Badrinath Dham, an abode of
Lord Vishnu and is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations high up in
the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Every year thousands of pilgrims gather
at the temple to pay their tribute to the most ancient figurine of Lord Vishnu.
About Badrinath
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| Badrinath Temple at Night |
Badrinath town of Uttarakhand
is famous for the temple of Badrinath, one of the dhams in the Chota Chardham
circuit, and is also one of the ‘Panch Badris’. Also, Badrinath Dham is an
important pilgrimage destination for Vaishnavites because it is counted as ‘one’
among the 108 Vishnu Divya Deshams that our country has. The deity of the
temple is Lord Vishnu or ‘Badrinarayan’ enshrined here in the form of a 3.3ft high
Shaligram Shila (black stone) statue. This statue of Lord Vishnu is a ‘Swayam Vekta’ statue or a ‘self-manifested’ statue seated in the posture of meditation. During
the festival of ‘Mata Murti Ka Mela’, huge crowds gather around the temple to
take part in the festivities. According to legends, the region of Badrinath Dham
was the seat of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. Lord Vishnu was charmed by the
place and tricked them to get hold of their ‘residence’. Thus, Lord Shiva and
Parvati shifted to ‘Kedarnath’ leaving the place to Lord Vishnu.
Badrinath Location
Badrinath Dham is located in
Uttarakhand’s Badrinath town, also known as ‘Badrikashram’ as per the ancient
Hindu scriptures. The town of Badrinath is cradled between the mountain ranges
of Nar and Narayana and falls within Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. The temple
of Badrinath stands on the hill trails of the Garhwal Himalayas and on the river
banks of River Alakananda. The magnificent Nilkanth peak towers over the temple
of Badrinath which is perched at an altitude of 3133 meters above sea level.
Badrinath Tourism
The main attraction of
Badrinath Dham Yatra is of course the temple of Badrinarayan. However, pilgrims
and tourists could visit many other amazing destinations set amid the
breathtaking natural beauties. Such destinations include places like
Pandukeshwar, Mana village, Charan Paduka, Bheem Pul, Brahmakapal, Ganesha
cave, Narad Kund, Mata Murti temple, Narad Kund, Tapta Kund, Sheshnetra,
Brahmakapal, Neelkanth peak.
How to Reach
There are various ways to
reach Badrinath Dham such as
Air Route: Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun is the nearest airport
to Badrinath Dham located at a distance of about 317 km from the temple.
Regular flights connect Jolly Grant Airport to all other parts of the country.
After reaching Jolly Grant Airport, you could hire a cab to take you to
Badrinath Dham. You could also avail of the Badrinath Yatra Helicopter Service from Dehradun to reach Badrinath fast & easily!
Rail Route: The rail heads that fall nearest to Badrinath Dham
include Haridwar (32 4kms), Rishikesh (297 kms), and Kotadwar (327 kms). These
stations are well connected to all other major parts of India through railway
networks. From Rishikesh station, you could avail cabs to take you to the
Badrinath base camp; i.e. Hanuman Chatti.
Road Route: Motorable roads connect Badrinath to almost all the
major Uttarakhand destinations such as Rishikesh, Haridwar, Rudraprayag,
Srinagar etc. Public, as well as private buses plus taxis, ply on these roads.
You could avail of road transport to the auspicious Badrinath Dham.
Best Time to Visit
The ideal time to visit
Badrinath Dham is between the months of April and early June and then again between
September and early November. It’s best to avoid the monsoon seasons; i.e.
around months, late June, July, and August. The area during the monsoons becomes
prone to landslides and thus traveling may prove difficult and life-threatening.
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