Four Dhams is a Sanskrit word that means ("[divine] dwellings").
Four significant pilgrimage destinations in India's four geographical corners, which define the holy topography of the country: Badrinath in the Himalayas, Puri on the Bay of Bengal in the east, Rameshvaram in the south, and Dwaraka in the west.
Each location is associated with one of the four Sanyasi mutts, all of which are said to have been built by the great philosopher Shankaracharya:
- Jyotir math in Joshimath (approximately 35 miles south of Badrinath),
- Govardhan math in Puri,
- Sharada math in Dwaraka,
- and Shringeri math in Rameshvaram (in Shringeri).
The first three mutts are near to the holy locations (tirthas) connected with them, while Shringeri is around 450 kilometers distant from Rameshvaram.
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