Badrinath temple is located in the northern part of India. Situated at Badrinath town, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is Located along with the banks of River Alakananda. Badrinath is also called as Badrinarayan Temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is also a part of 108 Divyadesams which are dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Adi Shankaracharya originally established this Temple. It is one of the holiest shrines which comes under char dam and Chota Char dam Yatra.
Badrinath temple will be open for six months. The temple will closed for six months due to the extreme weather conditions. Badrinath Temple is open from late April or early May to the start of November. The temple is closed in winter on the auspicious day of Bhatridwitiya. On the day of closure, Akhanda Jyothi- a lamp is lit with ghee and this lamp lasts for six months till the temple is opened. The temple is re-opened on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. A lot of pilgrims visit the temple to witness Akhanda Jyothi. Badrinath temple is found approximately at 10,200 feet above the sea level opposite to Neelkanth Peak and between the mountains of Nara and Narayana.
Char dam consists of four popular and the most important holy sites of India. These four sites are located across the four corners of India and they are -Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North (Uttarakhand); Jagannath Temple at Puri In the East (Orissa/ Odisha); Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwaraka in the West (Gujarat) and Rameshwaram at Rameshwaram in the South (Tamil Nadu). The journey of these four temples is considered to be sacred in Hinduism. These are the places that one must visit at least once in their life time. Traditionally the pilgrimage of Char dam begins from East and proceeds clockwise. Chota Char Dam consists of the holy places located in Uttarakhand- starting with Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In the Chota Char dam Badrinath is the last and the most celebrated place in the tour of Garhwal Himalayas.
Best Time To Visit Badrinath Temple
Badrinath has cold climate throughout the year. The best time to visit Badrinath Temple is between May to June and September to October. Winters here are extremely cold due to heavy snowfall.
How to Visit Badrinath
Usually this holy site is visited along with the other pilgrim sites that make up char dam in Uttarakhand. The pilgrims visiting the holy place increased from 1 million though it is not so easy to reach the temple.
Travelling by Air- Jolly Grant Airport (Dehradun) is the nearest airport to Gangotri. From there one can easily get a cab or bus to reach the destination.
By Train- Regular trains to Haridwar and Dehradun trains are available throughout the year. One can hire a cab or catch a bus from there on. The nearest railway station is Rishikesh.
By Bus- Badrinath Temple has good access to motorable roads from all the important cities of Uttarakhand.
Festivals and Pujas in Badrinath Temple
Most prominent festival held at Badrinath Temple is Mata Murti Ka Mela, which commemorates the descent of the river Ganges on mother Earth.
Badri-Kedar is another festival celebrated in the month of June. This festival is celebrated in the both the temples – Badrinath and Kedarnath temple. Badri-Kedar is celebrated for 8 days.
The religious activities performed everyday early in the morning are Mahabhishek, Abhishek, Geeta Path and Bhagavat Puja. Evening puja includes Geeta Govinda and Aarti.
Badrinath Temple Darshan Timings
Entry: Free
Morning Darshan : 4:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Evening Darshan : 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Abhishekam – 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Shayana Aarti – 10:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Poojas – Ved Path, Geeta Path, Akhanda Jyothi
Places To Visit Near Badrinath Temple:
Along with the holy temple there are other places which are sacred in nature.
- Tapt Kund- this is found just below the temple. This is a natural thermal spring and is believed to be infused with therapeutic properties. It is necessary for people to take a dip in the kund before visiting the shrine of Badrinath.
- Brahma Kapal- it is platform 100 meters north from the temple. Here people perform propitiating rites for the diseased family members. It is said to be believed that it would relieve them from the cycle of life and death.
- Neelkanth Peak- known as the ‘Queen of Garhwal’. Standing with the height of approximately 6,597 meter sets a great background to the Badrinath shrine.
- Shashnetra- opposite to the river Alakananda there is a big rock which gives the impression of Shesh Nag, the snake of Lord Vishnu.
- Vasudhara Falls – beautiful waterfalls, 122 metres positioned in the surrounding of Himalayas. To reach the water falls one must reach Mana Village by road and then should trekking about 6 km.
