Things to Know about Badrinath Dham Yatra

Badrinath Dham yatra 2023

Badrinath Temple is a Hindu Shrine and one of the four pilgrimage destinations of Char dham Yatra carried out in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand State in India. According to historical facts the Badrinath temple was originally installed by Hindu Guru Adi Shankaracharya thousand years ago which was renovated many times after its installation. The temple is also mentioned in some legends Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana. The presiding deity worshipped in the temple is Lord Vishnu has a black shaligram stone statue of around 3.3 ft tall. The present structure of the temple has three sections – Garbhagriha, Darshan Mandap and Sabha Mandap were built by the Garhwal King.

The Badrinath temple is situated at the height of 3415 mtrs from sea level on the bank of Alaknanada River in the Badrinath town of Chamoli district. The temple is main attraction here along with other sightseeing spot like Mana Village, Vyas Gufa, Maata moorti, Charanpaduka, Bhimkund and the “Mukh” of the Saraswati River.

The road to Badarinath looks most comely due to the lofty mountainous terrain and curvy that passes through the dense and dark forest that gives you most scenically beautiful views of Himalayas. Throughout the way you may visit numerous pilgrimage and sightseeing places at Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, Vishnuprayag. Shri Badrinath Temple opens only for six months between April to November months because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.

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Badrinath Temple Details:-

From the outside the temple is painted in bright and vibrant colours of yellow, red and blue which look like a stunning contrast to the surrounding greenery. It is believed that according to some researchers and architects this temple was initially a Buddhist monastery which was later on converted into a temple during the 8^th century by Adi Shankaracharya. The golden gilded roof on the top gives the temple a lavish look and the big golden ‘Om’ on the entrance adds a breathtaking character to the temple.

TALE OF NAR AND NARAYANA

Badrinath Dham is also related to the tale of the two sons of Dharma, Nar and Narayana who wished to setup their hermitage and expand their religious base amidst the pious Himalayas. Going by the legends, during their quest to find a suitable place for their hermitage they led to a chanced discovery of the four sites of Panch Badri, namely Dhyan Badri, Yog Badri , Bridha Badri and Bhavishya Badri. Finally they came across a spot which was blessed with two fascinating cold and hot springs behind river Alaknanda. They were extremely overjoyed on finding this place and thus they named this place as Badri Vishal, this is how Badrinath came into being.

Best Time to Visit Badrinath Dham:-

The best time to visit the Badrinath temple is from April/May to June and September to October/November.

Taking a trip during monsoons involves the risks of floods, landslides and other monsoon related problems. Freezing temperatures in the winter makes winter inappropriate for religious tours in this Chota Char Dham destination.

Badrinath Temple Opening and Closing details:-

The Badrinath temple opens every year in the month of April / May and closes during Nov month after the Hindu’s festival of light Diwali. During winter season the temple closed due to heavy snow fall and the prayers to Badri Vishal are offered at Narsing Temple in Joshimath.

Best time to Visit Badrinath Dham:-

Due to its elevation and location, Badrinath Temple remains open to the devotees for a brief period of six months. The end of April or beginning of the month of May is chosen for the opening of the portals of this sacred Hindu shrine in Uttarakhand. The temple closes right after Diwali and its deity is brought to Joshimath to rest for next six months of winter. Therefore the best time to visit Badrinath Dham is between April and November with April to mid-June and October to mid-November being the ideal most.

Things to know before going to Badrinath Temple:-

• Badrinath amongst all four destinations is the easiest to access. There is a nominal walk required to reach the temple from the Taxi Stand
• Mobile connectivity in Badrinath is quite good, BSNL has excellent network reception
• Though the chances are negligible, you must carry medicine for high altitude sickness, in case of emergency
• Darshan are best done in the morning hours so that you can have a larger section of the day to explore around the town
• Though it remains considerably pleasant in the summers in Badrinath, it is ideal to carry something warm to wear

Places to visit around Badrinath:-

Travelling to this holy place is an ideal option for the pilgrims who want to rest in the middle of calm and peaceful surroundings. Apart from the main Badrinath temple, pilgrims on Badrinath Yatra can even travel to some other interesting places located nearby Badrinath in order to have a mesmerizing experience.

Below given is the list of tourist places that can be visited during the Badrinath Dham Yatra:-

Tapovan Hot Water Spring

Tapovan Hot Water sulphur spring is just 10 kms away from Joshimath. The strong smell of sulphur is present all around the area. The natural overflow from the hot water spring gets collected in a small man-made Kund where travellers take a dip due to the high medicinal significance of the water of the Kund.

Chenab Valley

Situated 28 kms from Joshimath, Chenab Valley is an unexplored valley filled with flowers that grabs the attention and interest of the nature lovers on the way to Badrinath yatra. The valley is acknowledged for offering breathtaking views of the extensive meadows covered with a wide variety of flowers. Tourists can witness a great variety of flowers including primulas, marigold, brahmakamal, orchids, daisies, poppies and anemones. The valley is also blessed with an extensive range of plants with medicinal value like Sal, Rhododendron and Teak.

Tapt-Kund

Just below the Badrinath temple lies the Tapt Kund hot sulphur spring that has a high medicinal value. It is a freshwater pool with the bathing area of 16.1/2 feet by 14.1/4 feet. Even though the normal temperature of the spring is 55°c, the temperature of water keeps increasing gradually during the day. A dip in Tapt Kund is regarded as a good medical cure for skin diseases.

