Travel-India

Badrinath

Badrinath is one of the ‘Char Dham’, that is, one of the four most sacred shrines of Hindus, alongwith Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Being one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimages in the country, Badrinath is an important destination on the sacred itinerary of every devout Hindu.

As the legend goes, Lord Vishnu descended on the earth to meditate here in ‘Badrivan’ (as the place was known then after the dense forests of berries) after Lord Narad rebuked the Lord for being immersed in worldly pleasures.

Badrinath Temple

Badrinath temple, also known as Sri Badrinath Dham, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is one of the Panch Badris.

Though the legend dates the temple back to the Vedic Age, the current temple was established by Guru Adi Shankaracharya in 8^thcentury.

While the statue of Lord Vishnu sits pretty in Garbha Griha (the sanctum sanctorum), the temple premises has a ‘sabha mandap’ for devotees to assemble and a ‘darshan mandap’ for conducting pujas.

Close to the temple is a hot water spring where pilgrims take a dip before heading for puja or darshans.

Badrinath Temple Timings: 04:30 AM to 01:00 PM

04:00 PM to 09:00 PM

Opening Date of Badrinath Temple

The shrine of Badrinath will open for darshans by devotees on 06 May, 2017.

How to Reach Badrinath

Nearest Airport – Jolly Grant, Dehradun (315 Km)

Nearest Railway Station – Rishikesh (297 Km)

Route to Badrinath

Delhi- Meerut- Haridwar - Rishikesh- Pauri- Devprayag – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandaprayag – Gopeshwar – Joshimath – Pandukeshwar – Hanuman Chatti – Badrinath

There are numerous pilgrimage sites, with various legendary stories associated, on way to Badrinath – DeoPrayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, Vishnuprayag, Pandukeshwar. Of these the one which often goes unnoticed by most pilgrims is Pandukeshwar, a tiny sleepy hamlet where King Pandu observed ‘tapasya’ with his queen Madri and later his sons, Pandavas, stayed and meditated here.