Badrinath Temple in Badrinath (Uttarakhand) is one of the great places particularly for Lord Vishnu devotees and other tourists. The temple and the town are counted one among the Chardham Yatra and hold great importance among Hindu community. Among all the four, Badrinath is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites.
Settled around 3133m above the sea level on the banks of river Alakhnanda in the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, Badrinath temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu. The presiding deity inside the temple is of Lord Vishnu, a black stone statue (Saligram stone) around 3 ft tall, in the form of Badrinarayan. Legends say that the temple was originally put-up by Adi Shankaracharaya, but was later renovated several times.
With colorful entrance, also known as Singhdwar, the temple has three sections- Garbhgriha- the sanctum has idols of Lord Vishnu and other Hindu Gods, Darshan mandap- worship hall and Sabha mandap- convention hall.
According to Hindu legend, it was this place where Lord Vishnu sat for meditation, unaware of the cold weather. To protect him from cold weather, his consort Devi Lakshmi transformed into a Badri tree. Pleased by her devotion, Lord Vishnu named the place as Badrika Ashram.
In-addition, it is believed that Vishnu was chastised by a sage, when he saw Lakshmi massaging his feet. To perform austerity, Lord went to Badrinath meditating for long.
In fact, in today’s time also the presiding deity inside the temple is in ‘padmasana’ posture- meditative pose. Owing to such beliefs, the holy shrine is considered to be the most holy shrine on earth.
Due to bad weather conditions the temple remained closed during winter months. But for the convenience of devotees, from November to March the idols of the temple are shifted from Badrinath to Pandukeshwar in Chamoli district. Again from April, for the rest of the year the idols are transferred back to its original position.
Opening- Closing hours- 4:30am to 1:00pm / 4:00pm to 9:00pm