Narad Kund

Narad Kund is situated near Tapt Kund. It is believed that the Badrinath idol was obtained from this kund. Narad Kund hot water spring is positioned under the Garur Shila and holds a medicinal value. Devotees take a dip in this kund before entering the Badrinath temple for Darshan of Lord Badrinath.

Vyas & Ganesh-Gufa

Vyas & Ganesh-Gufa cave is located in the Mana Village along with many other caves. It is believed that in this cave Ved Vyas dictated his famous epic of Mahabharat to Ganesh and therefore it has been named Vyas Gufa. There is an idol of Ved Vyas shown writing the granth (epic book) inside this cave.

Mata-Murti-Mandir

Located 3 km from Badrinath on the right bank of the Alaknanda River, Mata Murti Mandir is an ancient temple devoted to Shri Badrinath’s mother. It is one of the top tourist places of the Mana Village. The legend related to this temple is that Mata Murti worshiped Lord Vishnu and requested him to be born as her son in his next birth. Agreeing to this, Lord Vishu came from her womb as twins, Nar and Narayan, in this world to kill the devil.

Vasudhara Falls

A short and simple trek of around 4 km from Mana Village will take the travelers to the Vasudhara Falls. Set at a height of 12,000 feet above sea level, it is 400 feet high and appears as if milk is falling from the mountain when seen from a distance. It is said that the water drops do not fall on the offenders.

Satopanth Lake

Satopanth is the place that leads the way to the Swargarohini peak from where according to the Mahabharata, Yudhishthir and the dog were sent to the heaven. Also, the lake is believed to be the point where Bheema was denied to enter the heaven. With clean and pure water, Satopanth Lake offers breathtaking views to the travelers. There are no rest houses and villages on the way to Satopanth, therefore, travelers can rest in temporary tents and caves.

Pandukeshwar

Located 24 kms from Badrinath, Pandukeshwar is believed to be established by the father of Pandavas, King Pandu. The place has two temples that are centuries old. Out of them, one of the temples is dedicated to Lord Yoga Badri Narayan and the other one is dedicated to Lord Vasudev. During winters, the temple of Lord Vasudev operates as a home for Lord Badri Narayan and all the daily prayers and holy rituals are performed in Lord Vasudev’s temple.

Joshimath

It is one of the ‘Mathh’ established by Guru Adi Shankaracharya and functions as the abode of Shri Badrinath during winters. Well-connected with Auli by cable car, the highest cable car of Asia, Joshimath is located at an altitude of 1,890 mts above the sea level and 46 kms from Badrinath. The tourists can also visit Narsingh and Kalpavriksha temple while traveling to Joshimath.

Auli

Located at a height of 3050 mts above sea level and 60 kms from Badrinath, Auli is a famous Paragliding and skiing spot in Uttarakhand state of India. It offers amazing views of the captivating snow-covered Himalayan mountain range. The place is well connected with Joshimath through Asia’s longest cable car. Further, it is also accessible via motorable roads.

Valley of Flowers National Park

Nestled in the western Himalayas, Valley of Flowers National Park covers an area of around 87.50 sq kms. Located 16 km from Govindghat, the valley is covered with layers of white snow during winters and blooming flowers from June to October. It was announced as a national park in the year 1982 and listed among the world heritage sites. The valley is a paradise for nature lovers, botanists and adventure enthusiasts.

Adi Badri

Located at a distance of 17 kms from Karnaprayag, Adi Badri is easy to reach by motorable road. The main temple situated here is dedicated to Lord Narayan. Established by Adi Guru Shankaracharya, the temple has a black stone cave statue of Lord Vishnu.

Hemkund Sahib

Hemkund Sahib is the worship place of Guru Govind Singhji, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, who meditated at this place for years. Situated at an altitude of 4,329 mts above sea level in the middle of many snow covered peaks, collectively known as Hemkund Parvat, it is a star shaped Gurudwara set close to the lake. The place is visited by thousands of devotees every year. Also, there is a temple of Lord Rama’s brother, Lakshman located here.

NEELKANTH PEAK

Known as the ‘Queen of Garhwal’, Neelkanth Peak, standing with its gigantic height of 6,597 meter (approx.), sets a great background to the Badrinath shrine. Named after Lord Shiva, the splendour of the snow-covered peak gets augmented as it receives the first rays of the Sun at the crack of dawn.

How to reach Badrinath Dham:-

ROUTE

Haridwar – Rishikesh – Deoprayag – Kirtinagar – Shrinagar – Rudraprayag – Gauchar – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Birahi – Pipalkoti – Garur Ganga – Helang – Joshimath – Vishnuprayag – Govindghat – Pandukeshwar – Hanumanchatti – Badrinath.

BY AIR:

Jolly Grant airport, Rishikesh Road, Dehradun, is the nearest airport to Gangotri. One can hire a cab or get a bus from here.

BY TRAIN:

Regular trains to Haridwar and Dehradun are available at all times of the year. One can hire a cab or get a bus from here.

BY BUS:

Badrinath is well-connected with motorable roads from important destinations of Uttarakhand.

Distance From:-

Delhi to Badrinath:- 563 Km.

Haridwar to Badrinath: – 326 Km.

Dehradun to Badrinath:-335 Km.

Rishikesh to Badrinath: – 298 Km.

So this is the details about Badrinath Dham Yatra and you can book a trip to Badrinath Dham with us Gokeys Haridwar and grab the best deals.