BADRINATH DHAM

BADRINATH DHAM

Badrinath Dham is one of the oldest of Hindu places of worship. On the bank of the river Alaknanda lies the sacred shrine perched at an altitude of 3133 m above sea level, guarded on either side by the two mountain peaks Nar & Narain with the towering Neelkanth peak providing a splendid back-drop. Lord Vishnu  revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name 'Badri Van' Built by Adi Shankaracharaya, the philosopher-saint of the 8th century, the temple has been renovated several times due to damage by avalanches and restored in the 19th century by the royal houses of Scindia & Holkar. It was a popular shrine during the Vedic age also. Adiguru consecrated the idol of Lord Badri Vishal in the temple after recovering it from Narad Kund, in a pursuance of a divine call from heaven.

So holy is the shrine that it forms one of the four prominent places of Hindu worship. The epic Mahabharat, it is believed, was composed in the Vyas & ganesh caves close by. The Vishnu Ganga which later becomes the Alaknanda flows below the temple.

The temple opens every year in the month of April-May & closes for winters in the third week of November. Every puja must be preceded by a holy dip in the Tapta Kund located nearby in the temple complex. The temple opens at 0430 hrs & closes at 1300 hrs and later reopens at 1600 hrs & closes at 2100 hrs.