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Badrinath or Badrinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu - holy shrines for Vaishnavas - who is worshipped as Badrinath. It is open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.

The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India, having recorded 2.8 million (28 lakh) visits in just 2 months in 2022.The image of the presiding deity worshipped in the temple is a 1 ft (0.30 m), the black granite deity of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan. The deity is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight svayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested deities of Vishnu.

Mata Murti Ka Mela, which commemorates the descent of river Ganges on mother earth, is the most prominent festival celebrated in the Badrinath Temple. Although Badrinath is located in North India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a Nambudiri Brahmin chosen from the South Indian state of Kerala.

The temple was included in the Uttar Pradesh state government Act No. 30/1948 as Act no. 16,1939, which later came to be known as Shri Badarinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. The committee nominated by the state government administers both the temples and has seventeen members on its board.

The temple is mentioned in ancient religious texts like Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana. It is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, an early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th&ndash;9th centuries CE.

Badri&nbsp;refers to &quot;Badrayana&quot;, another name for&nbsp;Rishi&nbsp;Ved Vyas&nbsp;who is believed to have resided in this region. It is also known as &quot;Badarikashrama&quot;.Badrinath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to&nbsp;Lord Vishnu, it is located in Garhwal hill tracts along the banks of the Maa Alaknanda River in Chamoli District in Uttarakhand. Badrinath temple.

History shows us many legends of Lord Vishnu and according to these legends it is also known as or Badrinarayana.Badrinath has an average elevation of 3,100&nbsp;metres (10,170&nbsp;feet). It is in the Garhwal&nbsp;Himalayas, on the banks of the&nbsp;Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and&nbsp;Narayana&nbsp;mountain ranges 9&nbsp;km east of&nbsp;Nilkantha&nbsp;peak (6,596m). Badrinath is located 62&nbsp;km northwest of&nbsp;Nanda Devi&nbsp;peak and 301&nbsp;km north of&nbsp;Rishikesh. From&nbsp;Gaurikund&nbsp;(near&nbsp;Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233&nbsp;km.

According to the&nbsp;K&ouml;ppen climate system, Badrinath&#39;s climate is&nbsp;humid continental&nbsp;(Dwb) bordering a&nbsp;subtropical highland climate&nbsp;(Cwb).Badrinath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to&nbsp;Lord Vishnu, it is located in Garhwal hill tracts along the banks of the Maa Alaknanda River in Chamoli District in Uttarakhand. Badrinath temple history shows us many legends of Lord Vishnu and according to these legends it is also known as or Badrinarayana.

Char Dham

Badrinath&nbsp;is a town and&nbsp;nagar panchayat&nbsp;in&nbsp;Chamoli district&nbsp;in the state of&nbsp;Uttarakhand,&nbsp;India. A&nbsp;Hindu&nbsp;holy place, it is one of the four sites in India&#39;s&nbsp;Char Dham&nbsp;pilgrimage&nbsp;and is also part of India&#39;s&nbsp;Chota Char Dham&nbsp;pilgrimage circuit.

It gets its name from the&nbsp;Badrinath Temple.

Badrinath was re-established as a major pilgrimage site by&nbsp;Adi Shankara&nbsp;in the 8th century&nbsp;In earlier days, pilgrims used to walk hundreds of miles to visit the Badrinath temple

The temple has been repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes and avalanches. As late as the&nbsp;First World War, the town consisted only of the 20-odd huts used by the temple&#39;s staff, but the site drew thousands each year and up to 50,000 on its&nbsp;duodecennial&nbsp;festivals (every twelve years) In recent years its popularity has increased still more, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season,&nbsp;compared to 90,676 in 1961&nbsp;

The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for&nbsp;Vaishnavites. Badrinath is also gateway to several mountaineering expeditions headed to mountains like&nbsp;Nilkantha.

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There is no historical record about the temple, but there is a mention of the presiding deity Badrinath in Vedic scriptures (c. 1750&ndash;500 BCE).&nbsp;According to some accounts, the shrine was worshipped in some form in the Vedic period.

The temple was a Buddhist shrine till the 8th century and Adi Shankara revived the shrine and converted it to a Hindu temple. The architecture of the temple resembling that of a Buddhist vihara (temple) and the brightly painted facade which is atypical of Buddhist temples leads to the argument.Other accounts relate that it was originally established as a pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century.

