Location : Uttaranchal
Languages: Hindi, English and Garhwali.
Major Attractions: Badrinath Temple
Best time to Visit: May to October
STD Code: 01381


About Badrinath
Situated in the lofty Himalayan heights in the Tehri-Garhwal hill tracks Badhrinath is counted as the fourth holy Hindu pilgrimages. It falls in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India and is also and important part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. It is at the height of 10,248 feet above sea level and is positioned in the lap of Nar-Narayan mountains. The place is a home to Badrinath temple guarded by the Neelkanth mountains. As per the legends the place is linked with heavenly Ganga and its spilting, thereby forming the pious river Alaknanda. Its scenic beauty and great festivals, organised as an honor to Lord Vishnu welcomes countless tourist every year. The most popular festival in the Badrinath region are Kedar-Badri Utsav, Janmashtami and the attractive Mata Mruti Ka Mela.

Pilgrimage Attractions in Badrinath
Badrinath Temple
One main attraction of the town, the Badrinath Temple is situated on the bank of the river Alaknanda and measures an altitude of about 3, 133 meters above the sea level. The temple marks the strong dedication of devotees towards Lord Vishnu and is also known as Badrikashram. It is learnt that the house of God was built by Adi Guru Shankaracharya - the philosopher-saint of the 8th century. The inner portion of the temple is subdivided intothree region namely the garbha griha or sanctum sanctorum, darshan mandap and the sabha mandap and rituals are organized accordingly. The complex has 15 idols and the main attraction lies in the 1 m high black image of Lord Badrinath. The architectural style applied in renovating its entrance gate depicts the modern look.
Pacha Badri
Panch Badri, basically means a series of five small Badrinath temples spread across the divine Badrinath. Each temple has its own positioned layered with a story behind its existence. The first temple is the Yogdhyana Badri located close to the Badrinath temple, the second one is the Bhavishya Badri located at Tapovan, following Bridhar Badri located close to Joshimath, the Adi Badri having 16 small temples and the Vriddha Badri, situated 7 kms from Joshimath. All the five Badris are situated in the valleys along the Alaknanda river. The temples are finely designed and outline with religious belief that numerous tourist visit the site at least once in a year.

Tapt Kund
The holy land of Badrinath is blessed with Tapt Kund, a natural spring of magicial power. It is believed to be the home of Hindu God of fire. Devotees believe that a shower in this natural fall cures chronic disease of an individual as such pilgrims take a dip in its holy water before entering the temple.

Hemkund Sahib
One very sacred Sikh pilgrimage is the Hemkund Sahib, situated at an altitude of 4150m above the sea level. The place is believed to be the adorable abode of the tenth Sikh leader Guru Govind Singh . The temple has a nearby lake which is affirmed as the source of the Laxman Ganga stream. Both the holy spot are visited by a number of Hindu and Sikh devotees. Another temple dedicated to Lakshmana, the brother of Lord Rama is also among the remarkable temple of the Badrinath town

Neelkanth
Popularly known as ‘Garhwal Queen’, this towering peak is surrounded with the twosome temple Nar and Narayan. The peak is pyramidal in shape, carpeted with cushy snowy and the two mountain ranges are just by the bank of the river Alaknanda

Other Attraction in Badrinath are the Vasundhara Falls, the Brahma Kapal Ghat and the natural hot water spring(Surya Kund )

Best Time for Pilgrimage to Badrinath
The climatic condition in the Badrinath region is extreme with winter leveling to 0 degree celsius. Monsoon days are welcomed with heavy rainfall lasting till August. The best time to make a Badrinath trip is between May to June and September to November.

Popular Hotels in Badrinath
Several tourist recreation center has been set up in the Badrinath town. GMVN Tourist Rest House, under the Uttranchal Government is situated on the bank of Alaknanda and offers an comfortable stay. Another economical rest house is the Panchali Tourist Guest House, located close to the Bus Stand. One can also the have a luxurious time in Hotel Narayana Palace and the finest 4 Star hotel Park Inn facilitated with a number of guest rooms and suites.

Badrinath Travel (Air/Rail/Road) Information
By Air :The nearest Jolly Grant Airport situated at Rishikesh operate regular fights connecting Delhi and Badrinath.

By Rail :The nearest railheads are at Rishikesh and Kotdwar situated at a distance of 300 Km and 327 Km respectively. The railway station are facilitated with a number of regular trains plying the major cities of the country.

By Road :Regular buses under Uttranchal State transport ply between Badrinath and other major cities like Delhi, Dehradun, Agra, Mussoorie, Chandigarh, Rishikesh and others. Other Private taxis are also available in the Rishikesh town.

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