Badrinath Temple: The Shrine of Lord Vishnu

One can never be content with his/her existence unless the source of the existence is known and believed in. The source of all forms of life and everything else is the Almighty, who has always been worshiped by humans in different forms. A form of Almighty, Lord Vishnu, is worshiped by many Hindus in various temples in the country. Badrinath Temple of Uttarakhand is a place where Lord Vishnu’s avatar is worshiped by thousands of devotees, this temple is one of the four divine sites or the Char Dham, as it is traditionally known.

Location

Badrinath Temple is located in Badrinath, a hill-town of Uttarakhand.

History

Before the temple was constructed, the town was consecrated as a pilgrimage by Adi Shankara, an ancient philosopher, upon his finding of an idol of Badrinarayan, an avatar of Lord Vishnu in a river. He places the idol inside a cave, thus establishing a shrine. The idol was shifted from the cave to the present day temple by a ruler from Garhwal Kingdom during the 16th century.

Badrinath Temple

The temple that we see today is a result of several renovations performed over the existing structure, as it was damaged with time and natural calamities; the major damage caused by an earthquake in the beginning of 19th century, following which it was mostly rebuilt by the King of Jaipur.

A legend states that the statue of Lord Vishnu in Padmasana is placed here, as he meditated in Badrinath for a long time, castigating himself after a sage saw him getting his feet massaged by his consort. This belief has resulted in several yogis flocking to the city for recluse and meditation. Another legend states that while Vishnu was meditating here, his consort Lakshmi manifested into a Badri Vishal (bael fruit tree) while Vishnu became Badrinath (nath=lord).

One more legend mentions that while Shiva and Parvati were meditating here, they were disturbed by Lord Vishnu, who arrived in the form of a boy crying loudly. When Parvati asked as to why he is crying, the boy said that he wanted to meditate in Badrinath. The couple realized that the boy was none other than Lord Vishnu himself and they gladly left Badrinath.

Badrinath temple is considered as one of the five shrines, known as Panch Badri, dedicated to this avatar of Lord Vishnu. The other five are Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Vridh Badri.

Structure

The temple rises to a height of 50 feet. A cupola can be seen at the top of the temple, which has been covered by a gilt roof. The stone facade of the temple features arched windows.
Entrance to the temple is through an arched gateway, which can be reached through a long stairway. Just next to the entrance is a hall with tall pillars, which further leads to the sanctum sanctorum. The walls and pillars of the hall, known as the Mandapa, are carved out with detailing for perfection.

Inside the sanctum sanctorum, the idol of Badrinath is seen in the form of a black stone, above which is a canopy and a Badri tree. Apart from the main shrine, there are another fifteen idols inside the temple.

Devotees take a bath in the Tapt Kund below the temple, water of which is believed to have healing properties. This is a hot water spring, temperature of which usually remains around 45 degrees throughout the year.

Festivals, Traditions and Timings

The head priest of the temple is called Rawal and despite the location of temple being in North India, the priest of the temple belongs to the state of Kerala. This priest, along with the Pundits from a nearby village known as Dimmer, performs the temple rituals.

Badrinath Opening Ceremony

The Rawal is required to be a Brahmachari. He is required to perform the rituals from the months of March through mid November. His duties begin from 04:00 a.m.

Mata Murti ka Mela is an important festival celebrated at Badrinath Temple. During this festival, the mother of Lord Badrinath is worshiped by the devotees. It is celebrated in the month of September.

Another important festival celebrated at Badrinath Temple is the Badri Kedar Festival. Various rituals are performed during this festival for a period of eight days in the month of June.

Krishna Janmashtami is also celebrated with great zeal at the temple.

The opening and closing hours of the temple are 04:30 a.m. to 01:00 p.m. and 04:00 p.m. to 09:00 p.m.

Accommodation and Other Facilities

There are several budget hotels and ashrams near the temple complex that offer accommodation facility to the devotees arriving from outside.

Visitors can also stay in the tents provided by the local people or set up their own tents.

Several eateries serve food and snacks near the temple complex though non-vegetarian food and alcohol are strictly prohibited.

Tourists can purchase several Ayurvedic products manufactured by a local pharmacy. These products and medicines are very famous throughout the country.

Other products that tourists can purchase from Badrinath include woolen clothes, sea shells, bracelets, beads, holy books, etc.

Travel Tips

Tourists must plan their visit to Badrinath Temple between the months of May to June and September to November. Post November, the beginning of winter season usually results in heavy snowfall, which blocks the routes and passages of the valley. Even before October, during the monsoons, the area is prone to have landslides which can create a roadblock for the vehicles.

The temperature of Badrinath rarely goes above 20 degrees, thus making it mandatory for the tourists to carry warm clothes and necessary precautions while traveling to this pilgrimage.

How to Reach

The nearest airport from Badrinath is located at Dehradun, at a distance of approximately 315 kilometres.

The nearest railway stations from Badrinath are at Rishikesh and Kotdwar, at a distance of 297 and 327 kilometres respectively.

From either of the airport and railway stations, a number of chartered transport vehicles and buses are available for Badrinath on a frequent basis.