It is believed that Shankara resided in the place for six years from CE 814 to 820. He resided six months in Badrinath and the rest of the year in Kedarnath. Hindu followers assert that he discovered the deity of Badrinath in the Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. A traditional story asserts that Shankara expelled all the Buddhists in the region with the help of the Parmar ruler king Kanak Pal.

The hereditary successors of the king governed the temple and endowed villages to meet its expenses. The income from a set of villages on the route to the temple was used to feed and accommodate pilgrims. The Parmar rulers held the title &quot;Bolanda Badrinath&quot;, meaning speaking Badrinath. They had other titles, including Shri 108 Basdrishcharyaparayan Garharaj Mahimahendra, Dharmabibhab, and Dharamarakshak Sigamani.

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Tapt Kund hot springs next to Badrinath Temple, enclosed inside bath house

The throne of Badrinath was named after the presiding deity; the king enjoyed ritual obeisance by the devotees before proceeding to the shrine. The practice was continued until the late 19th century.During the 16th century, the King of&nbsp;Garhwal&nbsp;moved the&nbsp;murti&nbsp;to the present temple.

&nbsp;When the state of Garhwal was divided, the Badrinath temple came under British rule but the king of Garhwal continued as the chairman of the management committee. The selection of priest is done after consultation between Garhwal and Travancore royal families.

The temple has undergone several major renovations due to its age and damage by an avalanche. In the 17th century, the temple was expanded by the Kings of Garhwal. After significant damage during the great&nbsp;1803 Garhwal earthquake, it was largely rebuilt by the King of&nbsp;Jaipur.It was still under renovation as late as the 1870s&nbsp;but these were completed by the time of the&nbsp;First World War.

At that time,&nbsp;the town&nbsp;was still small, consisting of only the 20-odd huts housing the temple&#39;s staff, but the number of pilgrims was usually between seven and ten thousand.&nbsp;The Kumbha Mela festival held every twelve years raised the number of visitors to 50,000.The temple also enjoyed revenue from the rents owed to it by various villages bequeathed by various rajas.

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Puranam

According to Hindu legend, the god&nbsp;Vishnu&nbsp;sat in meditation at this place. During his meditation, Vishnu was unaware of cold weather.&nbsp;Lakshmi, his consort, protected him in the form of the Badri tree (jujube&nbsp;or Indian date, called &#39;ber&#39; in&nbsp;Hindi). Pleased by the devotion of Lakshmi, Vishnu named the place&nbsp;Badrika Ashrama.

According to Atkinson (1979), the place used to be a jujube forest, which is not found there today. Vishnu in the form of Badrinatha is depicted in the temple sitting in the&nbsp;padmasana&nbsp;posture. According to the legend, Vishnu was chastised by sage&nbsp;Narada, who saw Vishnu&#39;s consort, Lakshmi, massaging his feet. Vishnu went to Badrinath to perform austerity, meditating for a long time in padmasana.

The&nbsp;Vishnu Purana&nbsp;narrates another version of the origins of Badrinath. According to the tradition, Yama had two sons,&nbsp;Nara, and Narayana&mdash;both of which are modern names of Himalayan mountains.

They chose the place to spread their religion and each of them wed the spacious valleys in the Himalayas. Searching for an ideal place to set up a hermitage, they came across the other four Badris of the Pancha Badri, namely Bridha Badri, Yoga Badri, Dhyana Badri and Bhavisha Badri. They finally found the hot and cold spring behind the Alaknanda River and named it&nbsp;&quot;Badri Vishala.&quot;

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The temple finds mention in several ancient books like&nbsp;Bhagavata Purana,&nbsp;Skanda Purana&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mahabharata.According to the&nbsp;Bhagavata Purana, &quot;[t]here in Badrikashram the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nar and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities&quot;.

The&nbsp;Skanda Purana&nbsp;states that &quot;there are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath&quot;. The area around Badrinath is also celebrated in&nbsp;Padma Purana&nbsp;as abounding in spiritual treasures.

&nbsp;The&nbsp;Mahabharata&nbsp;revered the holy place as the one which can give salvation to devotees arriving close to if, while in other holy places they must perform religious ceremonies.&nbsp;The temple is revered in&nbsp;Naalayira Divya Prabandham, in 11 hymns in the 7th&ndash;9th century Vaishnava canon by&nbsp;Perialvar&nbsp;and in 13 hymns by&nbsp;Thirumangai Alvar.

