Badrinath

According to Hindu legend, Vishnu sat in meditation at this place. During his meditation, Vishnu was unaware of cold weather. Lakshmi, his consort, protected him in the form of the Badri tree (jujube or Indian date, called 'ber' in Hindi). Pleased by the devotion of Lakshmi, Vishnu named the place Badrika Ashrama. According to Atkinson (1979), the place used to be a jujube forest, which is not found there today. Vishnu in the form of Badrinath is depicted in the temple sitting in the padmasana posture. According to Brahma Vaivarta purana, 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. The Vishnu Purana narrates another version of the origins of Badrinath. According to the tradition, Yama had two sons, Nara, and Narayana—both of which are modern names of Himalayan mountains. They chose the place to spread their religion and each of them wed the spacious valleys in the Himalayas. Searching for an ideal place to set up a hermitage, they came across the other four Badris of the Pancha Badri, namely Adibadri, Bridha Badri, Yoga-Dhyana Badri and Bhavisha Badri. They finally found the hot and cold spring behind the Alaknanda River and named it "Badri Vishala."

Vishnu, also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Though not prominently represented in the Vedas Vishnu was possibly already a significant non-elite divine figure in early Vedic times. Vishnu rose to prominence in post-Vedic times, and was identified with various local traditions and deities, particularly the Bhāgavata-deities Vāsudeva-Krishna and Gopala-Krishna and the Pāñcarātra-deity Narayana, in the last centuries BCE and the early centuries CE.

Read more about [Vishnu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu).

The temple is situated in the Garhwal Himalayas, along the banks of the Alaknanda River in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand. It lies at an elevation of 3133 m(10,279 ft) above mean sea level. Nar Parbat stands opposite to the temple, while Narayana Parbat is located behind the Neelkanth peak. Adi Shankara established Badrinath as a pilgrimage site in the ninth century. The temple comprises three structures: the Garbhagriha (sanctum), the Darshan Mandapa (worship hall), and Sabha Mandapa (assembly hall). The sanctum's conical roof is approximately 15 m (49 ft) tall and features a small cupola topped with a gilt gold covering. The stone façade features arched windows, and a broad stairway ascends to the main entrance, a tall arched gateway. Just inside lies a mandapa, a spacious pillared hall that leads to the sanctum, or main shrine. The walls and pillars of the hall are adorned with intricate carvings. The main shrine contains the 1 ft (0.30 m) Shaligram (black stone) deity of Badrinarayana, placed beneath a gold canopy under a Badri tree. The deity of Badrinarayana is depicted holding Panchajanya Shankha (conch) and Sudarshana Chakra (discus) in two raised arms while the other two arms rest on his lap in a Yogamudra (padmasana) posture. The sanctum also houses images of the god of wealth—Kubera, sage Narada, Uddhava, Nara and Narayana. The temple contains fifteen additional images that are worshipped within its premise.

The most prominent festival held at Badrinath Temple is Mata Murti Ka Mela, which commemorates the descent of the river Ganges on mother earth. The mother of Badrinath, who is believed to have divided the river into twelve channels for the welfare of earthly beings, is worshiped during the festival. The place where the river flowed became the holy land of Badrinath. The Badri Kedar festival is celebrated during the month of June in both the temple and the Kedarnath temple. The festival lasts for eight days; artists from all over the country perform during the function. The major religious activities (or pujas) performed every morning are mahabhishek (ablution), abhishek, gitapath and bhagavat puja, while in the evening the pujas include geet govinda and aarti. Recital in vedic scripts like Ashtotram and Sahasranama is practised during all the rituals. After aarti, the decorations are removed from the image of Badrinath and sandalwood paste is applied to it. The paste from the image is given to the devotees the next day as prasad during the nirmalaya darshan.

The Badrinath Temple was included in the Uttar Pradesh State Government Act No. 30/1948 as Act no. 16,1939, which was later known as Shri Badarinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. A committee nominated by the State Government of Uttarakhand administers both the temples. The act was modified in 2002 to appoint additional committee members, including government officials and a vice-chairman. There are seventeen members in the board; three selected by the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, one member each selected by the District Councils of Chamoli Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi districts, and ten members nominated by the Government of Uttarakhand. As indicated in the temple records, the priests of the temple were Shiva ascetics called Dandi Sanyasis, who belonged to Nambudiri community, a religious group common in modern Kerala.

Located in: Chamoli, Uttarakhand.