Yatra
Not where. Why, and how.
Every travel site tells you where. Almost none tell you what the yatra is for, what order it must be done in, or what you actually do when you get there — and for most yatras, that is the yatra.
Chota Char Dham
UttarakhandWhy · The four sources of the sacred rivers and the seats of Shiva and Vishnu in the Himalaya, taken as one journey from the waters to the Lord.
When · Akshaya Tritiya to Diwali. The shrines close for winter and the deities are moved to their winter seats.
Order · Order matters West to east, always: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath. Shiva before Vishnu, and the rivers before both.
How long · 10 to 12 days
Many carry Gangotri water to pour at Kedarnath or Rameswaram; the yatra is often counted complete only when that is done.
Char Dham
All IndiaWhy · The four seats placed at the four corners of the land, held to be established by Adi Shankara as one circuit binding the country together.
When · Any time; each has its own season and festival peaks.
Order · No fixed order No fixed order in most traditions, though many go clockwise from Badrinath — north, west, south, east.
How long · 15 to 21 days
Abhishek at Rameswaram with water carried from the Ganga.
Dwadash Jyotirlinga
All IndiaWhy · The twelve self-manifested lingas — where the light is held to have appeared without beginning or end.
When · Any time. Shravana and Mahashivratri bring very large crowds.
Order · No fixed order No prescribed order. The Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra names them in a sequence many follow for that reason alone.
How long · 20 to 30 days
No single act completes it; the count itself is the observance.
Kashi Panchakroshi Yatra
VaranasiWhy · A circuit of the whole sacred field of Kashi, walked so that the city itself is circumambulated rather than merely visited.
When · Traditionally in Purushottam maas; walked all year by many.
Order · Order matters Clockwise from Manikarnika, through the five halting places, returning to Kashi Vishwanath.
How long · 5 days
Darshan at Kashi Vishwanath, and the sankalp formally released.
Braj Chaurasi Kos Parikrama
Braj — Mathura and VrindavanWhy · A circuit of the whole land of Krishna's childhood, not of one temple.
When · Commonly in Bhadrapada and Kartika.
Order · Order matters Clockwise around the 84 kos, taking in Vrindavan, Govardhan, Barsana, Nandgaon, Gokul and Mathura.
How long · About 30 on foot days
Return to the starting point and darshan there.
Gaya Shraddha
BiharWhy · Rites for the ancestors, held to release the pitrs. This is a duty undertaken for others, not a journey for oneself.
When · Pitru Paksha above all; performed all year.
Order · Order matters The vedi are taken in a set sequence over one, three, seven or seventeen days, ending at the Akshayavat.
How long · 1 to 17 days
The purohit releases the sankalp at the Akshayavat.
Sabarimala
KeralaWhy · Darshan of Ayyappa, approached through a vow rather than simply travelled to.
When · Mandala season, roughly mid-November to late December, and Makaravilakku.
Order · Order matters The 41-day vratam comes first. The irumudi is filled and carried; the eighteen steps are climbed only by one carrying it.
How long · 41 days of vratam, then the journey days
The mala is removed after returning, not at the shrine.
This describes traditional practice, and where traditions differ it says so rather than smoothing it over. Nothing here places an obligation on anyone — it reports what the tradition holds, which is a different sentence. We sell no travel and take no commission; somebody else can arrange the journey, but nobody was explaining it.