Pilgrimage Tours
Photo: Wiki maddymadhavan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
Dhari Devi is a shrine to the Goddess in her fierce Kali form, standing on a platform in the middle of the Alaknanda river at Kalyasaur, between Srinagar Garhwal and Rudraprayag. She is counted among the 108 Shakta pithas listed in the Srimad Devi Bhagavata, and Garhwali tradition holds her to be the guardian deity of Uttarakhand and the protector of the Char Dham shrines — which is why many families stop here on the way up to Kedarnath and Badrinath. Its most unusual feature is that the sanctum is open to the sky rather than roofed, and the image itself is only the upper half of the Devi; tradition holds that the lower half is worshipped at Kalimath in Rudraprayag district. The shrine was raised onto a concrete platform above the river in June 2013 for the Alaknanda hydro project, and the devastating floods that struck the state hours later are still spoken of locally as the Devi's displeasure at being moved.
March to June and late September to November are the comfortable months, with pleasant days, clear skies and open roads through the Alaknanda valley. Chaitra Navratri (around March–April) and Sharad Navratri (around September–October) bring the biggest crowds and the fullest ritual, so expect long waits and slow highway traffic on those nine days. Avoid July and August: the Garhwal monsoon brings heavy rain, landslides and highway closures.
The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun, roughly 135–140 km away, and the nearest convenient railhead is Rishikesh, about 115–120 km. The temple sits directly on the Rishikesh–Badrinath highway (NH-7) at Kalyasaur, about 13–15 km from Srinagar Garhwal and roughly 20 km from Rudraprayag, so buses and shared taxis on the Char Dham route stop close by. From the roadside you cross a pedestrian bridge over the Alaknanda to reach the shrine platform.
The last stretch is on foot — a walk down from the highway and a footbridge with a flight of steps across the river to the shrine platform. It is short, but elders with knee trouble will want a hand, and the walkway can be slippery when the river is high. The temple is on a landslide-prone Himalayan highway; during the monsoon, check road conditions before starting out, and confirm darshan arrangements with the temple locally, as they can change.
Planned around you, not a fixed departure. Holiday Vibez arranges pilgrimages to Dhari Devi Temple in Srinagar Garhwal for families, elders and temple groups travelling from Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi and Madurai. Tell us your dates and how many are coming — we build the route around that. 100% customisable.
- Stays near the shrine — so elders aren't driven back and forth at 4am.
- Private transfers — pick-up from your door, not a meeting point.
- Meals that suit the group — including pure-veg and fasting requirements.
- Group travel — 4 people or 40, one coordinator, one itinerary.
- Someone on the phone — when you're in a queue three states from home.
Temple boards run their own darshan queues and quotas. No travel agent can sell you a special one, and agencies that promise "VIP darshan" are either misleading you or breaking the trust's rules. We help you book the official slots and we get everything else right.
Most of the people we send on yatra are over 55, or booking for parents who are. We plan shorter driving days, stays within walking distance where the shrine allows it, and we'll tell you honestly if a site involves a long climb or a trek before you pay — not after.
Is Dhari Devi one of the Shakti Peethas?
It is counted among the 108 Shakta pithas enumerated in the Srimad Devi Bhagavata. It is not one of the smaller, more commonly cited 51-Shakti-Peetha lists, so you will see it described both ways online.
Can we visit Dhari Devi on the way to Kedarnath or Badrinath?
Yes. The temple is right on the Rishikesh–Badrinath highway at Kalyasaur, between Srinagar Garhwal and Rudraprayag, so most Char Dham road itineraries pass its gate. Many pilgrims stop for an hour on the way up, since tradition regards the Devi as the protector of the Char Dham shrines.
Why does the temple have no roof, and why is the idol only half?
The sanctum is deliberately left open to the sky, and the image enshrined here is the upper half of the Devi. Tradition holds that the lower half is worshipped at Kalimath, another Shakti shrine in Rudraprayag district.
Is the temple open all year?
Unlike the high-altitude Char Dham shrines, Dhari Devi is at a low elevation on the river and is not seasonally closed. Access can still be interrupted by monsoon landslides or high river levels, so confirm with the temple before you travel.
Plan your Dhari Devi Temple yatra
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