16 Top Tourist Places to Visit in Badrinath

At a distance of 1 km from Badrinath Bus stand, Badrinath Temple, also known as the Badrinarayan Temple, is situated on the right bank of the holy River Alakananda. It is considered as the most holy among the char dhams and among the 108 Divya Desams. Badrinath along with Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath form the Chota Char Dham, one of the important pilgrimages for Hindus.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped in this temple as Sri Badrinath. According to legends, the Badrinath temple dates back to the Vedic age. However, the present temple is believed to have been established by saint-philosopher Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century. Adi Shankara discovered a Saligram idol of Lord Badrinarayan which lay immersed in the River Alakananda. He installed this idol in a cave nearby Tapt Kund. It was later shifted to the present temple by the King of Garhwal in the 16th century.

The temple stands tall at a height .....

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At a distance of 1 km from Badrinath Bus Stand, Brahma Kapal is a sacred ghat situated on the banks of Alakananda River and is situated in the vicinity of Badrinath temple in Badrinath Town.

Brahma Kapal is a flat platform which is of great importance for Hindus who perform rituals and pay homage to the departed souls and also offer Shraddha to their ancestors at this place. It is said that Lord Brahma exists at this place and thus if someone does Rituals and Shraddha Karma for the departed souls of his family they get salvation from the cycle of birth and death. It is situated just 100 meters north of the Badrinath Temple.

Brahma Kapal holds the mythical belief that it was at this place where Lord Shiva relieved from his curse of killing Brahma. It is also believed that Brahma's head had fallen off from Shiva's trident here at Brahma Kapal. The Sheshnetra, Charanpaduka and the Mata Murthy Temple are nearby attractions that hold religious significance.

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At a distance of 5.5 km from Badrinath Bus Stand, Vyas Cave is an ancient cave located on the banks of Saraswati River at Mana village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Mana is the last Indian village situated at Indo-China Border.

Vyas Gufa is believed to be the place where sage Vyas composed the Mahabharata epic with the help of Lord Ganesha. He also composed 18 Puranas, Brahma Sutras and four Vedas. Maharishi Vyas statue is installed in the caves and worshiped by the pilgrims. A distinct feature of the temple is the roof which resembles the pages from the collection of his holy scripts.

There is also an interesting story related to the place that explains the broken tusk of Lord Ganesh. When Vyas was composing Mahabharata, he needed someone to take down his dictation and asked the learned Ganesha for the same. Ganesh agreed but he had a condition - that Vyas would not stop even for a moment or else he would stop writing and leave. Vyas dictating as fast as he could .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Badrinath, Charanpaduka or Charan Paduka is a beautiful rock, which is believed be holding the foot prints of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the darshan of these footprints will relieve visitors from all aliments.

The Charan Paduka is perched at an elevation of 3,380 feet above sea level. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu set his foot on earth at this place. Bhagwat Purana says that Lord Sri Krishna advised his minister Uddhav to proceed to Badrinath with his Charan Paduka to get rid of his wrongdoings.

Charan Paduka can be reached by 3 km trek from Badrinath. The path towards Charan Paduka is on the left side of Badrinath temple. Walk few meters and on the right side you will see stairs going upwards. Follow the stairs to reach Charan Paduka situated at Narayan Parvat. The 3 km uphill trek takes about 1.5 hours to reach Charan Paduka.

The view from Charan Paduka is excellent. At one side you can watch Neelkanth Peak and the other .....

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At a distance of 1 km from Badrinath Bus Stand, Tapt Kund is a natural hot water spring located at the entrance of Badrinath Temple in Badrinath town.

Tapt Kund is the abode of Lord Agni and is famous for its medicinal properties. Before entering the Badrinath Temple, one has to take a holy dip in the Tapt Kund. The temperature of the water of Kund is 45° Celsius and there are number of hot water springs on the banks of Alaknanda River. It is believed that taking a bath in Hot water spring will cure all the skin diseases.

There is another Kund below Tapt Kund called the Narad Kund where the present image of Badrinarayan is said to have been found by Adi Shankaracharya. Pilgrims usually don't bathe here and the kund is considered sacred. Around the Kund area, there are 5 big stone rocks known as Panch Shilas considered sacred by the devotees. Narad Shila is situated beside the Tapt Kund, and it is said the great devotee of Lord Vishnu, Bhakta Narad used to live here. Garud Shila .....