It is one of the 108&nbsp;Divya Desam&nbsp;dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Badrinath.&nbsp;The temple is referred as&nbsp;Tiruvatariyaacciraamam&nbsp;in&nbsp;Tamil literature.

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Devotees of all faiths and all schools of thought of Hinduism visit the Badrinath Temple.All the major monastic institutions like&nbsp;Kashi Math,&nbsp;Jeeyar Mutt (Andhra mutt),Udupi Pejavar&nbsp;and Manthralayam Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutts&nbsp;have their branches and guest houses there.

The Badrinath temple is one of five related shrines called&nbsp;Panch Badri, which are dedicated to the worship of Vishnu.The five temples are Vishal Badri - Badrinath Temple in Badrinath,&nbsp;Yogadhyan Badri&nbsp;located at Pandukeshwar, Bhavishya Badri located 17&nbsp;km (10.6&nbsp;mi) from Jyotirmath at Subain, Vridh Badri located 7&nbsp;km (4.3&nbsp;mi) from Jyotirmath in Animath and Adi Badri located 17&nbsp;km (10.6&nbsp;mi) from&nbsp;Karnaprayag.

The temple is considered one of the holiest Hindu&nbsp;Char Dham&nbsp;(four divine) sites, comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath,&nbsp;Puri&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dwarka.Although the temple&#39;s origins are not clearly known, the&nbsp;Advaita&nbsp;school of Hinduism established by Adi Shankara attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer.

&nbsp;The four monasteries are located across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North,&nbsp;Jagannath Temple&nbsp;at Puri in the East,&nbsp;Dwarakadheesh Temple&nbsp;at Dwarka in the West and&nbsp;Rameshwaram&nbsp;at Rameshwaram,&nbsp;Tamil Nadu&nbsp;in the South.

Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely&nbsp;Saivism&nbsp;and&nbsp;Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all-Hindu affair.There are four abodes in the Himalayas called&nbsp;Chota Char Dham&nbsp;(Chota&nbsp;meaning small): Badrinath,&nbsp;Kedarnath,&nbsp;Gangotri&nbsp;and&nbsp;Yamunotri&mdash;all of which lie in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The name&nbsp;Chota&nbsp;was added during the mid of 20th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. As the number of pilgrims to these places has increased in modern times, it is called Himalayan Char Dham.

The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus, who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetimes.Traditionally, the pilgrimage starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding clockwise in a manner typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples.

&nbsp;According to legend, Shankar discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of&nbsp;Shaligram&nbsp;stone in the&nbsp;Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs.In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the&nbsp;murti&nbsp;to the present temple.&nbsp;The temple is approximately 50&nbsp;ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.

&nbsp;The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist temples.Just inside is the&nbsp;mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the&nbsp;garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carving.

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According to the&nbsp;Bhagavata Purana, &quot;There in Badrikashram, the supreme being (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages&nbsp;Nara and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities.&quot; (Bhagavata Purana 3.4.22).The Badrinath area is referred to as Badari or Badarikaashram (बदरिकाश्रम) in Hindu scriptures. It is a place sacred to Vishnu, particularly in Vishnu&#39;s dual form of Nara-Narayana.

Thus, in the&nbsp;Mahabharata,&nbsp;Krishna, addressing&nbsp;Arjuna, says, &quot;Thou wast Nara in a former body, and, with&nbsp;Narayana&nbsp;for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years.&quot;One legend has it that when the goddess&nbsp;Ganga&nbsp;was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity on the request of Suryavanshi king&nbsp;Bhagiratha, the earth was unable to withstand the force of her descent. Therefore, the mighty Ganga (Ganges) was split into two holy channels, with&nbsp;Alaknanda&nbsp;one of them.

Another legend explains both name and sitting posture as this place was full of Badri bushes and&nbsp;Vishnu&nbsp;meditating for, beloved&nbsp;Lakshmi&nbsp;stood next to him sheltering him from scorching sunlight turned into a Badri herself called &#39;BADRI VISHAL&#39; and her lord (Nath) became the BadriNath.

The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the&nbsp;Mahabharata, when the&nbsp;Pandavas&nbsp;were said to have expired one by one, when ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini (literal meaning - the &#39;Ascent to Heaven&#39;). The Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of Mana, 4&nbsp;km north of Badrinath, on their way to&nbsp;Svarga&nbsp;(heaven). There is also a cave in Mana where&nbsp;Vyasa, according to legend, wrote the Mahabharata.

