Badrinath Temple

It is believed that Lord Vishnu performed intense penance here in the form of the two sages Nara and Narayana, for the welfare of all creation. According to the Bhagavata Purana, the Lord himself has been in penance in this form at Badrikashram (Badrinath) since time immemorial. In the 8th century, Adi Shankaracharya recovered the idol of Lord Badrinarayan from the Alaknanda river and enshrined it here, re-establishing Badrinath as a major pilgrimage site.

Badrinath represents the northern point of the all-India Char Dham, Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri, and Rameswaram, established by Adi Shankaracharya to spiritually unify the country. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams sacred to Vishnu's devotees.

Unlike Kedarnath and the Panch Kedar, Badrinath is directly connected by road, so no trek is needed. The temple's doors close through heavy winter snowfall and reopen around Akshaya Tritiya. Pilgrims usually combine a Badrinath visit with Kedarnath, since both are part of Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra.

Near the temple lies Mana village, considered India's last village, along with the Vasudhara waterfall and the Vyas and Ganesh caves, all worth visiting. Badrinath also has a natural hot spring called Tapt Kund, where pilgrims bathe before darshan.