BADRINATH TEMPLE
Badrinath temple is situated along the river alakananda
in the hill town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand state in India. It is widely
considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to god
Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham and pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya
Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The temple is open only six months every
year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), due to extreme
weather conditions in the Himalayan region.
It is located at an elevation of 3133 mts above sea level.Several murtis are
worshipped in the temple. The most important is a one meter tall statue of
Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black Saligram stone. The statue is
considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or
self-manifested statues of Vishnu.
There are fifteen more murtis around the temple that are also worshipped. These
include murtis of Nara & Narayana, Narasimha Lakshmi, Narada,
Ganesha, Uddhava, Kubera, Garuda (the vehicle of Lord Narayan), and Navadurga. Hard sugar candy, Tulsi, and dry fruits are the
typical prasad offered at Badrinath temple.
The Tapt Kund 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 45°C.
HISTORY :
Badrinath was originally established as a pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in
the ninth century. Shankara discovered the image of Badrinarayan in the
Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved
the murti to the present temple.
FESTIVALS IN BADRINATH :
Mata Murti Ka Mela :
A grand fair is organized in Badarinath Temple in the month of September. On
this day the mother of Lord Badarinath is worshipped and hence it is named as
Mata Murti Ka Mela.
Badari Kedar Festival :
Held in the month of June, nothing could be a perfect manifestation of Hindu
religion and culture. The Badari Kedar festival is held in the sacred shrines
of Badarinath and Kedarnath in the month of June. The festivities go on for a
stretch of eight days. The festival makes an attempt to bring under one
platform, the greatest artists of the country.
OTHER RELIGIOUS PLACES :
Tapt Kund (at Badarinath) :
Located just below the temple, the meeting point of Alaknanda and Rishi Ganga
rivers, this thermal spring of hot sulphurous water has inviting freshwater
pool. The bathing area, 16.1/2 feet by 14.1/4 feet, has separate arrangements
for men and women. Although the normal temperature is 55°c, the water
temperature keeps rising gradually during the day. It is considered to have
high medicinal value. A dip here is considered to be a good cure for skin
diseases.
Narad Kund:
Located near Tapt Kund, this kund is believed to be the recovery source of the
Badarinath idol. The hot water springs comes out from beneath the Garur Shila
and falls into a tank. Darshan of Badarinath is always preceded by a holy dip
in this kund. Apart from that there are many other hot water springs. Devotees
take a dip in them for their religious and medicinal value. Suraj Kund at
Badarinath and Gauri Kund on way to Kedarnath are another famous Kunds.
Mata Murti Mandir :
About 3 km from Badarinath, on the right bank of the Alaknanda stands this
temple, dedicated to the mother of Shri Badarinath (Maa Murti).
Joshimath Or Jyotirmath :
Joshimath, the first Math established by Shri Adi Sankaracharya, is located at
a distance of 14 km from Helang en route to Badari.
An important town enroute Shri Badarinathji has religious history, magnificent
scenery, bracing climate & a hub of commercial centre all one needs for a
holiday or pilgrimage. Joshimath or Jyotirmath holds an important position in
the history of Hindu revivalism. Adiguru Shankaracharya got enlightenment here
in a cave and in this cave he wrote his famous Shankar Bhasya.
Atop the cave is the Kalpvriksha, a Mulberry tree that is said to be 2400 years
old under which Adi Guru is believed to have attained enlightenment. It is one
of the four 'Maths' organized by Adiguru, the other three are at Dwarika, Puri
and Rameshwaram. Located at a height of 6150 ft above sea level, there are
separate temples for Lord Narsimh and Lord Vasudev (different forms of Lord
Vishnu). This is one of the 108 Divya Desams (sung by Sacred Vaishnavaite
Saints).
Bhimpul - Bhim Bridge :
The bridge over the river Saraswati on the outskirts of Mana village is made of
a huge slab of stone. It is believed that when the Pandavas and Draupadi were
on their way to Swargarohan, Bhim bridged the river with the huge slab to get
them across. The view from the bridge is truly spectacular.
Saraswati :
3 km north of Mana village emerges the river Saraswati from a lateral glacier.
Saraswati is known as the Goddess of learning, blessed Ved Vyas to compose the
epic Mahabharata at Mana. The river after touching Vyas Gufa, gets lost in the
Alaknanda at Keshav Prayag. From here to Allahabad, Saraswati flows incognito.
It is said that at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati at Allahabad,
the Saraswati remains invisible.
Adi Badari :
The main Temple is of the lord Narayan that is distinguished by a raised
platform in the pyramidal form. Here a black stone idol of lord Vishnu is
enshrined. Local tradition attributes the building of the temples to Adi Guru
Shankaracharya. It is situated at a distance of 17 Kms from Karnaprayag and is
easily approachable by motorable road. On way to Ranikhet are some beautiful
remains of 16 small temples belonging to the Gupta period.
Brahma Kapal :
In a quest to ensure a heavenly abode for the dead ancestors, the shradh
ceremony (propitiating rites) or the offering of pind is an important part of
Hindu rituals. After offering pind here, it is believed, the spirits of the
dead are permanently enshrined in Heaven and no more pinds are to be offered
elsewhere. The Brahma Kapal, on the bank of the Alaknanda is a flat platform a
few yards north of the temple. Legend has it that when Shiva chopped off the
fifth head of Brahma, it got stuck to his trident. Lastly with the blessing of
Lord Vishnu at Badarivan, the head of Brahma fell down from the trident at this
place & hence the name Brahma-Kapal (head).
Best Time to visit:- The ideal time or peak season to go for a
Char Dham Yatra is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because; all
the four sacred sites are perched in Garhwal Himalayas, which is prone to heavy
snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to the shrines are blocked.
Moreover, during the monsoon season, there is undue threat of having
landslides, which can further disrupt the journey. For safety reasons, the
gates of the temples are also closed for this period of time and the idols are
shifted to nearby pilgrim points.
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