The area around Badrinath was celebrated in Padma Purana as abounding in spiritual treasures.This place is considered holy in&nbsp;Jainism&nbsp;as well. In Jainism,&nbsp;Himalaya&nbsp;is also called Ashtapad because of its eight different mountain&nbsp; range&nbsp;Gaurishankar,&nbsp;Kailash, Badrinath, Nanda, Drongiri, Nara-Narayana and&nbsp;Trishuli.

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&nbsp;Rishabhanatha&nbsp;attained Nirvana on&nbsp;Mount Kailash&nbsp;situated in the Himalayan range and according to Jain faith (Nirvankand), from Badrinath numerous jain Muni got Moksha by doing Tapsya. According to Shrimadbhagwat, at this place Rishabhdev&#39;s father Nabhirai and mother&nbsp;Marudevi&nbsp;had done hard Tapa after Rishabhdev&#39;s&nbsp;Rajyabhishek&nbsp;and taken Samadhi. Even today footprint of Nabhirai at&nbsp;Neelkanth&nbsp;mountain attracts everybody towards him.

Varnam

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The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracts along the banks of the Alaknanda River&nbsp;in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand. The hill tracts are located 3,133 m (10,279 ft) above the mean sea level.The Nar Parbat mountain is located opposite to the temple, while the Narayana Parbat is located behind the Neelkanth peak.

Adi Shankara established Badrinath as a pilgrimage site in the ninth century.The temple has three structures: the Garbhagriha (sanctum), the Darshan Mandapa (worship hall), and Sabha Mandapa (convention hall).The conical-shaped roof of the sanctum, the garbhagriha, is approximately 15 m (49 ft) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.

The main shrine houses the 1 ft (0.30 m) Shaligram (black stone) deity of Badrinarayana, which is housed in a gold canopy under a Badri Tree. The deity of Badrinarayana shows Him holding a Shankha (conch) and a Chakra (wheel) in two of His arms in a lifted posture and the other two arms resting on His lap in a Yogamudra (Padmasana) posture.

The sanctum also houses images of the god of wealth&mdash;Kubera, sage Narada, Uddhava, Nara and Narayana. There are fifteen more images that are also worshipped around the temple. These include that of Lakshmi (the consort of Vishnu), Garuda (the vahana of Narayan), and Navadurga, the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms.

The temple also has shrines of Lakshmi Narasimhar and for saints Adi Shankara (CE 788-820), Nar and Narayan, Ghantakarna, Vedanta Desika and Ramanujacharya. All the deities of the temple are made of black stone.

The Tapt Kund, a group of hot sulphur springs just below the temple, are considered to be medicinal; many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The springs have a year-round temperature of 55 &deg;C (131 &deg;F), while outside temperature is typically below 17 &deg;C (63 &deg;F) all year round.&nbsp;The two water ponds in the temple are called Narad Kund and Surya Kund.

The Badrinath Temple was included in the Uttar Pradesh State Government Act No. 30/1948 as Act no. 16,1939, which was later known as Shri Badarinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. A committee nominated by the State Government of Uttarakhand administers both the temples. The act was modified in 2002 to appoint additional committee members, including government officials and a Vice-Chairman.

&nbsp;There are seventeen members in the board; three selected by the&nbsp;Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, one member each selected by the&nbsp;District Councils&nbsp;of&nbsp;Chamoli&nbsp;Pauri Garhwal,&nbsp;Tehri Garhwal&nbsp;and&nbsp;Uttarkashi&nbsp;districts, and ten members nominated by the&nbsp;Government of Uttarakhand.

As indicated in the temple records, the priests of the temple were Shiva ascetics called Dandi Sanyasis, who belonged to&nbsp;Nambudiri&nbsp;community, a religious group common in modern&nbsp;Kerala. When the last of the ascetics died without an heir in 1776 CE, the&nbsp;King of Garhwal&nbsp;invited non-ascetic Nambudiris from Kerala for the priesthood, a practice that continues in modern times.&nbsp;

Till 1939, all the offerings made by the devotees to the temple went to the Rawal (Chief Priest), but after 1939, his jurisdiction was restricted to religious affairs.The administrative structure of the temple consists of a chief executive officer who executes the orders from the state government, a deputy chief executive officer, two OSDs, an executive officer, an account officer, a temple officer, and a public officer to assist the chief executive officer.

