Badrinath is an ancient, holy city in the Uttarakhand district of Chamoli. It lies in the Garhwal Himalayan ranges at an altitude of 3133 m along the banks of River Alaknanda near India-Tibet border. It is one of India’s most famous pilgrimage centers, and one of the most popular places to visit as part of Char Dham in Uttarakhand. Badrinath is the most important of the four prominent Char Dham pilgrimage sites; the remaining three are Puri, Dwarka and Rameshwaram. It is also visited in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, as part of the Chota Char Dham Pilgrimage along with Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Surrounded by the mountains of Nar and Narayana and the Nilkantha peak, Badrinath has great legendary meaning.
Badrinath is renowned for its Temple of Badrinath housing Lord Badrinarayan, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the present temple was established in the 8th century by Saint-philosopher Adi Shankaracharya. Adi Shankara had discovered Lord Badrinarayan’s Saligram idol in Alaknanda’s river bed. He mounted that idol in a cave near Tapt Kund. The King of Garhwal later moved it to the present temple in the 16th century.
