Badrinath Temple
Relevance and History
Badrinath Temple, also called Badrinarayan Temple, situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand state in India, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. Situated at the height of 3133 m (10248 feet) above sea level. The route to Badarinath is one of the most fascinating one due to the lofty hilly terrain, curves and cliffs amidst the most scenically beautiful place on the earth. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu. Mata Murti Ka Mela is the most prominent festival celebrated in Badrinath Temple to commemorate the descent of river Ganga on mother earth.Although Badrinath is located in North India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a Namboodri Brahmin chosen from the South Indian state of Kerala.
Best Time to Visit
The ideal time or peak season to visit Badrinath is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because Badrinath is perched in Garhwal Himalayas, which is prone to heavy snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to Badrinath are blocked. Moreover, during the monsoon season, there is undue threat of having landslides, which can further disrupt the journey.
How to Reach
By Road
Badrinath is well connected by roads to major cities of Uttarakhand. Rishikesh is 297 Kms. and Kotdwara 327 Kms. away from Badrinath. Anyone can reach Rishikesh or Kotdwara by train or bus from Delhi. Anyone coming through air will have to come to Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun which is connected by timely flights to Delhi.The distance beyond the above mentioned places have to be covered by road either through bus or taxies.
By Train
Nearest railheads are at Rishikesh 297 km away and Kotdwara 327 km away, which are connected with major cities of North India. Rishikesh is directly connected by rail with Howrah, Bombay, Delhi & Lucknow. The distance beyond this has to be covered by road either through bus or taxies.
By Air
Nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport located at Dehradun, which is 315 kms away. It is connected by direct flights to Delhi at regular intervals. The distance beyond this has to be covered by road either through bus or taxies. Besides this one can also go to Badrinath directly using a helicopter. Private helicopters are available for Badrinath from Delhi and Dehradun.
Places to visit in Badrinath
- Badrinath Temple
- Tapt Kund
- Vyas Gufa
- Ganesh Gufa
- Vasudhara
- Bheem Pul
- Brahma Kapal
- Neelkanth
- Mata Murti Temple
- Charanpaduka
- Narad Kund
- Mana Village
- Sheshnetre
- Panch dhara
- Panch shila
Useful Information
- Opening Date: First week of May
- Closing Date: Second week of November
- Driving directions from Delhi:
- Delhi to Rishikesh (239 Kms.)
- Rishikesh to Devprayag (74 Kms.)
- Devprayag to Srinagar (33 Kms.)
- Srinagar to Rudraprayag (88 Kms.)
- Rudraprayag to Karanprayag(85 Km)
- Karanprayag to Joshimath (81 Kms.)
- Joshimath to Badrinath ( 44 Kms.)
Sanjay Gaur
A proud resident of Chamoli Garhwal, who wants our state to be famous throughout the world. Everyone should know the diversity in flora, fauna, tourism, mythology and it should become a tourist paradise and people instead of migrating away from it come back to it.