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At a distance of 5.5 km from Badrinath Bus Stand, Mana village is a quaint tiny hamlet situated on the Indo-Tibetan border in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. This village is the last village of India on Indo - Tibet boarder. It is situated at an altitude of around 3219 m on the banks of River Saraswati which originates in a mountain near the Mana Village.

Mana Village is inhabited by Indo-Mongolian tribes known as Bhotias. The village has about 180 households and a population of about 600. The villagers are culturally associated with activities of Badrinath temple and annual fair of Matha Murthi. They perform an annual traditional act by offering a choli to the deity on the closing day of the temple. When the Badrinath temple reopens in Apr/May, they come and live here for 6 months to keep the culture and traditions of their tribe alive. The rest of the year they live in Chamoli.

Mana village has several caves including Vyas Cave. It is said that Veda Vyas dictated his famous .....

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At a distance of 11.5 km from Badrinath and 6 km from Mana Village, Vasudhara Falls is one of the famous tourist attractions around Badrinath. It is one of the popular places for short trekking near Badrinath.

Vasudhara Falls is surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. The water of this cascading falls flows down from the height of 400 feet and is situated at an altitude of 12,000 feet. The falls is considered as a haunting site. There is a myth behind this waterfall that the water of Vasudhara Falls turns away from the visitors who are not pure at heart. From a distance, the water of the fall appears like milk flowing down the mountain.

The fall looks stunning during monsoon & post monsoon season with lush greenery and beautiful mountains around. March to June is the ideal time to visit this waterfall. Mana is accessible only when Badrinath season starts in Apr/May, so the best season to visit this place is between May and .....

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At a distance of 30 km from Badrinath and 25 km from Mana, Satopanth is a mountain lake situated close to Swargarohini Peak in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is situated at an altitude of 4,600 m (15,100 feet) in Garhwal Himalayas. It is one of the well known destination for trekking in Uttarakhand.

Satopanth is a triangular lake with three corners spread within the circumference of about a kilometer. The lake is surrounded by snow covered peaks and is named after the Hindu gods Mahesh, Vishnu and Brahma. It is believed that the divine Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh had meditated here and each corner of the triangular lake is named after them.

The lake is considered to be of religious significance to the local people. There is a saint known as Moni Baba, who stopped talking several years ago. There is a common belief that he can live only on sun and air, if food is unavailable. Also some unique birds are found here, which pick up the pollutants of the lake and .....

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At a distance of 38 km from Badrinath and 33 km from Mana, Swargarohini is a mountain range in the Saraswati Range of the Garhwal Himalayas. It lies in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, west of the Gangotri group of peaks. Swargarohini is 8 km trek from Satopanth Lake. It is one of the best trails among Uttarakhand trekking.

Swargarohini is a group of four peaks, of which Swargarohini I draws the attention and lies at a height of 6252 m. Swargarohini trek is the only trek which allows trekkers to go deep inside the Greater Himalayas. This trek is famous for enchanting rocky views and exhaustive conditions. Swargarohini derives its name from the legends associated with the peak which mentions that the path leads to heaven and it was followed by Pandavas & Draupadi.

The ideal time to visit Swargarohini is from May to October. The trek starts from Mana, 5 km ahead of Badrinath. The trek from Mana village to Swargarohini .....

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At a distance of 9 km from Badrinath, Nilkantha is a snowy peak in the shape of a pyramid near Badrinath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The peak is situated at an elevation of 6,597 m above sea level. It is one of the best trekking trails in Uttarakhand.

Neelkantha, which is also known as the Garhwal Queen, is named after Lord Shiva. From a distance the peak resembles Lord Shiva sitting in meditation. It receives the first ray of Sun which glimmers the valley. Nilkantha is a major peak of the Garhwal Himalayas in the Uttarakhand region. Although substantially lower than the highest peaks of the region, it towers dramatically over the valley of the Alaknanda River and rises 3,474 m above Badrinath. Frank Smythe described the peak as second only to Siniolchu in Himalayan Beauty.

The Satopanth Glacier is on the northwest side of Nilkantha, the Panpatia Glacier remains on the southwest side and feeds Khirao Ganga, a small .....

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At a distance of 4 km from Badrinath Bus Stand, Mata Murti Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated on the banks of River Alaknanda near Badrinath.

The temple is dedicated to Mata Murti, the mother of two sons Narayan and Nara. According to mythological belief, Mata Murti prayed Lord Vishnu to take his next incarnation (avatar) by coming out from her womb. Lord Vishnu agreed and came out from her womb into this world as twins, Nar and Narayan to kill a demon.

