Introduction:

Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand. 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.

Badrinath

Destination Facts:

Location: Uttarakhand, Chamoli
Altitude : 3415 Meters
Area: 3 sq.km.
Temperature: (Summer 7 to 18°C) & (Winter -1 to 18°C)
Languages spoken: Hindi, English, Garwali.

Getting there:

Nearest Airports:  Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun 317 km
Main Railway Station: The nearest railway stations are at Rishikesh (at 297 km) and Kotdwara (at 327 km).
Main Bus Station or Road: Rishikesh is the major starting point for road journey to Badrinath. Regular buses operate from Rishikesh bus station

Distance of a few Major Towns from Badrinath:

Joshimath- 42km, Rishikesh - 293km.

Eating Around:

Local staple food is served everywhere. 

Places of Tourist interest:

Badrinath Temple:
Badrinath is the most sacred Dham of India. It deity of Badrinath temple is Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated on the right bank of the holy Alaknanda River. Every year millions of tourists and devotees visit this sacred place from May to October month. The temple remains closed during winter months as the region is prone to heavy snowfall.

                                               Badrinath Temple

Brahma Kapal:
Brahma Kapal is a place where Hindus performs propitiating rites for their deceased ancestors. Brahma Kapal is a flat platform on the bank of river Alaknanda. You can see several pundits sitting with 'pooja samagri'.

Neelkanth:
Situated above the Badrinath Temple, Neelkanth peak is named after Lord Shiva. The cliff of the peak is the first place where the sun castes its crimson rays. Neelkanth is a Pyramidal-shaped snowy peak and if you carefully observe its cliff then you can see as if Lord Shiva is sitting looking at the sky.

Mata Murti Temple:
Situated 3kms from Badrinath, Mata Murti Temple is dedicated to the mother of Lord Narayan.

Charanpaduka:
Situated 3km above Badrinath Temple lies a beautiful meadow carpeted with wild flowers in the summers. The area is a steep climb from the town and is full of caves & boulders. This path leads you to the foot of Neelkanth peak where you can find several Brahmakamals.

Mana:
Mana is very close to Tibet border and it is one of the last villages of India. Most of the tourists who visit Badrinath also come to see the end of the road at Mana. Mana is inhabited by Indo-Mongolian tribes often called as bhotias. Mana is situated 3kms from Badrinath.

Vyas Cave:
Vyas Cave is the place from where Ved Vyas dictated entire Mahabharata to God Ganesha so that he could write. Ved Vyas also meditated in this cave

Ganesha Cave:
Ganesha Cave is the natural cave where he wrote Mahabharata as dictated by Ved Vyas from Vyas Gufa.

Panch Dharas & Panch Shilas:
The Panch Dharas (five streams) which are famous in Badaripuri are Prahlad, Kurma, Bhrigu, Urvashi & Indira dhara. The most striking of these is the Indira dhara, about 1.5 km north of the town Badaripuri.

Getting around the destination:

By bus or private vehicles. Tourist taxis , share taxi, jeep,

Shopping Areas & Entertainment:

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

Best time to visit:

May - June September- October is the best time to visit.

Festivals:

Badr- Kedar Festival- June, Janmashtami- August- September, Mata Murti Ka Mela.