit Options
Standard Darshan
FreePublic queue available at all temples. Wait times vary.
Yamunotri Special Poojas
Divya Shila Puja
Nominal priest feeMandatory before temple entry
Kedarnath Special Poojas
Rudrabhishek
₹1,100 – ₹5,100Pre-booking required via BKTC portal
Morning Abhishek
₹300 – ₹1,500Most intimate darshan experience, 4:00 AM slot
Badrinath Special Poojas
Mahabhishek
₹1,5004:30 AM only, pre-booking via BKTC mandatory
Vishesh Abhishek
₹750Pre-booking recommended
Pitru Tarpan
Negotiated on-siteAncestor rites at Brahma Kapal ghat
*Prices and timings are subject to change by the Temple Trust based on festivals and pilgrimage volume.
Sacred Highlights
Yamunotri
Hot spring at 98°C — pilgrims cook rice here as prasad to carry home, a unique ritual.
Sacred rock outside the temple — mandatory puja here before entering the sanctum.
The actual source of the Yamuna river lies above the temple at Saptarishi Kund.
Gangotri
The rock where King Bhagirath meditated for Ganga's descent — central to the darshan ritual.
Evening aarti at the ghat with the roaring Bhagirathi river as backdrop — unmissable.
Source of the Bhagirathi river, 19 km from the temple — trekable for fit pilgrims.
Kedarnath
One of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas — the self-manifested Shiva lingam inside the sanctum.
Small shrine on the hilltop above Kedarnath — considered the guardian of the valley.
The Mandakini and Saraswati rivers meet just below the temple — sacred bathing point.
Badrinath
Natural hot spring at 45°C — ritual dip mandatory before temple entry.
Sacred ghat for Pitru Tarpan — ancestor rites performed here by millions of pilgrims.
Last inhabited Indian village before the Tibet border, 3 km from the temple.
Editor's Notes
VIP darshan exists only at Kedarnath and Badrinath — Yamunotri and Gangotri have no formal fast-track queue. At those two shrines, arriving at temple opening time (6:00 AM) is the only way to avoid long waits.
Mahabhishek at Badrinath (4:30 AM) and Rudrabhishek at Kedarnath both require advance booking via the BKTC portal. time_slots fill weeks ahead in May and October — book the moment your travel dates are confirmed.
Leather items — belts, wallets, leather shoes, leather jackets — are prohibited inside all four sanctum sanctorums, not just one. Most pilgrims are caught off guard at the first temple. Carry a cloth bag to leave leather items outside.
Nearby Attractions
Surya Kund
naturalHot spring at 98°C adjacent to the temple — the rice-cooking prasad ritual happens here. Worth time even after darshan.
Divya Shila
shrineSacred rock just outside the temple where the mandatory pre-darshan puja is performed.
Saptarishi Kund
naturalGlacial lake and true source of the Yamuna river — 6 km trek from the temple. Rarely visited, exceptionally beautiful.
Site Decorum
Photography Rules
Please respect local customs regarding photography in sensitive sacred areas.
Modest Attire
Conservative clothing is recommended to honor the spiritual sanctity of the site.
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