The four dhams of India are Badrinath in the north (Uttarakhand), Dwarka in the west (Gujarat), Puri in the east (Odisha) and Rameswaram in the south (Tamil Nadu). Tradition links them with Adi Shankaracharya.
| Name | Direction | State | Chief deity |
|---|---|---|---|
| BadrinathBadarinath, Badri Vishal | North | Uttarakhand (Chamoli district) | Vishnu as Badrinarayan |
| DwarkaDwarkadhish temple | West | Gujarat | Krishna as Dwarkadhish |
| PuriJagannath temple, Purushottama Kshetra | East | Odisha | Jagannath, with Balabhadra and Subhadra |
| RameswaramRamanathaswamy temple | South | Tamil Nadu | Shiva as Ramanathaswamy (a Jyotirlinga) |
See these tirthas on a mapEach name opens its own page: place, deity, story and sources
Char Dham and Chota Char Dham
The Char Dham stand at the four corners of India: Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east and Rameswaram in the south. The Government of India’s tourism site (Incredible India) gives these four names on its Dwarka and Puri pages.
The Himalayan circuit of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand is also called the Char Dham; Uttarakhand Tourism simply writes "Char Dham". To tell the two apart it is called the Chota (small) Char Dham. Badrinath is in both lists.
The link with Adi Shankaracharya
Tradition links the four dhams with Adi Shankaracharya. According to the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, he set up four amnaya maths in the four directions: Sringeri (Karnataka) in the south, Dwarka in the west, Puri (Govardhan Math) in the east and Jyotirmath near Badrinath in the north. Note that the southern math is at Sringeri, while the southern dham is Rameswaram.
The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee writes that, according to the Skanda Purana, Adi Shankaracharya recovered the image of Badrinath from the Narad Kund and re-installed it in the temple in the 8th century. Incredible India says Shankaracharya is believed to have visited Dwarka in the 8th century.
When Badrinath is open
Badrinath closes in winter because of snow. According to the temple committee it is open from April-May to November. In 2026 the doors opened on 23 April (DD News). The closing date is announced in advance every year.
Where the sources differ
- The sources agree on the four names. The difference is in usage: Uttarakhand Tourism also calls its Himalayan circuit (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath) the "Char Dham".
- Shankaracharya’s four maths and the four dhams are not the same list: in the north, west and east the math and the dham are in the same place, but the southern math is at Sringeri and the southern dham at Rameswaram.
Frequently asked questions
What are the names of the Char Dham?
Badrinath (north, Uttarakhand), Dwarka (west, Gujarat), Puri (east, Odisha) and Rameswaram (south, Tamil Nadu).
What is the difference between the Char Dham and the Chota Char Dham?
The Char Dham lie at the four quarters of India. The Chota Char Dham are four Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. Badrinath is in both.
Which of the four dhams is a Shiva shrine?
Rameswaram, where Shiva is worshipped as Ramanathaswamy; it is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Badrinath, Dwarka and Puri are shrines of Vishnu and his forms (Krishna, Jagannath).
Did Adi Shankaracharya establish the Char Dham?
Tradition holds so. According to the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Shankaracharya set up four maths in the four directions; three of them (Jyotirmath near Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri) are at the dhams, while the southern one is at Sringeri.
Sources
- Incredible India (Government of India, Ministry of Tourism): pages on the Dwarkadhish temple, the spiritual sites of Puri, Rameswaram and the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple
- Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham: the four Amnaya Peethams (sringeri.net)
- Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee: Shri Badrinath Dham (badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in)
- DD News, 23 April 2026: the doors of Badrinath open
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