Four Shrines that Shows the Way to Salvation- Badrinath

Located in the foothills of Himalayas in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, Badrinath is one of the most pious worshipping places for hindus. It is one of the four dham that is believed to be the place to attain moksha or salvation according to Hindu mythology. Placed within the cusp of Nar and Narayan mountain ranges, this Badrinath temple sits serene and is epitome of natural beauty. Devotees with unwavering faith are drawn towards this religious temple to offer their prayers. It is situated about 3100 meters about the sea level and near the shores of River Alaknanda.

The Hindu Mythology

According to Hindu mythology, visiting the dham is mandatory once in a lifetime to attain salvation from the cycle of life and death. It is known that a Hindu God called Lord Vishu meditated under the Badri tree for over 1,000 years to prevail peace upon the human race. The temple has a one meter tall statue of Lord Vishu sitting in the self meditating place known to be Swayam Vyakta Kshetra of Vishu.

The Temple Architecture

Many hindus are smitten by the architecture of the temple as it is manifests a North Indian style of architecture. It is conical in shape and is believed to be built the earliest by Shankaracharya and was later resurrected a lot many times. Walls built of stones and dome and pillars bearings inscriptions provide a fascinating experience.

Inside the temple

The entrance of the temple has a large tall arched gate that guides to the sabha mandap. The sabha Mandap then leads the devotees to darshan mandap. From here, one entres the final place garbha griha. The roof of the temple has conical shape that extend 15 meters upwards and is colored gold. Garbha Griha, the inner most section of the temple, stands a tall black stone statue of Badrinarayan or Vishnu that has a conch and a chakra in each of its arms. The statue has four arms, and the other two arms are resting in the lap of Lord Vishu in a posture of meditations. Accompanying the deity is sage Narada.

Temple Rituals

Pooja and ritualist prosessions are a continuous thing at the temple. The temple open at 4:00 am in the morning which begins with a Maha Abhishek pooja. Following this, a Geeta path, Bhagwat Geeta path, and other rituals are performed. In the evening, aarti is done marking the end of the day long paths and poojas. Post this, the statues of Lord vishnu is cleared of all decorations and is then covered in a sandalwood paste. This paste is then distributed the next day in the form of parsad or blessing.

Best Time to Visit Badrinath

Due to its location and high altitude from the sea level, this sacred shrine of Hinduism is open half the year with devotees starting to pour in from the month of April 2018 and remains open till November (mostly after the celebration of Diwali). During winters, the temple is though open but does not has provisions for huge footfall of tourists. Therefore, it is recommended to visit the temple only at the onset of summers till the end of autumn.