Badrinath Temple Uttarakhand
Badarinath or Badarinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu—holy shrines for Vaishnavas—who is worshipped as Badrinath. It is open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India, having recorded 2.8 million (28 lakh) visits in just 2 months in 2022. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
The image of the presiding deity worshipped in the temple is a 1 ft (0.30 m), the black granite deity of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan. The deity is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight svayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested deities of Vishnu.
Mata Murti Ka Mela, which commemorates the descent of river Ganges on mother earth, is the most prominent festival celebrated in the Badrinath Temple. Although Badrinath is located in North India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a Nambudiri Brahmin chosen from the South Indian state of Kerala.
temple was included in the Uttar Pradesh state government Act No. 30/1948 as Act no. 16,1939, which later came to be known as Shri Badarinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. The committee nominated by the state government administers both the temples and has seventeen members on its board.
The temple is mentioned in ancient religious texts like Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana. It is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, an early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE.
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What is the legend of Badrinath Temple
Vishnu in the form of Badrinatha is depicted in the temple sitting in the padmasana posture. According to the legend, Vishnu was chastised by sage Narada, who saw Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi, massaging his feet. Vishnu went to Badrinath to perform austerity, meditating for a long time in padmasana.
Why is Vishnu called Badrinath?
It is also said that Lord Vishnu's consort, Goddess Lakshmi, appeared in the form of a berry (badri) tree to protect her husband from the harsh mountain weather. Hence, the place came to be known as Badrinath.
Why is Badrinath important to Hinduism?
The Badrinath Temple is considered one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Hinduism, and is considered to be a highly sacred place by devotees. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped as the preserver of the universe in Hinduism.
Why is Badrinath important to Hinduism?
1. Badrinath Temple is one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites in India. Char Dham pilgrimage sites are located in all four directions of India. Badrinath Temple is located in the northern part of India.
2. Badrinath Temple also forms one of the four Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand. The other three sites are- Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Kedarnath. It is also a part of one of the Panch Badri temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
3. Badrinath Temple is the only temple among the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites which is situated in the Himalayas and surrounded by snow-clad mountains.
4. It is situated at an altitude of 3,300mts/10,826ft where the temperature is extremely cold.
5. Unlike the three Char Dham pilgrimage sites, Badrinath Temple remains closed for 6 months during winters due to extreme weather conditions and snowfall which makes it impossible to reach the site.
6. Badrinath Temple is mentioned in various sacred texts of Hindus such as Bhagavata Purana, Skanda Purana, and Mahabharata. The area around Badrinath Temple has been mentioned in Padma Purana as a spiritual site.
7. It is one of the 108 Vishnu Divyadesam or holy temples of Vishnu that is mentioned in the works of saints.
8. Edwin T. Atkinson in his book The Himalayan Gazetteer has mentioned that dense forests of Badri were prominent in this region. Hence, the place got its name.
9. Sacred Hindu texts mention that Lord Vishnu meditated under the Badri tree and hence the place got its name.
10. Some version of the history of Badrinath accounts it to be a Buddhist shrine till the 8th century. Adi Shankara converted it to a Hindu temple. The architecture of the temple resembles a Buddhist temple and the brightly colored exterior is similar to that of Buddhist temples, leading to the argument.
11. It is believed that the sculpture of Badrinath was established by Gods. It was thrown in the Alaknanda River by Buddhists during their era. Adi Shankara discovered the sculpture of Badrinath in the Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave near Tapt Kund hot spring. Later Ramanujacharya removed the sculpture from the cave and established it in the temple.
12. The 3.3 feet long statue located at the entrance of the temple is one of the main attractions of Badrinath Temple.
13. The construction and expansion of the temple were undertaken by the kings of Garhwal during the 17th Century. But in 1803, the Himalayan earthquake led to massive destruction of the temple. Later the king of Jaipur reconstructed it and it was completed before the First World War.
14. After the completion of the temple, the queen of Indore, Ahilyabai donated a gold umbrella on her visit to the temple.
15. When Garhwal was divided into two parts in the 20th Century, Badrinath Temple came under British rule. However, the management committee was led by the king of Garhwal.
Badrinath Temple Photos Gallery
