Badarinath Dham is considered as one of the most sacred centres of pilgrimage situated in the lofty Himalayan heights in the Garhwal hill tracks (Uttarakhand). 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.
Throughout the route to Badarinath there are numerous pilgrimage sites at Deo Prayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag and Vishnuprayag; as well as Pandukeswar where king Pandu observed Tapasya with his queen Madri and where his sons Pandavas, stayed during their pilgrimage to heaven, and the site where Bhima and Hanuman (sons of Vayu) met.
At Badarinath Lord MahaVishnu is believed to have done his penance. Seeing the Lord doing his penance in the open, Goddess Mahalaxmi is believed to have assumed the form of Badari tree to provide him shelter to face the onslaught of the adverse weather conditions, therefore the name Badari Narayan. It is believed that Lord Vishnu revealed to Narad rishi that Nar & Naryans forms were his own. It is also believed that Narad rishi, who also did his penance here, is even now worshipping the supreme God with Ashtakshara mantras.
The image of Badarinarayan here is fashioned out of Saligramam. Badarinarayan is seen under the Badari tree, flanked by Kuber and Garuda, Narad, Narayan and Nar. Mahalakshmi has a sanctum outside in the parikrama. There is also a shrine to Adi Sankara at Badarinath.
Behind the temple of Lord Badarinarayan is the Lakshmi Narsimh mandir, with shrines to Desikacharya and Ramanujachary.At Badarinath one can witness one of the greatest wonders of Nature in the Hot water springs of Taptkund on the banks of ice chilled river Alaknanda. The temperature of the water in the Kund is 55 degree centigrade whereas the normal temperature in this region for most part of the year remains at 9-10 degree centigrade to sub-zero levels. Before visiting the temple the pilgrims take a holy bath in the Taptkund.
The Temple’s present structure was built by the Kings of Garhwal. The Temple has three sections – Garbhagriha (Sanctum), the Darshan Mandap, and Sabha Mandap. The Garbhagriha (Sanctum) houses Lord Badari Narayan, Kuber (God of wealth), Narad rishi, Udhava, Nar & Narayan.
Lord Badari Narayan (also called as Badari Vishal) is armed with Shankh (Conch) and Chakra in two arms in a lifted posture and two arms rested on the lap in Yogamudra.The principal image is of black stone and it represents Vishnu seated in meditative pose. The temple also houses Garuda (Vehicle of Lord Narayan). Also here are the idols of Adi Shankar, Swami Desikan and Shri Ramanujam. Guru-Shisya parampara is supposed to have its roots here.
Legend
The Vishnu Purana narrates another version of the origins of Badrinath. According to the tradition, Dharam had two sons, Nar and Narayan—both of which are modern names of Himalayan mountains. They chose the place to spread their religion and each of them wed the spacious valleys in the Himalayas. Searching for an ideal place to set up a hermitage, they came across the other four Badris of the Pancha Badri, namely Bridha Badri, Yog Bhadri, Dhyan Badri and Bhavish Badri. They finally found the hot and cold spring behind the Alaknanda River and named it Badri Vishal.
History
There is no historical record about the temple, but there is a mention of the presiding deity Badrinath in Vedic scriptures (c. 1750–500 bc). According to some accounts, the temple was a Buddhist shrine till the 8th century and Adi Shankara converted it to a Hindu temple. The architecture of the temple resembling that of a Buddhist vihara(temple) and the brightly painted facade which is atypical of Buddhist temples leads to the argument. Other accounts relate that it was originally established as a pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century. It is believed that Shankara resided in the place for six years from ad 814 to 820. He resided six months in Badrinath and the rest of the year in Kedarnath. Hindu followers assert that he discovered the image of Badrinath in the Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. A traditional story asserts that Shankara expelled all the Buddhists in the region with the help of the Parmar ruler king Kanak Pal. The hereditary successors of the king governed the temple and endowed villages to meet its expenses. The income from a set of villages on the route to the temple was used to feed and accommodate pilgrims. The Parmar rulers held the title “Bolanda Badrinath”, meaning speaking Badrinath. They had other titles, including Shri 108 Basdrishcharyaparayan Garharj Mahimahendra, Dharmabibhab and Dharamarakshak Sigamani.
The throne of Badrinath was named after the presiding deity; the king enjoyed ritual obeisance by the devotees before proceeding to the shrine. The practice was continued until the late 19th century. During the 16th century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple. When the state of Garhwal was divided, the Badrinath temple came under British rule but the king of Garhwal continued as the chairman of the management committee.
The temple has undergone several major renovations due to its age and damage by an avalanche. In the 17th century, the temple was expanded by the Kings of Garhwal. After significant damage in the great 1803 Himalayan earthquake, it was largely rebuilt by the King of Jaipur. It was still under renovation as late as the 1870s but these were completed by the time of the First World War. At that time, the town was still small, consisting of only the 20-odd huts housing the temple’s staff, but the number of pilgrims was usually between seven and ten thousand. The Kumbh Meld festival held every twelve years raised the number of visitors to 50,000. The temple also enjoyed revenue from the rents owed to it by various villages bequeathed by various rajas.
During 2006, the state government announced the area around Badrinath as a no construction zone to curb illegal encroachment.
Best Time to visit:- The ideal time or peak season to go for a Char Dham Yatra is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because; all the four sacred sites are perched in Garhwal Himalayas, which is prone to heavy snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to the shrines are blocked. Moreover, during the monsoon season, there is undue threat of having landslides, which can further disrupt the journey.
