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Badrinath (Badarik-ashram) Pop:
3500 Badrinath is the abode of the Nara-Narayana sages and is a great place of pilgrimage. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, even five thousand years ago this holy place was being visited by such holy persons as Uddhava, and even at that time the place was known to be very old. It is one of the eight self-manifested holy tirthas in India (Svayam Vyakta Kshetras). There are four dhamas, or kingdoms of God, which represent the planets of the spiritual sky, consisting of the brahmajyoti and the Vaikunthas. These are Badrinath, Rameswaram, Jagannath Puri, and Dwarka. Faithful Hindus visit all these holy places for perfection of spiritual realization. Badrinath is a very important pilgrimage place and is very dear to Lord Krishna. Badri is the name of the Ilandai tree, which is a favorite of Maha-Lakshmi. A statement from the Srimad Bhagavatam (3.4.22) is: “There in Badrikashram the Personality of Godhead, in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities.” The Skanda Purana says: “There are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath.” Badrinath is also called “Narada Kshetram” since Narada Muni attained liberation here in five days. Gautama Rishi, Kapila, and Kasyapa are said to have come here, and Sankaracharya established a temple here. Sankaracharya visited here some 1,225 years ago; Ramanujacharya visited 955 years ago; and Madhvacharya visited twice about 735 years ago. During the season, about 250,000 pilgrims visit Badrinath. Pilgrims chant “Bolo Badri Visal ki jai” and “Bolo Badri Narayana ki jai.” Badrinath
is on a small plateau between Narayana Parbat and the Alakananda River.
The Nara and Narayana peaks tower over Badrinath. The fantastic Neelkantha
Mountain is 6,560m. Badrinath is located 301km north of Rishikesh. From
Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233km. Lord Badrinath is sitting meditating in the padmasana (lotus yogic posture). As you look at the Deities, standing to the right side of Badrinarayana is Uddhava. To the far right side are Nara and Narayana. Narada Muni is kneeling in front on the right side and is difficult to see. On the left side are Kubera, the god of wealth, and a silver Ganesh. Garuda is kneeling in front, to the left of Badrinarayana. Within the temple enclosure, to the left of the main temple building, is a separate shrine dedicated to Lakshmi Devi and the Gaddi (sitting place) of Adi Sankaracharya, just outside the exit door of the temple. The Lakshmi Temple is painted red in front. The temple dedicated to Sankaracharya is said to mark his sitting place while he was in Badrinath. The temple is open six months of the year, May to October. The priests of the temple perform their worship (puja) in Joshimath, 50km south, the rest of the year. Before they close the temple in November, they perform one last puja and leave the ghee lamps in the temple lit. Six months later, in the month of May, they return to open the temple and find the ghee lamps still lit. It is said that the great sage Narada Muni along with other demigods come during the winter months to carry on the worship. The temple priests are Nambudiri Brahmins from Kerala. The Nirmalya darshan of Badari-narayana in the early morning is the most auspicious time to view the Deity. The present temple is about 400 years old. The temple is open from 6.30 am to 1 pm and 4 to 9 pm. Waiting time to enter the temple in the afternoon is a half hour or more. If you come in the morning, you can expect to wait an hour to enter the temple. It
is only possible for several people to view the Deities at one time.