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View of the temple during Summer

Although Badrinath is located in North India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a&nbsp;Nambudiri&nbsp;Brahmin&nbsp;chosen from the South Indian state of&nbsp;Kerala. This tradition is believed to have been initiated by Adi Shankara, who was a South Indian philosopher.

The Rawal is requested by the&nbsp;Government of Uttarakhand&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Government of Kerala. The candidate should possess a degree of&nbsp;Acharya&nbsp;(Post Graduate) in&nbsp;Sanskrit, be a bachelor, well-versed in reciting&nbsp;mantras&nbsp;(sacred texts) and be from the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism.

The erstwhile ruler of Garhwal, who is the tutelary head of Badrinath, approves the candidate sent by the Government of Kerala. A Tilak Ceremony is held to instate the Rawal and he is deputed from April to November when the temple remains open. The Rawal is accorded his holiness status by the&nbsp;Garhwal Rifles&nbsp;and the state government of Uttarakhand.

He is also held in high esteem by the&nbsp;Royals of Nepal. From April to November, he performs his duties as a temple priest. Thereafter, he either stays in&nbsp;Jyotirmath&nbsp;or returns to his native village in Kerala. The duties of the Rawal starts at 4 a.m. every day with the&nbsp;Abhisheka. He should not cross the river until Vamana Dwadashi and must adhere to&nbsp;Brahmacharya.

The Rawal is assisted by the&nbsp;Garhwali&nbsp;Dimri&nbsp;Brahmins&nbsp;belonging to the village Dimmar of Chamoli district, Naib Rawal, Dharmadikari, Vedpathi, a group of priests, Pandas Samadhi, Bhandari, Rasoiyas (cook), devotional singer, clerk of devashram, Jal Bhariya (water keeper) and temple guards. Badrinath is one of the few temples in North India that follow the ancient Tantra Vidhi of&nbsp;Shrauta&nbsp;tradition more common in the south.

In 2012, the temple administration introduced a token system for visitors to the temple. Tokens indicating the time of visit were provided from three stalls in the taxi stands. Each devotee to visit the presiding deity is allocated 10&ndash;20 seconds. Proof of identity is mandatory to enter the temple.

&nbsp;The temple is reached from&nbsp;Rishikesh, located 298&nbsp;km (185&nbsp;mi) away via&nbsp;Devprayag,&nbsp;Rudraprayag,&nbsp;Karnaprayag,&nbsp;Nandaprayag,&nbsp;Jyotirmath,&nbsp;Vishnuprayag&nbsp;and Devadarshini. From&nbsp;Kedarnath Temple, visitors can follow the 243&nbsp;km (151&nbsp;mi)-long Rudraprayag route or the 230&nbsp;km (140&nbsp;mi)-long&nbsp;Ukhimath&nbsp;and&nbsp;Gopeshwar&nbsp;route.

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Highlights

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Narada Shila :Narad ji stood on one foot and did severe penance on this rock for sixty thousand years without having food, he only consumed the air as a food hence he got the boon of worshiping God at Badarikashram. Shri Narada Ji asked God to have undying devotion at his feet and always stay near this Naradashila.

Narad Muni also asked for freedom from the bondage of life-death by taking bath, Maarjan and Darshana in Naradkund which is situated below Naradashila. God was pleased with Naradji and gave Narada the boon of Avemastu(Amen)

Markandeya Shila :After hearing the fruits of penance at Badarikashram from Naradji, sage Markandeya went to Badarikashram and did severe penance on a rock (shila) near Narada Shila. Just after three nights, God gave Darshana to Markandeya ji in quadrilateral form. This rock is called Markandeya Shila, on which the hot stream of Taptkund keeps falling. According to Skunda Purana, once Lord Badarinarayan ji&#39;s Shaligaram Shila was also distinguished in this Markandeya Shila.

Barahi Shila :Hiranyaksha, who once took the earth (Prithvi) to the abyss (Rasatal). After the slaying of Hiranyaksha, the Lord Barah resided in Alaknanda in Badarikashram as Shila. This rock is known as Barahi Shila and is clearly visible near Narada Shila. All the wishes are attained by chanting, meditation, bathing, Maarjan, donating etc near this rock.

Garud Shila :On this rock Garuda ji did penance for thirty thousand years and wished to become the Vahana (vehicle) of God, with the penance of Garuda, God gave him darshana. Garuda rock is near Aadi Kedareshwar temple. The hot water of Taptkund flows below this rock. Just by souveniring this rock, a person is freed from the effects of poison.