There is a popular belief that the goddess has power of granting Vairagya to those who meditate here sincerely. It is visited frequently by visitors for worshipping Mata Murti on Shukla Tritiya, Ashtami and Chaturdashi. During the time of Mata Murti Ka Mela, the mother of Sri Badrinath is worshiped with great devotion.

Timings: 6 AM - 6 PM

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At a distance of 1 km from Badrinath Bus Stand, Sheshnetra is one of the popular holy sites situated in Badrinath town of Uttarakhand. It is situated on the opposite bank of Alakananda River. This is a large stone which is marked with an eye of a legendary snake and is one among the remarkable holy sites in Badrinath. It is said that Lord Vishnu took retreat on a gigantic snake named Ananta Shesha.

Apart from its religious significance this place offers beautiful views of the surroundings. Two lakes and the majestic river Alakananda pose an enthralling background to this boulder. This sacred site has the natural imprints on the rock. It is believed that Sheshnetra guards the holy shrine of Badrinath.

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At a distance of 22 km from Badrinath and 21 km from Joshimath, Pandukeshwar is a sacred village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It lies at an altitude of 6300 feet and is situated on the way to Badrinath. It is a famous pilgrimage center situated between Joshimath and Badrinath.

According to legend, Pandukeshwar was established by King Pandu, father of great Pandavas of Mahabharata epic. He was living with his wives Kunti and Madri in Pandukeshwar after giving his throne to his elder brother Dhritharashtra. One day Pandu went on hunting in the jungle and unintentionally killed a sage making love in deer form. While the sage was dying he cursed Pandu that he will not be able make love with anyone and if he does, he will die instantly. To get cleanse of sin of killing of the sage, Pandu installed the bronze image of Vishnu in the Yogadhyan Badri shrine and mediated. Meanwhile Kunti and Madri gave birth to Pandavas through .....

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At a distance of 18 km from Govind Ghat, 42 km from Badrinath and 36 km from Joshimath, Hemkund Sahib is a well-known Sikh shrine located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is also known as Gurudwara Hemkunt Sahib and is one among the 508 important pilgrimages for Sikhs. Situated near Valley of Flowers, it is also a popular place for trekking in Uttarakhand apart from being one of the most scenic places in Himalayas.

Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib is dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. This gurudwara is situated at an altitude of 4329 m and is surrounded by seven snow-capped mountain peaks. This gurudwara is the world's highest gurudwara and is visited by both Sikhs as well as Hindus. It is believed that at this particular spot Guru Gobind Singh meditated for a long time. According to Hindu mythology, Rishi Medhasa of the Markandeya Purana and Lord Ram's younger brother, Lakshman, performed penance at this site.

The construction of this gurudwara started in the .....

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At a distance of 42 km from Badrinath, Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath is a town and a municipal board in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is situated at an altitude of 6150 feet in the snow-capped Himalayan ranges just above the mountains of Dhauliganga and Alaknanda. It is also the gateway to many Himalayan expeditions, trekking trails, camping and pilgrimage centers.

Joshimath is one of the four maths or monasteries established in the 8th century by Adi Guru Sri Shankaracharya. The math here is dedicated to Atharva Veda. Joshimath lies in the region of Vishnuprayag, where two rivers of Dhauliganga and Alaknanda meet.

Joshimath is an important pilgrimage center with several temples and religious sites. Narasimha temple and Bhavishya Badri Temples are the prominent temples located in Joshimath. Narasimha Temple is an ancient temple of Lord Vishnu and main temple of Joshimath. It has idol of Lord Narasimha, which is believed to be established by Shankaracharya. As .....

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At a distance of 32 km from Badrinath and 11 km from Joshimath, Vishnuprayag is one of the Panch Prayags of Alaknanda River, and lies at the confluence of Alaknanda River and Dhauliganga River, in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is a famous pilgrimage center in Uttarakhand state.

The Alaknanda River, which originates in the eastern slopes of glacier fields of Chaukhamba, is joined by the Saraswathi River near Mana, and then flows in front of the Badrinath temple. It then meets the Dhauli Ganga River, which originates from the Niti Pass, to form the Vishnuprayag. This stretch of the Alaknanda River is called the Vishnu Ganga. Vishnuprayag is the first of Panch Prayag, other four being Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag according to descending order of river Alakananda that meets other four tributaries of holy Ganga at four different places.

Situated at an altitude of 1,372 m, Vishnuprayag derives its name .....

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