Badrinath Temple of Lord Vishnu, also known as Badarikashrama is at Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Chamoli district on the banks of river Alaknanda . It is one of the Char Dhams or four holiest places and also one of the 108 Divya Desams (Divine holy places) dedicated to the Lord Vishnu.
The Bhagavata Purana says, “There in Badrikashram Vishnu in his incarnation as Nar-Narayana, had been undergoing great Tapasya from time immemorial for the welfare of all living beings”.
Badrinath got it name from “Badrayana”, another name of the great Vedavyasa who resided in this pace. His consort is Aravindhavalli.
Once Lord Shiva found a black stone image of Lord Vishnu made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda River.He placed it in a cave near the Taptakund hot springs which are close by. The King of Garhwal is said to have moved it to the present place in the 16th century. The complex has 15 idols of many Gods and Goddesses – Narad rishi, Udhava, Nar & Narayan, Kubera, Garuda etc..
The temple has gone through several repairs and renovations because of damages by an landslides.
The head priest of the temple, called Rawal, is always a Nambudiri Brahmin Kerala.
The pujas performed in the morning are morning – Mahabhishek, Adhishek, Gitapath and Bhagwat Path and in the evening the pujas are Geet Govind and Aarti. Special pujas are performed for the devotees and online tbooking is also avalable.
The main festival here is the Mata Murti Ka Mela, to commemorates the descent of the river Ganges to earth. It is usually in September.The other major festival is the Badri Kedar festival in the month of June.
Due to extreme cold and snow fall the temple is closed for six months for winter during October–November as decided by the temple authorities. An Akhanda Jyothi – a large lamp – is lit and a big pooja is performed. The lamp is filled with a lot of ghee to last for six months. The image of Badrinath is then transferred to the Narasimha temple at Jyotirmath 64 km away. The reopening of the temple is usually on auspicious Akshaya tritiya day around April–May and again a big pooja is conducted.
Places to see near by: Tapta kund, Brahma Kapal, The Cave of Veda Vyasa. A lot of travel agents conduct combined trips to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath.
Timings: 4.30 am to 1 pm – 4 pm to 7pm.
How to reach:
By Air: The Dehradun airport is 317 km away.
By Train: From Rishikesh 297 km away
By Road: Many buses and tourist buses from Delhi, Haridwar, and Rishikesh to Badrinath.
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