Narsingh Shila :&nbsp;When Narsingh Ji killed the demon king Hiranyakashyap. After that, seeing the fierce form of Narsingh Ji, the other gods praised him for calm down. Lord Narsingh went to Badarikashram to calm his fury where he took a bath in Alaknanda and then his anger got calm down. Then on the prayer of the ascetic sages in Badarikashram, Lord Narsingh accepted to live in a rock form in Alaknanda itself. This rock is still situated in the form of Sinha Aakar in the middle of the Alaknanda river. The mere sight of this Shila (rock) makes the creature (human beings) free from all sins and resides in Vaikunth Dham.

Taptkund :&nbsp;Taptkund, as the name suggests is a hot water spring, which lies between Badarinath shrine and Alaknanda River. This thermal spring is situated in the Badrinath temple in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The Taptakund is a natural hot water spring, having 45 degrees temperature.

Sheshnetra :&nbsp;Sheshnetra is a holy place, just few kilometers from Badarinath. As per Hindu mythology Lord Vishnu took retreat on a snake by name Anantha Shesha. Thus a visit to Sheshnetra reminds this mythical belief to the minds of the pilgrims.

Panch Dhara : Panch Dhara is a group of five water streams that originate at Badarinath. They are: Prahlad Dhara, Kurma Dhara, Bhrigu Dhara, Urvashi Dhara and Indira Dhara, collectively known as &acirc;&euro;&tilde;Panch Dharas&acirc;&euro;&trade; at Badrinath.

Indira Dhara is the most striking stream among these five; it is located at about 1.5 km north of the town Badrinath. Urvashi Dhara is on the right of river Rishi Ganga; Bhrigu Dhara passes through a number of caves. Water of Kurma Dhara is extremely cold while Prahlad Dhara has lukewarm water.

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Vasudhara Falls

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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. You will witness absolutely stunning mountain Peaks Chaukhamba, Neelkantha and Balakun Peak etc. It is one of the best places to visit in Badrinath. May to June is the best time to visit here.

<h3>Satopanth Lake</h3>

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Satopanth is the place that leads the way to the Swargarohini peak from where according to the Mahabharata, Yudhishthira and the dog were sent to heaven. The shape of the lake is triangular and it is said that three major Hindu gods (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) reside at the three corners of the lake.

The lake got its name from three Hindu Gods &ndash; Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma.&nbsp; Also, the lake is believed to be the point where Bheema was denied entry to 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. It is one of the top tourist attractions to visit in Badrinath.

Just below the Badrinath temple lies the Tapt Kund hot sulfur spring that has a high medicinal value. It lies between Badrinath Temple and Alaknanda river. It is also considered as the resting place of Agni Dev. It is a freshwater pool with a bathing area of 16.1/2 feet by 14.1/4 feet. Even though the normal temperature of the spring is 55&deg;c, the temperature of water keeps increasing gradually during the day.

A holy dip in Tapt Kund is a puja ritual before entering the shrine and is regarded as a good medical cure for skin diseases. Before doing Badrinath Temple darshan, you must visit Tapt Kund for divine blessings.

<h3>Narad Kund</h3>

Narad Kund is situated near Tapt Kund. It is believed that the Badrinath idol was obtained from this kund by Adi Shankaracharya.&nbsp; As per the legends it is said that Narad muni wrote his book Narad Bhakti Sutra here. 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. It is indeed the best place to visit in Badrinath.

<h3>Charan Paduka</h3>

Don&rsquo;t miss this magnificent tourist attraction in Badrinath. It is a place where Lord Vishnu&rsquo;s beautiful foot impressions were imprinted on a rock. It is only 3km from Badrinath at an elevation of 3380ft. As per the legends Lord Vishnu set his first footsteps here from Vaikuntha which is the celestial abode of the Lord.

<h3>Mata-Murti-Mandir</h3>

Located 3 km from Badrinath on the right bank of the Alaknanda River, Mata Murti Mandir is an ancient temple devoted to Shri Badrinath&rsquo;s mother. It is one of the top tourist attractions in Badrinath. 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.

