Char Dham Yatra

Badrinath Dham Yatra

Badrinath is situated in the lap of Nar-Narayan Parvat, with the towering Neelkanth peak (6,597mts.) in the background. Also known as the Vishal Badri, the largest among the five Badris, it is revered by all as the apt tribute to Lord Vishnu.

It is believed that to revive the lost prestige of Hinduism and to unite the country in one bond, Adi Guru Sri Shankaracharya built four pilgrimage centres in four corners of India. Among them were Badrikashram (Badrinath temple) in the north, Rameshwaram in the south, Dwarkapuri in the west and Jagannath Puri in the east. Badrinath situated at an elevation of 3,133 mts. is considered to be amongst the most pious.

The revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name 'Badri Van' meaning 'forest of berries.' Built by Adi Shankaracharaya, the philosopher-saint of the 8th century, the temple has been renovated several times due to damage by avalanches and restored in the 19th century by the royal houses of Scindia & Holkar. The main entrance gate is colourful & imposing popularly known as Singhdwar.

About Badrinath History

History & Legends About Badrinath

The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata...
Places to See in Badrinath

Places to Visit in & Around Badrinath

There are various places of interest for every kind of visitor...
Best Time to Visit Badrinath

Best Time to Visit Badrinath

The best time to visit Badrinath is between May-Jun & Sep-Nov...
How to Reach Badrinath

How to Reach Badrinath

Badrinath is well connected through road. National Highway (NH-58)...
Hotels in Badrinath

Badrinath Hotels

Check here the list of best hotels in Badrinath, Uttarakhand...
Badrinath Packages

Badrinath Travel Packages

List of Badrianth Yatra tour & travel packages for 2023...

Inside Badrinath Temple

A flight of steps takes pilgrims to the main gate & then into the Badrinath temple. The temple is divided into three parts - the 'Garbha Griha' or the sanctum sanctorum, the 'Darshan Mandap' where the rituals are conducted and the 'Sabha Mandap' where devotees assemble. The Garbha Griha portion has its canopy covered with a sheet of gold offered by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar. The complex has 15 idols especially attractive is the one-metre high image of lord Badrinath, finely sculpted in black stone. It represents Lord Vishnu seated in a meditative pose called padmasan.

Darshan Mandap: Lord Badrinath is sitting meditating in the padmasana (lotus yogic posture). As you look at the Deities, standing to the right side of Badrinarayana is Uddhava. To the far right side are Nara and Narayana. Narada Muni is kneeling in front on the right side and is difficult to see. On the left side are Kubera, the god of wealth, and a silver Ganesh. Garuda is kneeling in front, to the left of Badrinarayana.

Special pujas are also performed on behalf of individuals. Every puja must be preceded by a holy dip in the Tapta Kund. Some of the special morning pujas are Abhishek, Mahaabhishek, Geeta Path. Some special evening pujas are Aarti & Geet Govind. Such pujas are to be booked in advance. The Badrinath temple opens at 0430 hrs & closes at 1300 hrs. Once again it opens at 1600 hrs & closes at 2100 hrs after the divine song Geet Govind. Rawal is the administrator-Pujari of the temple well versed in puja ceremonials & Sanskrit language and is expected to be celibate.

Badri refers to a berry that was said to grow abundantly in the area, and nath refers to Vishnu. Badri is the Sanskrit name for the Indian Jujube trees, which has an edible berry. Some scriptural references also refer to Jujube trees being abundant in Badrinath. Legend has it that Goddess Lakshmi took the form of the berries to protect Lord Vishnu from the harsh climate during his long penance.

Opening Date & Timings of the Badrinath Temple

The Gates of the Badrinath temple opens every year for the pilgrims, devotees and tourists from around the world in the month of April-May, It mainly gets open in the last week of April or first week of May (the opening date of Badrinath is decided on the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami by the temple priests) and closes for winters in the third week of November (the closing dates are fixed on Vijayadashmi). Thus the temple is shut down for 6 months during the winters due to extreme climatic conditions every year during which prayers to the Badri Vishal continue at the Narsimha temple in Joshimath.

Badrinath Temple Opening & Closing Date for 2023

Opening Date : 27 April 2023
Closing Date : 21 Nov 2023

Daily Timings: All the poojas in the Badrinath temple take place in the attendance of devotees after taking a dip in the Tapt Kund. Booking for special poojas can be done in advance at Badrinath Mandir Committee.

Opening and Closing Time of the Badrinath Temple

Opens at 4:30 AM for morning poojas called the Abhishek Darshan, Alankar Darshan, Aarti Darshan and closes in the afternoon at 1 PM. There is an afternoon recess from 1 AM to 4 PM. The temple reopens at 4 PM and closes again by 9 PM. The evening pooja ends with Mangal aarti also called Geet govind. After the grand aarti the temple priest removes the flowers & jewels from the image of Badrinarayan. Only the sandal paste is left which is removed next morning and distributed as Prasad among the devotees.