You are allowed to stand to the side once you are in the temple and
view the Deities as long as you like. Before entering the temple it is customary for one to bathe in Tapta Kund, which is a hot water tank at the base of the temple steps near the river. The temperature is around 45°C (115°F). Narada Kund is where Adi Sankaracharya recovered the murti of Sri Badri Vishal. It is a small kund a few feet from the Alakananda River, on the temple side of the Alakananda. Panch Shilas—Narada, Narasimha, Varaha, Garuda, and Markandeya—are located by Tapta Kund. They are large rocks near the river. You have to climb 200m (650 ft) to reach Deva Darshini. From here it is said the demigods come to have darshan of the holy town of Badrinath. About 100m north of the Badrinath Temple, on the bank of the Alakananda, is Brahma Kapal Ghat. It is customary to offer pinda (sraddha) to departed ancestors here. When Lord Siva in the form of Bhairava cut off Lord Brahma’s fifth head, it is said to have fallen here at Brahma Kapal. The
Five Badri Temples To reach Adi Badri village you go 18km south from Karna Prayag toward Gwaldam. There is a small 16 temple complex (15m by 30m) located here, which was built during the Gupta Dynasty in the tenth century. The main temple contains a beautiful 1m (3 ft) carved black stone murti of the Lord called Adi Badri Narayana. He holds a mace, chakra, and lotus. Not many people visit here. Vridha Badri is located in the village of Animath, which is on the way to Joshimath from Helang. It is 17km from Joshimath on the way to Pipalkoti. When Narada performed tapasya here, Lord Vishnu appeared before him as Vridha Badri (Old Badri). Bhavisya Badri is located in the small village of Subhain (2,744 m), which is beyond Tapovan. Tapovan is about a 15km jeep ride from Joshimath, and from there it is a hard, nine km walk. Yogadhyan
Badri is located in the town of Pandukeswar (1,955m), 24km
from Badrinath and 20km from Joshimath. King Pandu, the father of the
Pandavas, performed penance here to atone for the curse he received
for killing two mating deer, who were sages in their previous lives.
It is said that the Pandavas were born here. King Pandu installed a
bronze murti called Yogadhyan Badri. Pancha Dhara (five Waterfalls): Kurma, Prahlada, Urvasi, Bhrigu, and Indra are waterfalls all located around Badrinath. Sesha Netra is a large stone marked with one eye of Ananta Shesha, who is watching over everyone. Urvasi
Temple is where Indra’s pride was shattered by Urvasi,
the most beautiful Apsara. At Caranpaduka a boulder bears the footprints
of Lord Vishnu when he descended from Vaikuntha. Nearby is Ganesh’s cave. There are rocks here that look like layers of paper and are said to represent his works of writing down the Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavatam. Vyasadeva narrated these works, and Ganesh wrote them down, under the condition that Vyasadeva would not stop reciting. Near this location, Lord Siva narrated the glories of the Himalayas to the sage Skanda, who wrote the Skanda Purana. The Bhima and Mucukund caves are located just above the cave of Vyasadeva. Down below is Bhima Pul (Bhima’s bridge), which Bhima is said to have made from a huge stone slab, so his brothers and Draupadi could cross the Saraswati River safely. The Saraswati River emerges from a glacier north of Mana, touches Vyasa Gupha, merges into the Alakananda at Keshav Prayag and finally meets the Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag (Allahabad). About
three km from Bhima Pul is Vasudhara Falls, which are
more than 44m (135 ft) high. To get to Mana is an easy climb. Foreigners
have to get special permission to go to Mana, as it is a restricted
area. This rule could change at any time. At
Satopanth (4,402m/14,442 ft), is the Lake of the Divine
Trinity, a glacial lake. It is 25km from Badrinath. Lord Brahma, Lord
Siva, and Lord Vishnu are said to meditate at the three corners of this
crystal clear, green-water lake. On Ekadasi, Lord Vishnu is said to
come and take bath here. You
then walk across the Chakra Tirtha meadow and over
the steep rise of the glacier to get to Satopanth Lake.
At this point you are surrounded by the mountains Swargarohini (7.898m),
Chaukhamba (7,164m), and Neelkanth (6,558m), which make a sensational
sight. Laksmivan is where Lakshmi is said to have meditated in a forest of Bhoj Patra trees. Cakra-tirtha is where Arjuna is said to have taken bath and received Lord Siva’s Pashupati Astra, which helped him defeat the Kauravas. Swargarohan
Mountain (Stairway to Heaven) is said to be where the Pandavas,
after visiting Badrinath, ascended to the spiritual world. Travel After 4.30 pm no buses can go past Joshimath, because the road is closed. So there is a good chance you will have to stop in Joshimath for the night. Often buses stop for the night at Rudraprayag, before reaching Badrinath. Buses leave Badrinath at 6.30 am in the morning and arrive in Rishikesh at about 8.30 pm and Haridwar at 9 pm. If buses departing from Badrinath to Rishikesh leave later in the day they have to make a night stop on the way. There are buses to and from Kedarnath (14 hr) and Gangotri. It takes 8 days to walk from Kedarnath to Badrinath—80km on the mountain roads. Before the roads were built in the 1960s this was the only way to go from place to place. If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:
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