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Temples in Badrinath

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Badrinath Temples

The murti of Lord Badrinath is self-manifested from a two-foot-high black shalagrarn-shila. He is also called Badri Vishal or Badarinarayana.

His details are not very distinct due to weathering, since He was thrown into Narada Kund for several years during the Buddhist period. Lord Badrinarayana is said to have been installed by Sankaracarya, who recovered the Deity from Narada Kund.

Lord Badrinath is sitting meditating in the padmasana (lotus posture). Badrinarayana is seen in His yogic pose, sitting erect with His palms closed. 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 is Kubera, the god of wealth, and a silver Ganesh. Garuda is kneeling in front, to the left of Badrinarayana.

The canopy over the Deities is covered with a sheet of pure gold. The temple is full of ancient stone carvings.

Within the temple enclosure, to the left of the main temple building, is a separate shrine dedicated to Laksrni Devi and the Gaddi (sitting place) of Adi Sankaracharya, just outside the exit door of the temple. The Laksmi Temple it painted red in front. The temple dedicated to Sankaracharya is said to mark his sitting place when he was in Badrinath.

The temple is open six months of the year, May to October. The priests of the temple perform their worship (puja) in Joshimath, 50 km south, the rest of the year. Before they close the temple in November, they perform one last puja and leave the ghee lamps in the temple lit. Six months later, in the month of May, they return to open the temple and find the ghee lamps still lit. It is said that the great sage Narada Muni along with other demigods come during the winter months to carry on the worship.

The Nirmalya darshan of Badarinarayana in the early morning is the most auspicious time to view the Deity. The present temple is about 400 years old. Waiting time to enter the temple in the afternoon is a half hour or more. If you come in the morning, you can expect to wait an hour in line to enter the temple.

It is only possible for several people to view the Deities at one time. You are allowed to stand to the side once you are in the temple and view the Deities as long as you like.

 

The Five Badri Temples

There are five Badri temples-Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri, Bhavisya Badri, Yogadhyan Badri, and the temple of Badri Vishal at Badrinath itself. To reach Adi Badri village you go 18 km south from Karna Prayag toward Gwaldam. There is a small 16 temple complex (15 m by 30 m) located here, which was built during the Gupta Dynasty in the tenth century. The main temple contains a beautiful three foot carved black stone murti of the Lord called Adi Badri Narayana. He holds a mace, chakra, and lotus. Not many people visit here.

Vridha Badri is located in the village of Animath, which is on the way to Joshimath from Helang. It is 17 km from Joshimath on the way to Pipalkoti. When Narada performed tapasya here, Lord Vishnu appeared before him as Vridha Badri (Old Badri).

Bhavisya Badri is located in the small village of Subhain (2,744 m), which is beyond Tapovan. Tapovan is about a 15 km jeep ride from Joshimath, and from there it is a hard nine km walk.

Yogadhyan Badri is located in the town of Pandukeshwara (1,955m), 24 km from Badrinath and 20 km from Joshimath. King Pandu, the father of the Pandavas, performed penances here to atone for the curse he received for killing two mating deer, who were sages in their previous lives. It is said that the Pandavas were born here. King Pandu installed a bronze murti called Yogadhyan Badri.

 

Mana

Mana is four km northwest of Badrinath near the Tibet border. This is where Vyasadeva's cave is located. He is said to have divided the Vedas into four parts and wrote many Puranas here. The front of the cave is painted white, and there is a deity of Vyasadeva in the cave. Nearby is Ganesh's cave. There are rocks here that look like layers of paper and are said to represent his works of writing down the Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavatam. Vyasadeva narrated these works, and Ganesh wrote them down, under the condition that Vyasadeva would not stop reciting.

Near this location, Lord Siva narrated to the sage Skanda, who wrote the Skanda Purana, the glories of the Himalayas. The Bhima and Mucukund caves are located just above the cave of Vyasadeva. Down below is Bhima Pul (Bhima's bridge), which Bhima is said to have made from a huge stone slab, so his brothers and Draupadi could cross the Saraswati River safely. The Saraswati River emerges from a glacier north of Mana, touches Vyas Gupha, merges into the Alakananda at Keshav Prayag and finally meets the Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag (Allahabad).

About three km from Bhima Pal is Vasudhara Falls, which are more than 44m (135 feet) high. To get to Mana is an easy climb. Foreigners have to get special permission to go to Mana, as it is a restricted area. This rule could change at any time.

 

Uttar Pradesh  
Allahabad Ayodhya
Badrinath Char Dhama
Chitrakut Gangotri
Gaumukh Gokula
Govardhana Haridwar
Joshimath Kedarnath
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Nandagram Rishikesh
Sarnath Varanasi
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