Badrinath

Badrinath temple is one of the Dham of Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand and is also known as Badrinarayan temple. It is affiliated to Hindu religion .This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand,India. Every year the doors of this holy shrine are open for only 6 months that is between the end of April and the beginning of November because of the extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand. This temple is located in Garhwal area of Uttarakhand which is in Chamoli district along the bank of Alaknanda river. This temple is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites of India. It is a centre of attraction for tourism in Uttarakhand.

How To Reach?

Before going to any new place the one common question that comes in the mind is “how to reach that place?” So,to solve this problem we will provide you with the complete information about how to reach Badrinath temple.

So if you are travelling from a place which is outside Uttarakhand then the best route to travel is via Haridwar where you can find different buses for the route and if you want to travel by plane then you have to travel via Dehradun as in Uttarakhand the airport in route of Badrinath is in Dehradun Jolly grant. The distance between Haridwar and Badrinath temple is 315 km, so to reach Badrinath temple you can travel by any mode of transport that is public or private. Now if you are travelling by bus from Haridwar then the bus will drop you at  Joshimath and from Joshimath you have to travel by taxi as the road after joshimath to reach Badrinath temple is very narrow that’s why only small four wheelers are preferred for the route.

यह भी पढ़े : जानिए उत्तराखण्ड के पौड़ी जनपद के बारे में रोचक तथ्य ।

Religious Beliefs:

Now coming to religious beliefs as every divine place has its own religious beliefs similarly Badrinath temple also has some religious beliefs that we will discuss here. So,some of the religious beliefs related to Badrinath temple are:

1. According to Vedas,the temple was built between 1750 and 500 BC.
2. It is believed that this is the place where sage Vyas narrated the Epic Mahabharat to Lord Ganesha.
3. Once Lord Vishnu went to the forest of Badrinath for meditation and he was not aware of the climatic conditions which were extremely cold, so in order to protect him Mahalaxmi took the form of a Badri (berry tree) and gave him shade protecting him. Being pleased by that, Lord Vishnu named this place as “Badrikashram”.
4. One of the stories is related to Mahabharat. It was said that when Pandavas and their wife Draupadi were on their way to heaven they took rest at the place which was nearby Badrinath temple.
5. Ved Vyas was born in the forest of Badrinath that’s why he is also known as Badrinarayan.

Folk Story (Lok Katha):

 It’s believed that Badrinath temple after ancient time was restored by Shankaracharya ji and after that by the inspiration of head of ramanus community varatraj, it was developed by Garhwal Naresh in 15th century. In the temple there is a golden umbrella and kalash and according to locals it’s gifted by queen of Indore- “Ahilya Bai”. 

Now coming to the story behind Badrinath temple.

There is a popular story behind the temple i.e. Once upon a time lord Narad visited Lord Vishnu to “kshir Sagar’ where he found Goddess Lakshmi pressing Lord Vishnu’s feet.  After watching surprisingly for few minutes Lord Narad asked about it to Lord Vishnu that made Lord Vishnu aggressive and he left to penance in forest. While Lord Vishnu was in penance suddenly snowfall starts but as lord Vishnu was in deep penance so snowfall doesn’t affected lord Vishnu. After some time passes Goddess Lakshmi got worried about Lord Vishnu, So in order to protect Lord Vishnu she goes to the forest to protect him and cover Lord Vishnu by taking the form of a Badri tree(berry tree).  When Lord Vishnu wakes up from his penance, he sees that Goddess Lakshmi is completely covered with snow while protecting him from snow, after seeing which he becomes happy and tells Goddess Lakshmi that from today onwards we will be worshiped together at this place and from today the name of this place will be Badrinath because you have protected me and took the form of Badri tree. 

यह भी पढ़े : गढ़वाल राइफल्स – दुनिया में सबसे ज्यादा ब्रेवरी अवॉर्ड पाने वाली रेजीमेंट

So this was the story behind the name of this holy place and why it’s called Badrinath Dham.

Nearby Attractions: 

Badrinath temple is located at a place which is filled with breath-taking and serene landscape.It has heaven like sceneries and mountain ranges nearby and also there are many places to visit near Badrinath. So,the few of them are:

1. 1. Ved Vyas and Ganesh Cave: This is the place where the Epic Mahabharat is written by Ved Vyas.
2. 2. Neelkanth Peak: It’s is a mountain that can be seen from Badrinath temple which is covered completely with snow. It’s a very beautiful and attractive place that must be visited.
3. Mana Village: This village is known as the last Indian village that is situated in Indo-China border. It’s a beautiful village where one can also see saraswati river and bhotiya (rongpa) culture.
4. Pandukeshwar temple: It’s beleived that this temple is associated with Mahabharat period and this place has it’s own historical importance.
5. 5. Tapt kund: It’s a small hot water pond outside the temple where devotees take a bath and then visit the temple.

Opening And Closing Information Of Badrinath Kapat:

Badrinath temple always opens for six months and remains closed for rest of the period due to extreme weather conditions. It opens every year in month of May and closes in mid of November every year.

The ideal time to visit Badrinath temple is from May to June and September to October.It is recommended to avoid late winters and monsoon season due to extreme weather and road conditions.

So we hope after reading this article you will definitely visit this holy place to enjoy ethereal and pristine sceneries of this wonderland and to explore the heavenly bliss at such a piaous place.

“ऊं नमोः नारायणाय| ऊं नमोः भगवते वासुदेवाय।“ 

“ऊं नारायणाय विद्महे। वासुदेवाय धीमहि।”

RESEARCH AND WRITTEN BY

HEMANTI RAWAT