Badrinath – Char Dham

Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Badrinath is the most important of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage. Badrinath is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River, at an elevation of 3133 m.

Get in

The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun, about 317 km from Badrinath. The nearest railway stations to Badrinath are at Rishikesh and Kotdwar, which are at a distance of 297 km and 327 km respectively. There are regular buses operating to Badrinath from Delhi, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

Get around

Located only a few kilometers from the Indo-China (Tibet) border, Badrinath is generally a two-day-long journey from either Kedarnath, the site that precedes it in the Char Dham circuit, or one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage site, is on the way to Badrinath, so the road is especially crowded during the summer pilgrimage season. The temple and its substantial surrounding village are accessible by road.Many people prefer to reach Badrinath shrine starting early morning from Joshimath have darshan of Lord Vishnu and return to Joshimath by evening.

See

Nar Narad Temple.

Do

Vasudhara Waterfall, 8 km from Badrinath. The first 3 km can be travelled by a car or a bus. This stop is called “Mana”. First point after the village Mana, the last habitat in the indian side, is Bhim Pool. This is said to have been built by Bhim for his wife Draupadi who could not cross the ridge. From here there is a 4 km trek for the falls and no special gear for the trek is needed, only some good shoes.

Hot Geyser. There is a hot spring near the temple, and many saints live in the surrounding mountains all year round despite the harsh winter at such high elevations.

Origin of Saraswati River, near mana village. this is said be origin of Saraswati river coming out and going underground again as this river is not visible anywhere from source upto Allahabad Sangam in UP where it is said to merge into Ganga river along with Yamuna river.Very close to visible river Saraswati there is very small water stream said to be water from Mansarover Lake in China.

Buy

Ancient coins, Wool, Ayurvedic medicine, Holy books, Counterfeit Electronic goods from China,sacred threads, sea shells, temple requirements, aarti booklets, colourful beads and braceletes.