Here's a summary of Sher's Chardham Yatra Experience.

It is a common myth among the people that the Char Dham Yatra is only for the old aged pilgrims. This myth is busted when a pilgrim starts the tour. A pilgrim starts experiencing and believing that the pilgrims of all age equally enjoy the tour, which is not only full of cultural values, but also adventures. 🎒🏔️ #CharDhamYatra #MythBusters #AdventureForAll

I vividly remember the first time (two years ago) I heard of the Chardham and Jyotirlingas from my cousin Nilesh and found it very interesting. Maybe someday I will take it up. But I did most within two years (By now, I have already completed 9 Jyotirlingas and 2 Chardhams, three more Jyotirlingas and 2 more Chardhams to go).

Next one on my mind was *Kedarnath*!!!

I finally decided to do it! At 43, I'm super excited to start the craziest adventure of my life. And I want to do it with my parents and kids, so it'll be a three-generation thing.

Here I am finally embarking on the journey....

Started our road trip from Mumbai to Gandhinagar, where my cousin joined us with his car. 🚗

Then, our two families drove together, while my sister and her family flew directly to Haridwar.✈️

In total, 15 of us embarked on this incredible Yatra! 👪 #FamilyTrip #RoadTrip #IncredibleIndia

I had been getting ready for this for like half a year, but my heart was still racing. I was way out of my comfort zone. No turning back now, though. It helped that I was with a big group. I closed my eyes and just gave the whole thing over to God. Whatever happens, happens, right? I started driving and my fears just melted away. I was trusting in the unknown, trusting in God's grace, trusting in the power of trust itself. Just simple trust in God.

Here's a sneak peek into our exciting itinerary! ✈️✨

Day 1: Mumbai - Gandhinagar 🌆
Day 2: Exploring Gandhinagar's hidden gems 🏛️
Day 3: Gandhinagar - Delhi, here we come! 🚗
Day 4: Delhi - Haridwar - Rishikesh - Haridwar, a spiritual journey 🛕🏞️
Day 5: Haridwar - Barkot, embracing nature's beauty 🌿
Day 6: Barkot - Yamunotri - Barkot, a divine experience 🙏
Day 7: Barkot - Uttarkashi, on the road to more adventures 🏔️
Day 8: Uttarkashi - Gangotri - Uttarkashi, seeking blessings 🛕
Day 9: Uttarkashi - Guptkashi, the journey continues 🚗
Day 10: Guptkashi - Sitapur - Sonprayag - Gaurikund - Kedarnath, a spiritual odyssey 🕉️
Day 11: Kedarnath - Gaurikund - Sonprayag - Sitapur - Guptkashi, retracing our steps 👣
Day 12: Guptkashi - Joshimath, getting closer to the Himalayas ❄️
Day 13: Joshimath - Badrinath - Mana Village - Joshimath, a day of devotion and exploration 🛕🏔️
Day 14: Joshimath - Haridwar, winding down our incredible journey 😌
Day 15 and 16: Haridwar - Gandhinagar, reminiscing about our unforgettable experiences 📸
Day 17: Gandhinagar - Mumbai, back to where it all began 🏡

#IncredibleIndia #PilgrimageJourney #HimalayanAdventure

To avoid driving during the intense heat waves prevailing in Delhi and most parts of India, we made some adjustments to our return journey. Instead of stopping at Jaipur, we decided to drive continuously for 19 hours and proceed directly to Gandhinagar.

Places covered:

1. Gandhinagar
2. Delhi
3. Haridwar (I enjoyed soaking my feet in the holy Ganga River.)
4. Rishikesh (I performed Ganga Aarti at the sacred Triveni Ghat.)
5. Barkot
6. Yamunotri (I undertook a challenging 7 km trek to reach the revered temple.)
7. Uttarkashi (I visited the magnificent replica of Kashi Vishwanath Temple.)
8. Gangotri (I collected holy Ganga Jal from the pristine Ganga River.)
9. Guptkashi
10. Sitapur (I embarked on a spiritual walk of 3 km.)
11. Sonprayag (I took a taxi for a 5 km journey.)
12. Gaurikund
13. Kedarnath (After seeking blessings at Kedarnath, I undertook a strenuous 24 km trek to reach Sitapur Parking.)
14. Joshimath (I paid my respects at the revered Shri Narsingh Laxmi Temple.)
15. Badrinath
16. Mana Village - The first village of India (I witnessed the awe-inspiring Saraswati River and its mysterious disappearance. I visited the sacred Saraswati Temple and observed the holy confluence of Alakananda and Saraswati rivers.)
17. Shri Dhari Devi Temple - A sacred pilgrimage after completing the Char Dham Yatra.
18. Panch Prayag - Vishnuprayag, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag, Devprayag
19. Hanuman Temple

Yo, so we made it back to Mumbai right on time, in the evening, thanks to that crazy overnight drive from Haridwar to Ahmedabad. It was 1200 kms and took 19 hours non-stop! Wild, right?

The whole trip felt like it was meant to be. I swear, I feel like I've changed on a deep level. Not sure how it'll all play out in my everyday life, but for now, I'm just stoked that we pulled off the entire Chardham trip with the fam.

Oh, and I've been documenting the whole journey as vlogs on YouTube, so check those out if you're curious -
   • Chardham 2024 Road Trip XUV 700