Badrinath
pilgrimage
centers
Amarnath
Amritsar
Ayodhya
Badrinath
Bodha
Gaya
jyothirlingas
kanyakumari
Khajuraho
konark temple
Madurai
Mathura
Pandharpur
Pashupatinath
Puri Jagannath
Rameswaram
Rishikesh
Sarnath
Satya sai baba
Shani Shingnapur
Srikalahasti
Shri
Lakshmi GoldenTemple
Tirupathi
Vaishno Devi
SadGurus
Akkalkot
Maharaj
Shripad
SriVallabh
Dwadasa
jyotirlingas
Somanath
Shrishailam
Omkareshwar
Vaidyanath
Maha
Kaleshwar
Kashi
vishwanath
Bhimashankar
kedarnath
Nageshwer
Trimbakeshwar
Grishneshwar
Shakti
peethas
Sightseeing
Agra
Ajanta caves
Delhi
Ellora caves
Goa
Jaipur
Kashmir
Manasarovar
Foreign Trips
Badrinath has a very ancient history since the Vedic period. It is
believed that most of the Vedic hymns and Upnishads were first sung
in the divine spot of the Badrikaashram. The great sages, Nar and
Narayana are said to be practising penance here even to this day.
The Mahabharatha mentions that these sages took avatar in the form
of humans as Krishna and Arjuna for the welfare of
mankind.
There is a cave close to the Badrinath temple dedicated to rishi
Vyas, where he wrote Mahabharata with Lord Ganesha as his
scrivener. Vyas muni collected the Vedas and divided them into four
parts, which he taught to four of his chief adherents. Sages like
Vasishtha and Kanva came here for meditation.
There is an engraved image of lord Vishnu in a Saligrama
(type of stone) in Padmasana (lotus pose). This is the only idol of
Lord Badrinath in this yogic pose. According to the historians, the
temple had existed even before the period of Mahabharata. With the
advent of Buddhism, the territory surrounding this sacred place
came under the influence of the Buddhists. Some zealots destroyed
this ancient temple and threw the idol into the Alaknanda River.
Adi Shankaracharya, the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of
philosophy, discovered the image in the Alaknanda through the pool
known as Narad Kund and installed it in the Garud Gufah near the
hot water spring known as Tapta Kund. It remained there for about
seven centuries. Then, at the insistence of the great Vaishnava
saint called Varadarajacharya, the then ruler of Garhwal made a
temple at the place where the present temple stands and installed
the idols therein. The gold covering of the temple is supposed to
have been a gift of the famous Queen, Ahalyabai of
Holkar.
In the Bhagvat Purana, Lord Krishna said to his
folk, Uddhava “ In the future, he would be available only in the
holy spots of Badrikaashram(Badrinath). He gave Uddhava his sandals
and told him to carry them to Badrinath and keep it there for
people to worship”. The sacred scripture says that the life of a
Hindu would be incomplete without making a visit to the Badrinath
Dham.
Adi Shankaracharya established the rules how
lord should be worshiped. He decreed that Rawals (chief priest of
the temple) should come from the Indian south state (Kerla) and
chief priest of the Rameswaram temple in south, should come from
the Garhwal region of North. Thus, he ensured that there be a good
interchange of cultures between the north and south holy lands.
This tradition is being followed even today; Rawal of Badrinath is
always a Namboodiri Brahmin from Kerla, Adi Shankaracharya’s birth
place.
Badrinath
is among the Char Dhams of Hindus. It is known as a spiritual as
well as a sacred zone of India. Every year, lakhs of devotees
participate in the Char Dham yatra. It is situated in the
Chamoli(district of Garhwal )region of Uttarakhand. The town lies
between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and situated in the
shadow of the Nilkantha peak. The name of the Badrinath temple is
in the name of Lord Vishnu, Badri symbolizes “VISHNU” and Nath
means “LORD”. The main temple of Badrinath is situated at the right
bank of the Alaknanda River. According to myths, Goddess Ganga was
split into twelve holy channels to help the suffering people;
Alaknanda is one of them. Badrinath is a land of lord Vishnu, Who
practised meditation here in his Nar and Narayana roops. History of
Badrinath has a link with Mahabharata. There is a cave known as
‘Vyas Gufa’ named after Maharshi Vyas(an important character of the
epic ‘Mahabharata’). Saying is there that at the request of Vyas,
god Ganesha wrote down the text to Vyas’s dictation. Ganesha is
said to have agreed to write it only on a condition that Vyas would
never pause in his citation. Vyasa agreed, provided Ganesha took
the time to understand what was said before writing
it.
Badrinath
town is famous for the Panch Badri temples, known as Yog Dhyan
Badri, Bhavishtya Badri, Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri, and Badrinath
temple. The area of Badrinath is known as Badrikaashram in
spiritual terms.
Best time to
visit
The best
time to visit Char Dhams is from May to October. After this, the
Kapats (doors) of most of the temples are kept closed due to heavy
snowfall causing the landslides and road
block.
Badrinath
Temples
The land
of Badrinath is full of spirituality and austerity. The Hindu
scriptures say that the life of a Hindu is incomplete without
making a visit to Badrinath; the sentence is enough to elaborate
the importance of Badrinath among Hindus as a must visit pilgrim
destination.
