History, Significance, Timings, Rituals and Travel Guide of Badrinath Temple – One of the Char Dham of Hinduism, Uttarakhand, India
Badrinath, one of the most sacred town, one of the Char Dham, one of the Sapt Badri, one of the Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand and major pilgrimage destination of India is located at height of 3100 mtrs in Garhwal Himalaya, on the bank of Alaknanda River, between Nar and Narayana mountain range in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Badrinath also known as Badarikashram as per sacred text Shreemad Bhagwad Puran, Vishnu Puran, Skand Puran is very popular for Badrinath Temple of Supreme Lord Shree Vishnu and one of the 108 main shrine of Lord Vishnu. Along with main shrine Bardinath Temple, other sacred places like Tapt Kund, Charan Paduka, Vasudhara fall, Neelkanth peak, Pandukeshwar, Mana Village, Mata Murti temple, Narad Kund, Bheem Pul, Ganesh Caves etc attracts the pilgrims during their visit to Badarinath temple.
As per the Legend, the great sage Adi Shankaracharya had established the Badrinath temple where he found the idol of Lord Vishnu made from black Shaligram stone in Alaknanda River and placed idol in cave near the Tapt Kund- hot water spring during 8th century. Then idol was placed in to current shrine by the king of the Garhwal during the 16th century. It is also said this is the place where sage Nar and Narayana incarnation of Lord Vishnu did penance for the wellbeing of human kind.
As per the another legend Goddess Lakshmi took the form of Badri one type of wild berry to shed the Lord Vishnu during years long meditation and shelter Lord from harsh sunlight thus Lord Vishnu became famous as BadriNath here and also Badri Vishal. And from the ancient time this spot becomes the key attraction for the sages, yogi, pilgrims for meditation and spiritual journey. Pandavas with Draupadi, great sages like Kapila Muni, Gautam, Kashyap, great religious scholars like Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Sri Madhavacharya, Sri Nityananda had visited here.
50 feet tall Badrinath temple is divided in main three part, Garbha Griha, Sabha Mandap where devotee can assemble and the Darshan Mandap where rituals are performed. Colorful entrance gate of Badrinath temple is also famous as Singhdwar from where devotee can see the main Idol of the Lord seated the idol of bird Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Badrinarayan, sitting in prayer with his hands folded.
Another key attractions of Badrinath temple are various Puja, Aarti, Decorating the idols on daily basis in Morning and Evening. Key morning pujas are – Mahabhishek, Adhishek, Gitapath and Bhagwat Path, while the evening pujas are Geet Govind and Aarti. Devotee can plan and book special puja at temple with connecting the Badrinath Mandir Committee. After Aarti, the decorations are removed from the idol of Badrinath and sandalwood paste is applied and given to the devotees the next day as prasad during the nirmalaya darshan. Aarti and Darshan Timings in Badrinath: The daily rituals start very early, around 4.30 am with Maha Abhishek and Abhishek puja, and end at around 8.30 -9 pm with the Shayan aarti. Mata Murti Ka Mela is the most prominent festival celebrated in the Badrinath Temple which honors the descent of river Ganges on earth.
It is also said that Nar and Narayana wanted to find a suitable place for penance they discover the four sites of Panch Badri, namely Dhyan Badri, Yog Badri , Bridha Badri and Bhavishya Badri. Finally they came across a spot with cold and hot springs behind river Alaknanda and this is the place Badri Vishal or Badrinath. It is also said that the Pandavas find their way to 'Swargarohini, via the Badrinath while on their route to heaven.
Due to extreme weather Badrinath temple remains close from November to April and from Darshan open for May to October, Thus it is advisable to plan in May to July to enjoy the spiritual journey in pure, natural and pleasant environment. To reach Badrinath is quite easy as compared to Kedarnath and other sacred places of Himalayas as Badrinath is on the road side, so devotee can opt from Rishikesh or Haridwar or from Dehradun. Bus service and private cab service are available from each of these center and via Joshimath. Badrinath having nearest the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and Rishikesh is nearest railway which has connectivity with major Indian cities, like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Pilgrims to visit Badrinath via flights can book from Delhi.
