Badrinath

History & Manyata

One of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu and one of the four Char Dham, Badrinath sits at 3,133 m between Nar and Narayan peaks on the bank of the Alaknanda. The one-metre black Shaligram-shila murti of Lord Badri Narayan in padmasana was recovered from the Alaknanda Kund and reinstalled by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century after Buddhist influence had waned in the region. The present three-storey temple — with its conical Garhwali-style golden roof — was rebuilt by the Garhwal kings in the 16th century and renovated multiple times after earthquakes by the Holkars and the Scindias. The Tapt Kund hot spring at the temple entrance maintains a constant 45 °C even in winter, fed by sub-Himalayan geothermal currents. Uniquely, the head priest (Rawal) of Badrinath is always a Namboodiri Brahmin from Kerala — a tradition established by Adi Shankara to bind the four corners of Bharat. The portals close every winter on Vijayadashami and the Akhand Jyoti lamp continues to burn untended through six months of snow, witnessed at the May opening as proof of the Lord's continuous worship.

Aarti Timings

• Maha Abhishek04:30 AM
• Geet Govind06:00 PM
• Shayan Aarti09:00 PM

Festivals not to miss

Suggested Itinerary

1. 1Bathe at Tapt Kund
2. 2Morning darshan
3. 3Visit Mana village & Saraswati origin
4. 4Evening Geet Govind

Local Attractions

• Tapt Kund
• Mana village (last village before Tibet)
• Vyas & Ganesh Gufa