All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
- JRR Tolkien
John Mcphee described the Himalayas as the âcrowning achievement of the Indo-Australian plateâ in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, âAnnals of the Former Worldâ.
The biodiverse vistas of the Himalayas are home to several exotic species such as the Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, and about 10 percent of the worldâs known plant speciesâto name a few of its gems. One can easily notice a transition from tropical to temperate to coniferous vegetation and grasslands in the landscape with an increase in altitude. And nestled in the remote parts of the northern Himalayas are four significant Hindu pilgrimage centers, considered to be the ultimate pilgrimage for a devotee: The Char DhamsâYamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. [caption id="attachment_17595" align="alignnone" width="965"] Aerial View of Char Dham. Source: Google Earth Pro In 2016[/caption] The Government of India inaugurated a 900 km long, 2 lane (12 metre wide) highway project called the âChar Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojanaâ (Char Dham Highway Development Project), with the motive of boosting religious tourism in the Char Dhams.