<h3>Ganesh Cave</h3>

Ganesh Cave is another best place to visit in Badrinath. It is only 4kms from the main shrine. It is a naturally formed cave. As per the legends it is said that Lord Ganesha wrote Mahabharata at this cave dictated by Sage Vyasa. From the cave you will get gorgeous vistas of Himalayan ranges and the lush greenery all around makes this place beautiful for nature photography.

<h3>Brahma Kapal</h3>

Brahmakapal is one of the most popular religious destinations to visit in Badrinath. It is only 0.5km from Badrinath Temple. Devotees from all over India come to pay homage to their ancestors. It is said that Lord Brahma resides here and if someone pays homage to their ancestors at this place, he or she will be free from all the karmic backlogs of life and get salvation.

<h3>Sheshnetra</h3>

Sheshnetra is an enchanting tourist attraction in Badrinath which you must not miss. It is a place where Lord Vishnu took refuge on a snake known as Anantha Shesha. Lord Vishnu reclines on the eye of Ananta Shesha which is depicted in a large stone marked with one eye of this snake. It is believed that Sheshnetra protects the holy shrine of Badrinath.

<h3>Pandukeshwar</h3>

In route to the abode of Lord Badrinath, Pandukeshwar is believed to be established by the father of Pandavas, King Pandu. It is said that King Pandu meditated here to get rid of the sin of killing a sage who was making love in the form of deer in a jungle. When he was dying, he cursed King Pandu that he will never be able to make love with anyone and if he does, he will die instantly.

The place has two temples that are centuries old. One 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&rsquo;s temple. It is indeed a must visit place near Badrinath.

<h3>Joshimath</h3>

It is one of the &lsquo;Maths&rsquo; 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. One will also get the opportunity to witness the sacred wish fulfilling tree Kalpavriksha which is said to be more than 1000 years old. Beautiful flora and exotic fauna, Himalayan Mountain ranges, valley of flowers, scenic Hemkund Sahib are some gorgeous vistas when you are traveling to Joshimath. It is one of the best places to visit near Badrinath.

<h3>Adi Badri</h3>

Located at a distance of 17 kms from Karnaprayag, Adi Badri is easy to reach by motorable road. It is a part of the famous Panch Badri of Uttarakhand. 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. It is a part of the group of 16 temples belonging to the Gupta period. It is said that Lord Vishnu resided here in Satya Treta, Dwapar yug before shifting to Badrinath in Kali Yug. It is one of the most interesting places to visit near Badrinath.

&nbsp;

Sevas/Festivals

Badrinath Temple at night

The most prominent festival held at Badrinath Temple is Mata Murti Ka Mela, which commemorates the descent of the river&nbsp;Ganges&nbsp;on mother earth. The mother of Badrinath, who is believed to have divided the river into twelve channels for the welfare of earthly beings, is worshiped during the festival. The place where the river flowed became the holy land of Badrinath.

The&nbsp;Badri Kedar&nbsp;festival is celebrated during the month of June in both the temple and the Kedarnath temple. The festival lasts for eight days; artists from all over the country perform during the function.

The major religious activities (or&nbsp;pujas) performed every morning are&nbsp;mahabhishek&nbsp;(ablution),&nbsp;abhishek,&nbsp;gitapath&nbsp;and&nbsp;bhagavat puja, while in the evening the&nbsp;pujas&nbsp;include&nbsp;geet govinda&nbsp;and&nbsp;aarti. Recital in vedic scripts like&nbsp;Ashtotram&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sahasranama&nbsp;is practised during all the rituals. After&nbsp;aarti, the decorations are removed from the image of Badrinath and sandalwood paste is applied to it.

The paste from the image is given to the devotees the next day as&nbsp;prasad&nbsp;during the&nbsp;nirmalaya&nbsp;darshan. All the rituals are performed in front of the devotees, unlike those in some Hindu temples, where some practices are hidden from them.[6]&nbsp;Sugar balls and dry leaves are the common&nbsp;prasad&nbsp;provided to the devotees. From May 2006, the practise of offering Panchamrit Prasad, prepared locally and packed in local bamboo baskets, was started.

The temple is closed for winter on the auspicious day of&nbsp;bhatridwityia or later&nbsp;during October&ndash;November.&nbsp;On the day of closure,&nbsp;Akhanda Jyothi, a lamp is lit filled with&nbsp;ghee&nbsp;to last for six months.Special&nbsp;pujas&nbsp;are performed on the day by the chief priest in the presence of pilgrims and officials of the temple.