Places to see in Badrinath:
There are two natural hot water springs in the pilgrimage center- Tapt Kund and Surya Kund. The waters at these springs have a temperature which remains constant at 55 °C throughout the year. It is believed that taking a bath in these springs purifies the mind, body and soul; bathing is generally done before entering the temple.
Panch Badris:
Vishal Badri: It refers to the main Shri Badri Narayan Temple which is considered to be very sacred by the Hindus.
Yogathyan Badri: Located at a distance of 24 kms from Badri Nath and 20 kms from Joshimath, Yogathyan Badri is believed to be the place where Maharaj Pandu (the father of the Pandavas) prayed to Pandukeshwar.
Bhavishya Badri: It is a small village located some 17 kms away from Joshimath.
Preetha Badri: It is located at a place called Animath, which is 17 kms from Joshimath. Adi Shankar is believed to have worshipped Lord Badrinath here for some time.
Adi Badri: It is located at a distance of 16 kms from Karnaprayag. Here one can find many temples from the Gupt Dynasty; among these temples, the Mana Narayanan temple is the most popular.
Village Mana – Vyas Gufa:
Located at a distance of 3 kms from Badri, it is the last Indian Village situated on the Indo-China Border. It has managed to capture the public imagination on account of being home to the Vyas Caves; it is believed that Maharishi Vyas (a sage), author of the Mahabharata, lived in these caves. The village, which sits on the banks of the River Saraswati, is named after this great sage who, in fact, completed the epic in these caves itself. Vyas was actually obeying the orders of his mentor Kalpatru Maharishi, who advised him to start working on the epic. The Mahabharata depicts the history of the Pandavs, the Kauravs, as well the famous Kurukshetra War. Importantly, the Bhagawad Gita, which literally means the song of the Bhagavan or Krishna, is also a part of the epic.
Ganesha, one of the best known and most-worshipped Hindu deities and the son of Shiv & Parvati, rendered his help to the sage in completing the mammoth task. Besides the Mahabharata, Maharishi Vyas was also responsible for composing 18 puranas, Brahma Sutras apart from classifying the Hindu Vedas into 4 parts – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. People believe that it is in these caves where Adi Shankara met Vyas Maharishi and discussed with him his Bhashyam (explanatory notes) for Brahma Sutras.
The rock formations inside the Vyas Gufa bear close resemble to the orderly stacking of palm leave manuscripts – oldest writing material – and are worshipped as Vyas Pusthak. Many in fact consider Maharishi Vyas to be a reincarnation of Vishnu.
Valley of Flowers:
One of the most idyllic parks, it was discovered by Frank S. Smythe in 1931. The valley is filled with a plethora of vibrant flowers, which is why the park is named so. Nearby the park, the River Pushpavati flows by, while the massive Rataban peak makes for a stunning backdrop.
Govindghat: Located close to Joshimath, Govindghat is a nondescript place and the starting point of treks to the valley, which is some 17 km away. Badrinath, at 16 km away, is an important destination close by.
Lok-Pal Hemkund : Hemkund Sahib, one of the most popular Gurudwaras in India, is located here, at an elevation of around 4320 above sea level. Nearby attraction includes the Lok-Pal Hemkund Lake, which with its crystal clear waters looks stunning; there are four peaks surrounding the lake adding to its aura.
Mata Murti Mandir: Located at about 3 km from Badrinath and on the banks of the Alaknanda River, Mata Murti Mandir temple is dedicated to Shri Badrinath’s mother.
Vasuki Tal: It is a high altitude lake which can be reached by undertaking an 8 km trek; the maximum elevation of the trek can reach up to 14,200 feet. Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa, Bhimpul and Vasudhara Falls are within a range of 3-6 km from the lake. Most of these places are famous for their association to Hinduism and one can find many fascinating legends associated with them.
Joshimath:
The first math to be established by Shri Adi Sankara, it is located at a distance of 14 kms from Helang via Badri. It is believed that Adi Sankara got enlightenment here and authored Sri Sankara Bhashyam. It is located at a height of 6150 ft above sea level. Here you will find separate temples of Lord Narasimha and Lord Vasudev (different forms of Lord Vishnu). It is one of the 108 Divya Desams (sung by the Sacred Vaishnavaite Saints).
In the temple for Lord Narasimha, separate statues of Badri narayan, Uthavar, Kuber, Chandikadevi, Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Garud have been exhibited together in the sanctum sanctorum. Outside the temple separate statues of Brahma, Krishana, Lakshmi & Anjaneya can be seen. Maharishi Vyas is believed to have worshipped Goddess Lakshmi. The presiding deity of the temple, Lord Narasimha is believed to have been established by Adi Sankara. There is also the belief that one hand of the presiding deity is getting weaker and the day it comes apart, the road to Badri will get permanently blocked; once that happens Lord Badri Narayan will only give darshans from either the Bhavishya Badri or Adi Badri (part of Panch Badris).
The temple of Lord Vasudev houses Lord Vasudev in the sanctum sanctorum along with other deities like Sridevi, Bhoodevi, Leela Devi, Oorvasi Devi & Balram. Further separate structures are available for Vinayaka, Brahma, Indira, Chandran(Moon), Navadurgas & Gauri Shankar.
Pandukeshwar:
This place is believed to have been established by King Pandu, the father of the Pandavas. It is situated about 4km from Govind Ghat, 219 kms from Kedarnath and 24 kms from Badrinath. There are two temples – one of Lord Yogabadri Narayan and the other of Lord Vasudev. During winter, the temple of Lord Vasudev temple functions as the abode for Lord Badri Narayan and all the daily rituals connected to worship are performed here. Both the temples are quite old.
The temple remains closed from October to April due to severe weather conditions. During this period the idols of Utsavo murti are taken to Pandukeshwar.