Located in the Tehri-Garhwal region, Badrinath is one of the four dhaams and is considered to be very pious for all devout Hindus.
There is a very old legend associated with Badrinath. It is said that Adi Shankaracharya came to Badrikashram with his followers when he was 11 years old. They reached there in the early hours of the morning and Adi Shankaracharya felt that divine breeze was blowing from the Sushmaand Gandhmadna Mountain. The influence of the breeze was such that Shankaracharya started reciting the Ashtapadi spontaneously. He also began a search for divine idols along the southern part of the Alaknanda River. While searching the left bank he had a strange feeling that made him feel that Naradkund or Narayankund lay somewhere between Naradshila and the Varahshila. Acting on this feeling when he dove into the water he found an idol, but on inspection it did not look to be a divine idol. This happened once again with the second idol he found. When he dived in for the third time and found a third idol he heard a voice that told him that that the idol he had in his hand was the divine idol of Badrinath and was consecrated by Brahma once before. The voice also asked that the idol be given its rightful place. So approximately 2500 years ago the idol of Badrinath was consecrated by Adi Shankaracharya. The structure of Badrinath Temple was built by the kings of Garhwal about 2 centuries ago. The temple houses a Garbha Griha or inner sanctum which holds idols of Badri Narayan, Kuber (God of wealth), Narad Muni, Uthavar, Nar, Narayan, Goddess Mahalaxmi, Garuda, Adi Shankar, Swami Desikan and Shri Ramanujan. The main idol of Badri Narayan is made of black stone and is armed with a conch shell (Shankh) and Chakra in two arms and the other two arms are resting in his lap in a Yogamudra position. Apart from the inner sanctum the temple also has a Darshan Mandap and a Sabha Mandap.
Fairs held at Badrinath -
Mata Murti Ka Mela - Every year in the month of September a big fair is organized in honor of the mother of Lord Badrinath called Mata Murti Ka Mela.
Badri Kedar Festival - This festival is held in the month of June in the shrines of both Badrinath and Kedarnath. The festival lasts for 8 days and brings all the great artists of the country together in one location.
Devout pilgrims can visit the shrine to pay their homage as per the tradition decided by Lord Brahma. The temple remains open for six months (from hindu calender months of Vaishaka to Karthik) for the common people. For the remaining six months (from Margashsish to Chaitra) the temple is closed as it is believed that the Devas come here for the Lord's darshan.
During the winter months the Utsavars (the Bronze images of Lord Badrinath) are taken to Pandukeshwar, which is the residence of Lord Badrinarayan during the winter months.
For the year 2004 the dates are 28th April to November 2004.
Fast Facts
Area - 2.5 square km.
Altitude - 3133 meters above sea level
Best time to visit - May-November
Languages - Hindi, Garhwali
The journey to Badrinath from Rishikesh is through Rudra Prayag. The road from Rudra Prayag is very scenic with the River Alaknanda on one side and the mountains on the other and beautiful waterfalls in between. The distance from Rudra Prayag to Badri is 160 km and the time taken depends on the weather conditions.
Badrinath is also connected by road to Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Nainital and Almora districts.
The nearest airport is Jolly Grant at Dehradun (315 km from Badrinath) and the nearest railhead is at Rishikesh (292 km from Badrinath).
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