Badrinath : Location

Badrinath, at a height of 3,133 m, is said to be unequalled in its sanctity when compared to other pilgrimages. It is located in the Narnarayan range against the imposing Neelkanth peak. The Badrinath temple stands in a beautiful valley on the bank of the Alaknanda River and is dedicated to Shri Badrinathji, that is Vishnu the Preserver. It traces its origins to Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, though legend has it that the temple stands on the site of an earlier shrine. The present temple was built about two centuries ago by the Garhwal kings. The main idol in the temple is of black stone and represents Vishnu seated in a meditative pose.

The temple is divided into three parts: the garbha griha or sanctum sanctorum; the darshan mandap where the prayers are held; and the sabha mandap where devotees assemble. Below the temple are the hot springs, Tapt Kund and Surya Kund, with waters at a temperature of 55°C. There are four other Badris or shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu that can be visited from Badrinath. They are Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Bridha Badri and Adi Badri. Forty-two kilometers from Badrinath is Joshimath, the winter home of Shri Badrinathji. East of Badrinath is the beautiful Valley of Flowers and the holy lake of Hemkund. According to the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, meditated on the banks of Hemkund.

Badrinath : General Facts

According to local legends, the place got its name from the plant of Badri, a local wild berry. The story goes that Lord Vishnu was sleeping at this place when the sun trays started to disturb him. His consort Parvati, took the shape of the Badri plant to provide shade to the lord. Vishnu, happy with her devotion, told her that the place would become known by her name since then. Hence, the place got the name Badrinath
Another fact says that, it is at this temple that the Pandavas encountered Rishi Balkhily at Bhrigu Parvat when they were on the lookout for Shiva after the Kurukshetra battle. The Rishi directed them to the site of the confluence tomeet an old manmeditating there. But when the Pandava got there, the old man vanished and instead, a shivling appeared there. Rishi Balkhily instructed the Pandavas to embrace the Shivling in order to free themselves from their sins. Their impressions are stamped on this Shivling – the biggest Shivling in northen India.

Badrinath : How to get there

  By Air:  The nearest airport to Badrinath is the Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun. It is about 317 km

  By Rail:  The nearest railway stations to Badrinath are at Rishikesh and Kotdwar, which are at a

  By Road:  Badrinath is very well connected with the important cities like Rishikesh, Haridwar,