Badrinath Yatra
The legend
Badrinath Yatra is an important pilgrimage place for every devoted Hindu. Badrinath shrine is devoted to Lord Vishnu, the preserver. The town is located on the banks of river Alaknanda, exactly between the two mountains Nara and Narayan. The town is located at an altitude of 3,133m above sea level and it is said that the spot was once covered with a bed of wild berries or ‘Badris’, hence the name Badrinath. It is considered as the most important and holiest of the four shrines in Garhwal hills. The legend goes that when the sufferings of humanity had increased, Ganga was requested to descend to earth. The earth was unable to withstand the pressure of its descent hence the river was split into 12 holy channels. Alaknanda was one of these channels and it later became the home of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath. It is believed that a pilgrimage tour to Badrinath once in a lifetime leads to ‘moksha’ or Salvation.
The temple
The present temple of Badrinath is a pyramid like structure 15m tall and has a small cupola of gilt bull and spire. There are 15 idols in temple, all carved in black stone. The principal idol is that of lord Vishnu and other idols include Laxmi, Garuda, Ganesha and Shiva Parvati. The temple dates back to Vedic period and the present temple is believed to have been built by Adi Guru Shankaracharya, an 8th century Hindu saint. The temple has the beautiful Neelkanth Mountains as its backdrop and a Badrinath Yatra is bound to rejuvenate your soul because of the holistic environment and the beautiful landscapes. Besides the main Badri temple which is called as the ‘Vishal’ Badri, there are 4 other smaller Badri temples. These collectively make the Panch Badris. Very few pilgrims on a pilgrimage tour to Badrinath visit the other 4 Badri temples, which are Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri and Bridha Badri or the 'Old Badri'.
Badrinath Trip Package
If you are planning a trip to Badrinath, you can avail a number of Badrinath tour packages that are available with a numerous travel agents. These packages either combine the pilgrimage with a tour of the neighboring tourist destinations or with other pilgrimage centres in UP. Badrinath is a beautiful place and an ideal place to tranquilize your senses away from the worries and trivial issues of your routine life. Badrinath Trip package include nearby tourist attractions such as Hemkund Sahib, which is an important pilgrimage site for Sikhs, Tapt Kund where pilgrims take a holy dip in the thermal springs of Alaknanda, Neelkanth, which is the white snowy peak also known as the queen of Garhwal and also Mana Village which is a fine hamlet close to Badrinath. Badrinath tour packages include accommodation facilities as well as conveyance facilities.
Tour bookings
Badrinath trip package can be booked online on the travel websites, personally with travel agents as well as through UP tourism offices located all around the country. The package tour is generally combined with other pilgrimages such as Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri and Yamnotri. |
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