Special booking of pujas can be done at Badrinath Mandir Committee by paying some fees. The pooja is organized before the temple is open for general public.

Some festivals celebrated in Badrinath are: Mata Murti ka mela, Krishna Janamashtami and Badri-Kedar utsav.

Badrinath's four subsidiary Badris populary known as Panch Badri include Bhavishya Badri, Yogdhyan Badri, Bridha Badri and Adi Badri. It is popularly believed that with spread of Buddhism, the Buddhists enshrined the statue of Lord Buddha there and during the Hindu renaissance, the statue of Buddha was later restored by Adi Guru as the idol of Vishnu. This possibly explains the deity sitting in Padmasan posture, typical of Buddha icons. However, also according to Hindu mythology, Buddha was considered to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Location of the Badrinath Temple - The Route

The two mountains Nar and Narayan surround the Badrinath Dham making the location a majestic sight and the most important of all the Char Dhams. Badrinath Dham is a popular Hindu holy town in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is located at an elevation of 11204 feet (3415 metres), in the shadow of the Neelkanth Peak, Badrinath is a holy hindu pilgrimage situated on the banks of Alaknanda river.

This town is well-served by all major forms of transportation, including air, rail, and road. There is no direct bus or train service to Badrinath. To get to Badrinath, you must first travel to Haridwar/Rishikesh from where you may easily catch a direct bus or taxi to Badrinath.

There are regular buses operating to Badrinath from Delhi, Haridwar and Rishikesh. Well connected to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Dev Prayag, Rudra Prayag, Kotdwar, Joshi Math and other hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon region. The location of Badrinath is easily accessible by road as compared to airways and railways. It is located at a distance of 525 Km from Delhi & 296 Km from Rishikesh.

By Air : The nearest airport from Badrinath is the Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun, about 317 km from Badrinath. From where you can take a taxi or a bus as per convenience. There are many providers of helicopter service from Dehradun to Badrinath. The distance by a helicopter journey is hardly 100 km.

By Train : The nearest railway stations to Badrinath are at Rishikesh (297 kms), Haridwar (324 kms) and Kotadwar (327 kms). Rishikesh is not connected by fast trains and Kotadwar has very less number of trains. Thus Haridwar serves as the best railway station if you are visiting Badrinath by train. Haridwar is connected by many trains from all parts of India.

Road Connectivity : Well connected to Haridwar , Rishikesh, Dehradun , Dev Prayag, Rudra Prayag, Kotdwar, Joshi Math and other hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon region.

By Bus : Badrinath is easily accessible by road. It is located at a distance of 525 Km from Delhi & 296 Km from Rishikesh. There are regular buses operating to Badrinath from Delhi, Haridwar and Rishikesh. Regular buses also operate from Rishikesh bus station to Badrinath and start very early before dawn. The road is narrow after Joshimath and travel is not permitted on the road after sunset. Therefore if one misses the bus for Badrinath at Rishikesh bus station, one has to go only up to Rudraprayag, Chamoli or Joshimath and spend the night there to take the early morning bus for Badrinath.

The national route NH58 connects Delhi to Mana Pass in Uttarakhand, near the Indo-Tibet border, and from there to Badrinath. There is no direct route by Air and Railways between New Delhi and Badrinath. However, if you have your own vehicle, you can drive directly to the venue.

Weather at Badrinath : Best Time to Visit

The best visiting season for Badrinath is summer months from May to November with May to June being the most crowded months when the pilgrim rush is at its peak and September to October being ideal for a more relaxed spiritual journey. Due to heavy rainfall in the area, visitors may face difficulty reaching the temple during monsoon season (late June to Aug). March to June are very pleasant with moderate climate, with average around 18°C.

Summers are ideal for all sightseeing and pilgrimage. July to mid-September are accompanied with scanty rains and also temperature drops down to 15°C. The region is prone to occasional landslides and travelling can be difficult. November to April are chilly days with average minimum touching near 5°C. Minimums can touch sub zero levels and snow falling is seen very often during winters.

Badrinath temple is closed during winters for 6 months

You can visit the shrine during these festivals for more enriched experienced:

  • Badri Kedar Festival – This eight day festival is celebrated in Badrinath and Kedarnath in the month of June. In the festival artists from across India are invited to showcase their art.
  • Mata Murti ka Mela – It is celebrated on Bhavan Dwadashi. In the festival devotees sing holy songs, dance and worship Shri Badrinath’s mother Ma Murti.
  • Janmashtami – Janmashtami is celebrated very vibrantly in Badrinath. Devotees gather and celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.