Badrinath

Website : www.badarikedar.org/

Badrinath is one of the holy towns of the Hindus located at Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in India. It is the most important of all the four dhams in India. The town of Badrinath lies between Nar and Naryana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak, 301 km north of Rishikesh. The town is located at an elevation of 3,133mts above sea level on the left bank of Alakananda River.

The main attraction of Badrinath is the Badrinath temple also known as the Badrinarayan temple. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is also one of the 108 Divya Desams or holy shrines of Vaishnavities. The present temple is conical in shape built two centuries ago by the Garhwal kings. 15 idols are present in the temple complex, each built in black stone. Lord Vishnu is represented here in a meditative posture and is flanked by Nar and Narayan. According to legend, the temple was originally established by Adi Shankaracharya which was renovated several times after its establishment. Badrinath is also one of the Panch Badris. The other four badris are Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Bridha Badri or the 'Old Badri' and Adi Badri.

Some of the other attractions of Badrinath include the Tapt Kund a natural thermal spring on the banks of the Alakananda. It is believed that the water of this kund has medicinal properties. An important pilgrimage detination of both the Hindus and the Sikhs is Hemkund Sahib located at a distance of 43kms from Badrinath. Neelkanth is another prime attraction of Badrinath which is a snow-covered peak of Badrinath. You can also visit the Panch Prayag i.e. Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Nandprayag, Karnaprayag, Vishnuprayag; from Badrinath. You can also visit the Mata Murthi temple which is dedicated to the mother of Sri Badrinathji. 3km from Badrinath is Mana village inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe.

Badrinath in Char Dham Road Route Map

Char Dham Yatra Route: Haridwar - Rishikesh - Dehradun -Mussoorie - Chamba - Tehri - Dharasu - Barkot - Sayana Chatti -Hanuman Chatti - Jankichatti - Yamunotri - Uttarkashi - Harsil -Gangotri (Gaumukh) - Srinagar - Rudraprayag - Augustmuni - Phata - Sitapur - Guptkashi - Gaurikund - Kedarnath - Ukhimath - Chopta -Gopeshwar - Chamoli - Pipalkoti - Joshimath (Auli) - Govindghat - Hanuman Chatti - Badrinath - Nandprayag - Karnprayag - Devprayag

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Kedarnath Temple, Kedarnath

 Official Website : http://www.badarikedar.org/

Kedarnath is a holy Hindu town located in Uttarakhand in India. It is one of the Char Dhams located in the Himalayas at a height of 3584m above sea level near the head of Mandakini River. It is a very popular destination for all Hindu pilgrims of all over the world. The Kedarnath temple lies amidst the majestic snow-capped Himalayan ranges and is thronged by thousands of tourists each year. The extreme weather condition of Kedarnath prompts the temple to remain open from the end of April to the beginning of November. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Kedar or Lord Shiva. In Kedarnath alone there are about more than 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva.

It is believed that the temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya and existed even during the time of Mahabharata. According to legend, it is said that the Pandavas performed a strong penance to please Lord Shiva in Kedarnath. After having won the war against the Kauravas, the Pandavas felt guilty and wanted to seek blessings from Lord Shiva for redemption who was eluding them. Lord Shiva took refuge in Kedarnath in the form of a bull and dived into the ground leaving his hump on the surface. The other four parts of Lord Shiva fell at Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhmaheshwar and Kapleshwar. Kedarnath along with these four are also described as Panch Kedar. The inner walls of the temple have various deities sculpted on it. The scenes also tell mythological stories.

You can reach Kedarnath only after a trek of 14km through a paved road from Gaurikund.  You can take horse or ponies to climb up the steep path. Gaurikund is connected by road from Haridwar, Dehradun, Rishikesh and some other regions of Uttarakhand. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun while the nearest station is Rishikesh.

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