Badrinath

About Badrinath Temple


Badrinath Temple, sometimes called Badrinarayan Temple, is situated along the Alaknanda river, 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 Chota Char Dham 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.

The main deity worshipped in the temple is a one meter tall statue of Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black stone. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu.[1] The murti depicts Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than his far more typical reclining pose.

                                                                                        
Badrinath has an average elevation of 3,100 metres (10,170 feet). It is in the Garhwal Himalayas, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges 9 km east of Nilkantha peak (6,596m). Badrinath is located 62 km northwest of Nanda Devi peak and 301 km north of Rishikesh. From Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233 km
Badrinath was re-established as a major pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century.[1] In earlier days, pilgrims used to walk hundreds of miles to visit Badrinath temple.[2] In recent years its popularity has increased significantly, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting Badrinath.
The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites. Badrinath is also gateway to several mountaineering expeditions headed to mountains like Nilkantha.[2]

                                                                           

According to the Bhagavata Purana, "There in Badrikashram the supreme being (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities
The Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town. According to legend Shankara discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs.[4][6] In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple.[4] The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.[4] The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance.
The Badrinath area is referred to as Badari or Badarikaashram (बदरिकाश्रम) in Hindu scriptures. It is a place sacred to Vishnu, particularly in Vishnu's dual form of Nara-Narayana.




                                                    
                                        
                                                           

One legend has it that when the goddess Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity, the earth was unable to withstand the force of her descent. Therefore the mighty Ganga (Ganges) was split into twelve holy channels, with Alaknanda one of them.
Another Legend explains both name and sitting posture as this place was full of Badri bushes and Vishnu meditating for, beloved Lakshmi stood next to him sheltering him from scorching sunlight turned into a Badri herself called 'BADRI VISHAL' and her lord(Nath) became the BadriNath.The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas were said to have expired one by one, wheny ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini.(literl meaning - the 'Ascent to Heaven')
Located only 24 kilometers from the Indo-China (Tibet) border, Badrinath is generally a one dayjourney from either Kedarnath, the site that precedes it in the Char Dham circuit, or one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. The temple and its surrounding village are accessible by road. The best time to visit Badrinath is between June and September.
The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun 317 km (197 mi) away by road. However, the distance by a helicopter journey is hardly 100 km. There are many providers of helicopter service from Dehradun.

                                                   
The nearest railway stations are at Rishikesh (at 297 km) and Kotdwara (at 327 km). However, Rishikesh is a small railway station not connected by fast trains. Kotdwara is connected by only a few trains. Haridwar railway junction, 24 km farther from Rishikesh, has train connections to most of the major cities in India and is, therefore, the railhead for Badrinath.
.Badrinath is reached by national highway NH58 that connects Delhi with Mana Pass in Uttarakhand near Indo-Tibet border. Buses carry pilgrims from New Delhi to Badrinath via Haridwar and Rishikesh in pilgrim season of summer months. Rishikesh is the major starting point for road journey to Badrinath.

 
   
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

3 comments:

  1. नेपाल मे हिन्दु धर्मके बारे जान्तेहे तो हामरे पेज देखो ।

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  2. नेपाल मे हिन्दु धर्मके बारे जान्तेहे तो हामरे पेज देखो । सत्य सनातन पेपर

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  3. The Vishnu temple of Badrinath is located 298 kms from Rishikesh and 48 km from Joshimath .

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