Badrinath Temple

The Badrinath Temple sits at 3,300 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas, on the banks of the Alaknanda river below the Neelkanth peak. It is one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites (with Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath) and one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vaishnavism. The presiding deity is Lord Badrinath — a one-metre black stone idol of Vishnu in seated meditation posture, said to be self-manifested and rediscovered by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. The present temple structure dates to the 16th century, with the Garhwal kings as principal patrons. It opens for darshan only in May (Akshay Tritiya) and closes in November (Vijayadashami) — for the rest of the year the deity is moved to the Pandukeshwar Yogadhyan Temple at lower altitude, while heavy snow covers Badrinath. Tapt Kund (a hot sulphur spring beside the temple) and the river snan are part of the standard pilgrim routine. The Mana village 3 km away is the last Indian village before the Tibet border and the legendary start of the Pandavas' final journey.