The Shrines and
Pilgrimages around Badrinath
area
Badrinath Temple:The main
attraction of the Badrinath or Badrikaashram, is the Badrinath
temple. The temple is divided into three sections known as Gharbha
Ghrah, Sabha Mandap (where devotees assemble) and darshan Mandap
(where prayers and rituals are conducted). The temple is famous for
the black stone idol of Lord Vishnu in the meditative pose which is
3 feet in height and consists of 15 others God’s
idols.
Akhand Jyoti(the lamp of eternity) in the Badrinath temple
never goes out even when the doors of the temple are closed for 6
months in winters. One could be surprised seeing the lamps
spreading light when Rawal(priest of the temple) opens the holy
door in May. For the lamp of eternity, some special type of wicks
are used and the lamp is filled with ghee. The wicks are specially
made by one of the families from Mana village. It is said that the
prayers and rituals are conducted here by devguru Narad, during the
period when the temple kapats (doors) are
closed.
Yogdhyan Badri: The
ancient temple of Yogdhyan badri is located at Pandukeshwar at a
height of 1920m above sea level, around 24km from Badarinath and 24
km from Joshimath. This is the temple in which the idol of Uddhava
is brought and worshiped during the winter months when the kapats
(doors) of Badrinath are kept closed. It is religiously ordained
that a pilgrimage to the Badrinath Dham will not be considered
complete without offering prayers at this temple. Bhatts from South
India serve as chief priests in the
temple.
Mata Maruti
Badri
Mata
Maruti Badri temple is dedicated to the Mother of great sages Nar
and Narayana.
Places around
Badrinath
The
spiritual center of Uttarakhand is surrounded among places which
are spiritual, natural, hilly, meadows, icy, mysterious, and
of-course, enchanting. Below is the list of places near Badrinath,
you would find interesting to explore.
Adi
Badri: Adi Badri is one of the Panch Badri along with Vishal Badri
(Badrinath), Yogdhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri. Adi
Badri a historic place since the Gupta Vansha. A black stone idol
of lord is enshrined here.
Auli: Auli is situated in the Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. This
place is a famous destination among skiing lovers, with the snow
flake covered mountains of Himalaya, blessed by nearby revered
Badrinath temple. Auli was not so famous earlier, but after the
establishment of the Uttarakhand state, the Garhwal Mandal
Vikas
Nogam (GMVN), a government organization, has been endeavoring to
promote the beautiful place; consequently, today, Auli is a well
known, recognized skiing destination. As a result, in 2010, SAF
winter games were hosted in Auli.
Bedni Ali Bugyal: A ‘meadow’ is called a ‘Bugyal’ in the local
language; this place is a beautiful meadow of Chamoli district of
Uttarakhand. The place has an attractive view of trishul peak; it
also offers various adventures activities such as trekking,
mountaineering, skiing etc.
Chamoli: At a distance of 88.7 km from the Badrinath temple,
Chamoli town is situated. This place is rich in culture and blessed
with the gifts of nature. It is also known for ‘Chipko
Aandolan’.
Gairsain: Gairsain is located at the Kumaon – Garhwal Border. Gair
means deep and sain means plane, referring to a place such as a
valley. The place offers a panoramic view of the Himalayas. It is
being seen as a future capital of Uttarakhand. It is around 138 km
from Auli via NH – 58 and NH – 87.
Gauchar: Gauchar is famous for the trade fair occurring here from
ancient times. The place is a flat land in the Garhwal Himalayan
range. Distance between Gauchar and Badrinath is about 131 km via
NH – 58.
Gaurikund: Gaurikund is one of the most renowned holy pilgrim sites
for hindus situated in the Rudrapyag district of Uttarakhand, on
the way to Kedarnath. This is the place where Goddess Parwati did
penance involving ascetic and yoga practices to win over Lord
Shiva’s heart.
Ghangaria: Ghangaria is a small village en route to the Hemkund
Sahib and valley of flowers, located in the Chamoli District. It is
the last rehabilitation center of the route. The place is located
at the confluence of the River Pushpawati and River Hemganga. It is
about 13 km from Govindghat.
Gopeshwar: Gopeshwar is a beautiful town situated in the Chamoli
district of the Garhwal region of uttarakhand state. Gopeswar is
also known as Chamoli Gopeshwar. It is the administrative
headquarter of the Chamoli district. Gopeshwar is known for its
temples, pleasant weather, trekking tracks, beautiful Oak view
forests and lovable picturesque scenery all-round. Some people
believe that the name of the town – Gopeshwar – has a connection
with Lord Krishna – the lord of the Gopis.
Govindghat: Govindghat is located at the right bank of the Holy
river Alakananda. It is the commencement place for the trekking to
Hemkund Sahib and valley of flowers. There are very good Hotels,
restaurants, and parking facility for visitors available here. It
is only 25 km from Badrinath and 20 km from the Hemkund Sahib via
trekking.
Hanuman Chatti: Hanuman Chatti is a small town in the Joshimath
Taluk of Chamoli district in Garhwal. This is the place where
Hanuman Ganga and the Yamuna rivers have a confluence. This place
is popular because earlier it was the end of the road for the
Yamunotri trek, but presently a jeepable road is made upto Janki
Chatti, which is 7 kms ahead still of Hanuman Chatti. This place is
named after Lord Hanuman.
Joshimath: Joshimath is the home to one of the four cardinal pīthas
established by Adi Shankara in the 8th century. It is around 44 km
from Badrinath.
Few other incredible views near Badrinath are Kagbhusandi lake,
Kheerau Valley, and
Pandukeshwar.
Site designed and Maintained by Harish