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Badrinath Temple
Locality : Badrinath
District : Chamoli
State : Uttarakhand
Country : India
Best Season To Visit : Closed during October-November.
Languages : Hindi & English
Timings : Temple is open from 4.30 AM to 9 PM.
Closed From 1:00 PM To 4:00 PM.
Photography : Not Allowed
Badrinath Dham is one of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The temple is located in the Garhwal hill tracks of Chamoli district, along the banks of the Alaknanda River, at an elevation of 3,133 meters (10,279 feet) above sea level. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped here as Badrinath—one of the holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The name Badrinath is derived from ‘Badri,’ meaning ‘berries,’ and ‘Nath,’ meaning ‘Lord.’
The temple is mentioned in several ancient texts, including the Bhagavata Purana, Skanda Purana, and Mahabharata. According to the Bhagavata Purana, “[t]here in Badrikashram, the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, has been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities.” The Skanda Purana states, “[t]here are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath.” The area around Badrinath Temple is celebrated in the Padma Purana as abounding in spiritual treasures. The Mahabharata reveres the holy place as one that grants salvation to devotees who come close to it, whereas in other holy places, they must perform religious ceremonies. The temple is also celebrated in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, with 11 hymns in the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon by Periazhwar and 13 hymns by Thirumangai Azhwar.
The Badrinath area is referred to as Badari or Badarikashram in Hindu scriptures. It is a place sacred to Vishnu, particularly in his dual form of Nara-Narayana. In the Mahabharata, Shiva, addressing Arjuna, says, “Thou wast Nara in a former body, and, with Narayana for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years.”
One legend holds that when the goddess Ganga was requested to descend to earth to aid suffering humanity, the earth could not withstand the force of her descent. Therefore, the mighty Ganga was split into twelve holy channels, with the Alaknanda being one of them. This river later became the abode of Lord Vishnu, known as Badrinath.
According to the Skanda Purana, “[t]here are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath.”
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