The Badrinath temple located in Badrinath, Uttaranchal , India is among the most sacred of temples for Hindus around the world. According to Hindu mythology, it is the ‘trinity’ of Lord Bramha, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva which is associated with the formation, maintenance, and ultimately destruction of this universe. Of this trinity, Lord Vishnu has the responsibility of running the universe. And in order to do this, he is believed to have taken several ‘avtaars’ (incarnations). Lord Vishnu is worshipped in various forms in thousands of temples across India, and even outside India.
Badrinath: Very popularly known as one of the ‘Chaar Dhaam’, (4 pilgrimages), or ‘Chhota Char Dhaam’ (chhota, meaning small) Badrinath, is one of the most important religious places for the Hindus across the world. Char Dhaam in the Hindi language means Four Dhaams (Four religious places) and is a collective term to indicate the religious circuit within Uttarakhand, which covers the four important and holy Hindu pilgrimage centers, namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. It is among the most visited pilgrimage sites of India, where millions of people visit every year to pay their respect to Lord Vishnu. One of the very interesting facts about Badrinath is that though the temple is located in North India, the temple’s head priest (called the Rawal) is a Nambudiri Brahmin, who traditionally comes from the South Indian state of Kerala. It is believed that Adi Shankara, who was a South Indian philosopher, started this tradition. The priest has to practice bachelorhood. The temple remains open only for 6 months, during summers. As soon as the winters approach, the doors of the temples are closed. On this occasion, the temple is decorated with flowers, and special pujas are performed on the day by the chief priest. A huge ghee lamp, called ‘Akhand Jyoti’ (never-ending light) is lit inside the temple, which lasts for 6 months. The idol is shifted to the Narsingh temple at Joshi Math, where the deity is worshipped for the next 6 months. Around April or May, the idol is shifted back to Badrinath, when the temple re-opens. Thousands of people visit the temple to have a darshan of the Akhand Jyoti. Location of the temple: One of the most famous places of worshipping Lord Vishnu, Badrinath is also called ‘Badrikanath’, or ‘Badrikaaashram’. It is one of the 108 ‘Divya Desams’ dedicated to Lord Vishnu, where he is worshipped as Badrinath. This holy shrine for Vaishnavites is located in the Chamoli district, along the river Alaknanda, in the state of Uttarakhand. The main attraction of the city is the Badrinath temple, which is located at an average height of about 3,100 meters above sea level. This sacred town of Badrinath is located between the ‘nar’ and ‘narayana’ mountain ranges in the Garhwal hill Literary mention: Badrinath finds a mention in several ancient religious works of literature Bhagavata Puraan, Skanda Puraan, and even Mahabharata. According to Bhagavata Puraan, it is here in Badrinath that two sages, Nar and Narayana, (both incarnations of Lord Vishnu) are in penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living beings. As per the Skanda Puraan, “(t)here are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath”. The Mahabharata reveres the holy place as the only place, where a person can attain ‘moksha’ (Salvation), merely by coming close to the place, without having to perform any religious ceremony. In Tamil literature, the temple is referred to as Tiruvatariyaacciraamam. Significance of Badrinath temple: Badrinath is considered to be the most sacred religious place for Hindus, to get rid of their sins and pave the path to the ultimate goal of human life – the Moksha, (salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth & death in this world). Badrinath is one of the holy places where the Hindus offer ‘tarpan’ (oblations to ancestors). Devotees have a holy dip in the Alaknanda River and then go for darshan. It is believed that a dip in the holy river purifies the soul. Badrinath temple is among the ‘Chaar Dhaams’ located across the four corners of India. While Badrinath is in the North, the other three are Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha (East), Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka, Gujarat (West), and Rameshwaram Temple at Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu (South). Chaar Dhaam Yatra is one of the very important rituals. Every Hindu is expected to perform this yatra at least once in the lifetime. Traditionally, the yatra starts at the eastern end from Puri and then proceeds in a clockwise manner (as typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples). So, the yatra starts from Puri, and then moves to Rameshwaram, Dwarka, and finally at Badrinath. In addition to the main ‘chaar dhaams’ mentioned above, there are four abodes called the ‘Chhota Chaar Dhaam’ (Chhota meaning small). All these abodes, namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri lie in the foothills of the Himalayas. The name Chhota was added in the last century to differentiate these dhaams from the original Char Dhaams. Now, these are also called ‘Himalayan Chaar Dhaams’.
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