Badrinath temple, sometimes called Badrinarayan temple, is situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand state in India. It is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The temple is open only six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Adi Shankara (Åšaá¹…kara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ä€di Åšaá¹…karācārya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) (approximately 8th century, but see below) was the most famous advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence on the growth... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being or Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas and a manifestation of Brahman in the Advaita or Smarta traditions. ... , Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. ... The Alaknanda is a tributary of the Ganges. ... , Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Vishnu (Hindi: (विष्‍णु) is a form of God, whom Hindus pray to. ... The Char Dham (the four abodes/seats) is the most important pilgrimage circuit in the Indian Himalayas. ... The Divya desams are 108 temples that are regarded by Srivaishnavite Hindus as being of special holiness. ... Perspective view of the Himalayas and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ...

Several murtis are worshipped in the temple. The most important is a one meter tall statue of Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black shaligram stone. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta keshtras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu.^[1] The murti depicts Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than His far more typical reclining pose. In November each year, when the town of Badrinath is closed, the image is moved to nearby Jyotirmath. Bronze Chola murti depicting Shivas most famous dancing posture, the Nataraja, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. ... Jyotirmath, also called Jyotir Math and Joshimath, is a place in Uttaranchal, India in the Himalayas. ...

Temple History

Tapt Kund hot springs next to Badrinath Temple, enclosed inside bath house

Badrinath was originally established as a pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century. Shankara discovered the image of Badrinarayan in the Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs.^{[2] [3]} In the sixteenth century, the king of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple.^[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Adi Shankara (Malayalam: ആദി ശങ്കരന്‍, Devanāgarī: , , IPA: ); c. ...

The temple has undergone several major renovations, due to age and damage by avalanche.^[3] In the 17th century, the temple was expanded by the kings of Garhwal. After significant damage in the great 1803 Himalayan earthquake, it was rebuilt by the King of Jaipur.^{[4] [1]}

Temple Description

The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 metres) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.^[2] The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist temples. Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carvings.^[1] Vihara at Kanheri Caves Wall carvings Vihara is an Indian Buddhist monastery. ... [[LiItalic textLink title == Headline text == Media:Example. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The main shrine area houses the black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan, sitting under a gold canopy. There are fifteen more murtis around the temple that are also worshipped. These include murtis of Nara & Narayana, Narasimha (the fourth incarnation of Vishnu), Lakshmi, Narada, Ganesha, Uddhava, Kubera, Garuda (the vehicle of Lord Narayan), and Navadurga.^[1] Narayana (नारायण) or Narayan originates as an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu and is in many contemporary vernaculars, a common Indian name. ... Yoga Narasimha form at a temple in Vijayanagara, Hampi, India (man-lion) (also spelt as Narasingh, Narasinga) (नरसिंह in Devanagari) is described as the fourteenth incarnation (avatara) of Vishnu within the Puranic texts of Hinduism [1] who takes the form of half-man / half-lion, having a human torso and lower... Lakshmi (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी ) is the Hindu goddess of wealth, light, wisdom, the lotus flower and fortune, and secondarily of luck, beauty, courage and fertility. ... Narada (Sanskrit: नारद, nārada) is the Hindu divine sage, who is an enduring chanter of the names Hari and Narayana which other names for Vishnu, considered to be the supreme God by Vaishnavites and many other Hindus. ... Ganesha (Sanskrit: ; ;  ) is one of the best known and beloved representations of God in Hinduism. ... Uddhava (also known as Pavanayadhi) is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein his is the friend and counsellor of Krishna the avatar. ... Kubera (also Kuvera or Kuber) is the god of wealth and the lord of Uttaradisha in Hindu mythology. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Navadurga, which literally means nine Durgas, constitute, according to Hindu mythology, the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms. ...

Although Badrinath is located in the far north of India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally from the far south of India, in Kerala. This tradition was begun by Adi Shankara. The Rawal is assisted by Dimripundits belonging to Village Dimmer of Garhwal. Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ...

The Tapt Kund hot sulphur springs just below the temple are considered to be medicinal—many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The springs have a year-round temperature of 45°C.

History and Legend

Badrinath is mentioned in religious texts as far back as the Vedic period. Some accounts claim that the temple was built on a former Buddhist temple site.

One legend explains the reason that Vishnu is shown sitting in padmasana, rather than reclining. According to the story, Vishnu was chastised by a sage who saw Vishnu's consort Lakshmi massaging his feet. Vishnu went to Badrinath to perform austerity, meditating for a long time in padmasana.^[1] To this day, the area around Badrinath attracts yogis who come for meditation and seclusion. The Lotus Posture The Lotus Position (Sanskrit: Padmasanam -- lotus posture) is a cross-legged sitting posture which originated in representations and meditative practices of Hinduism. ...

Notes

See Also

• Kedarnath Temple

Kedarnath temple is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva located atop the Garwal Himalayan range near the holy river of Mandakini in Kedarnath, Uttaranchal in India. ...

External links

• www.badrinath.org
• Photo
• Badrinath temple
• Photos and story of pilgrimage to Badrinath