&nbsp;The image of Badrinath is notionally transferred during the period to the Narasimha temple at&nbsp;Jyotirmath, located 40&nbsp;mi (64&nbsp;km) away from the temple.&nbsp;The temple is reopened around April&ndash;May on&nbsp;Akshaya tritiya, another auspicious day on the&nbsp;Hindu calendar.&nbsp;Pilgrims gather on the first day of opening of the temple after the winter to witness the&nbsp;Akhanda Jyothi.

The temple is one of the holy places where the Hindus offer oblations to ancestors with the help of the priests.&nbsp;Devotees visit the temple to worship in front of the image of Badrinath in the sanctum and have a holy dip in Alaknanda River. The general belief is that a dip in the tank purifies the soul.

&nbsp;

Timing

&nbsp;

06:00 am to 12:00 noon and 04:00 pm to 09:00 pm. In special days visiting times can be changed.

<table border="1" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th scope="col">S.No</th>
			<th scope="col">Puja Name</th>
			<th scope="col">Timing</th>
			<th scope="col">Rate(INR)</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1</td>
			<td>Abhishek Puja (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>44201</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2</td>
			<td>Akhand Jyoti Annual-Non Attending</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>4951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Astotari Path (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>4031</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Atka Prasad by the Ordinary Mail</td>
			<td>For 5 years</td>
			<td>421</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>Atka Prasad under Regd. Post</td>
			<td>For 5 years</td>
			<td>980</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Bal Bhog (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>7301</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>Bhagwan Nar-Narayan Janmotsava</td>
			<td>In Srawan Month</td>
			<td>4951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>Chandi Aarti (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>2731</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>Deep Malika Utsava</td>
			<td>On Deepawali</td>
			<td>4951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>Donation for Renovation Work</td>
			<td>Any Time</td>
			<td>100</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>Gaddi Bhent</td>
			<td>Any Time</td>
			<td>100</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12</td>
			<td>Ghee for Deepak on Closing Day</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>4951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>13</td>
			<td>Ghrit Kambal Ghee on Closing Day</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>4951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>14</td>
			<td>Karpoor Aarti (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>1951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15</td>
			<td>Kheer Bhog</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>911</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>16</td>
			<td>Mahabhog (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>32501</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>17</td>
			<td>Mata Murti Utsava</td>
			<td>On Vaman Dwadasi</td>
			<td>4951</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>18</td>
			<td>Nitya Niyam Bhog</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>10551</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>19</td>
			<td>Nitya Niyam Bhog for Deities of Subordinate Temple</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>6351</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>20</td>
			<td>Pind Prasad</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>101</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>21</td>
			<td>Shri Krishna Janmastami Utsava</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>10551</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>22</td>
			<td>Special Donation</td>
			<td>Any Time</td>
			<td>100</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>23</td>
			<td>Srarwani Rudrabhishek</td>
			<td>In Srawan Month</td>
			<td>11701</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24</td>
			<td>Swaran Aarti (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>5201</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>25</td>
			<td>Vishnu Sahasranamawali (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>9101</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>26</td>
			<td>Vishnu Sahasranm Path (Bandhan)</td>
			<td>For 10 years</td>
			<td>7411</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>27</td>
			<td>Yatri Bhog</td>
			<td>As Per Norms</td>
			<td>101</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

Abhishek Puja&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;4:30am to 6:30am&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Akhand Jyoti One Day-Non Attending&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;As Per Norms&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Astotari Puja&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Between 5pm to 7pm (For 5-10 minutes) 
Chandi Arti&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Between 5pm to 7pm (For 5-10 minutes) 
Entire Pujas of a Day&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Morning till Evening&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Geeta Path&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Morning 7:30AM to 12 Noon &amp; Evening 3 PM to 5 PM 
Karpoor Arti&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Between 5pm to 7pm (For 5-10 minutes)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Maha-Abhishek Puja&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4:30am to 6:30am&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Shayan Aarti with Geet Govind Path&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; End of the Day 
Shrimad Bhagwat Sapth Path&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; For One WeeK 
Swaran Aarti&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Between 5pm to 7pm (For 5-10 minutes) 
Ved Path&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Morning 7:30AM to 12 Noon &amp; Evening 3 PM to 5 PM 
Vishnusahasranamawali Path&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Between 5pm to 7pm (For 5-10 minutes) 
Vishnusahasranam Path&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Between 6pm to 9pm (For 10-15 minutes)

&nbsp;

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