About Badrinath Char Dham Pilgrimage
Badrinath temple is in the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand state in India. Badrinath is one of the four pilgrimage sites of the Char Dham Pilgrimage. The other three are Dwarka (in Gujarat state), Puri Jagannath (in Odissa state), and Rameshwaram (in Tamilnadu State). These Char Dham sites are must-visit places in one’s lifetime for a Hindu to attain Moksha (eternal freedom or salvation).
Temple at Badrinath, Uttarakhand, India.
About Char Dham Temples
Geographically, the Char Dham pilgrimage temples make a perfect square with Badrinath (North) and Rameswaram (South) falling on the exact longitude and Dwarka (West) and Puri (East) on the same latitude, representing the farthest points of India existed during the time of Seer Adi Sankaracharya who defined these Char Dham temples. (Over the last centuries, the coastline has changed a little).
Temple Details
Badrinath temple is a holy Vaishnavite temple that is more than 11100 feet above sea level. It is a sacred place in many of the old scripture books. Adi Shankara re-established Badrinath as a holy pilgrimage center in the 9th century when he visited this temple and found a black stone of Lord Badrinarayan from the river nearby.
The temple has undergone renovations many a time, and the last major one was during the reign of the Jaipur Kings in the 18th century.
Unlike other temples, the deity at Badrinath temple is covered with a blanket!
Temple Closure Period
The temple will be closed anytime during October or November, once snowfall starts. It will be closed for the next six months or so. The temple re-opens once “Akhand Jyothi” at the nearby Joshimath or Jyotirmath is observed.
Main Pujas
Abisheka Puja and Vishnu Sahasthra Nama Puja are the main pujas at this temple. (Puja means the act of worship.) You can Book for Badrinath Puja Online.
Rawal
The head priest at Badrinath Temple is known as Rawal. Rawal is traditionally chosen from the Nambudiri caste. (Brahmin community in Kerala state is known as Nambudiri.) Eswari Prasad Nambudiri from Payannur near Kannur in Kerala is the present Rawal from 2014. Rawal should be a bachelor and scholar in Sanskrit.
Request for a new Rawal is made officially by the Government of Uttarakhand to the Government of Kerala. The erstwhile ruler of Garhwal, who is the tutelary head of Badrinath, then needs to approve him, before he is appointed as the Rawal. The Garhwal Rifles, previously known as Royal Garhwal Rifles, an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, and the state government of Uttarakhand granted his holiness status to the Rawal.
Rawal is also the head of the Adi Shankara Adwaitha Foundation at Badrinath. He is also the head of the village to which the temple belongs.
Unlike other temple priests, Rawal at the Badrinath temple wears a particular coat. Temple priests in India typically do not wear a shirt or dress for the upper part of the body, while conducting rituals.
How to Reach the Badrinath Char Dham Pilgrimage Site?
Rishikesh, at around 300 kilometers, is the nearest railway to Badrinath temple. NH 58 connects Badrinath with Rishikesh, New Delhi, etc. Regular bus services are available between Rishikesh and Badrinath. There are no buses to Badrinath after sunset as the road is narrow after Joshimath or Jyotirmath. It is dangerous to travel at night. You can travel up to Joshimath and stay there (by other modes of transport) if you miss the last bus.
Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun is the nearest airport at 315 kilometers, which is well connected to New Delhi International and Domestic Airport.
The temple is around 20 kilometers from the China border, and the Indian military controls the area.
Tapta Kund
Tapta Kund is a hot water spring close to the Badrinath temple. It’s a also Hindu pilgrimage center. May devotees to the temple, take a dip at Taptakund before visiting the temple. Taking a dip here is believed to cleanse one’s sins.
TaptaKund is believed to be the abode of Lord Agni, the god of fire.