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Badrinath Temple :
The town’s primary draw is the Badrinath temple. According to legend, Adi Shankaracharya came upon a statue of Lord Badrinarayan made of black Shaligram stone in the Alaknanda River. In the beginning, he kept it secret in a cave close to Tapt Kund’s hot springs.
The murti was relocated to the current temple by the King of Garhwal in the sixteenth century. The temple has a small cupola with a roof that is around 50 feet (15 meters) high and covered in gold gilding. The windows on the stone facade have arches.
A large stairway leads to the main entrance, which is a tall archway. The exterior is brilliantly painted and has an architecture that is similar to a Buddhist vihara (temple). A massive pillared hall called the mandapa is immediately inside and leads to the garbha graham, or primary shrine area. The mandapa’s pillars and walls are decorated with fine carving.
Badrinath Geography :
In Badrinath, the average elevation is 3,100 meters (10,170 ft).By the Alaknanda River, in the Garhwal Himalayas. The village is situated in the valley between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges, 9 km east of Nilkantha Peak (6,596m). Badrinath is located 62 kilometers from the Nanda Devi peak and 301 kilometers north of Rishikesh. Gaurikund, a town next to Kedarnath, is 233 miles from Badrinath by road.
Location, Architecture, and Shrines :
The temple is situated in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in the Garhwal hill ranges near the Alaknanda River. The hill tracts are situated 3,133 m (10,279 ft) above mean sea level. While the Narayana Parbat is hidden behind the Neelkanth peak, the Nar Parbat mountain is situated directly across from the temple.
In the ninth century, Adi Shankara made Badrinath a popular destination for pilgrims. The garbhagriha (sanctum), Darshan Mandapa (prayer hall), and Sabha Mandapa (conference hall) are the three buildings that make up the temple. The garbhagriha, the sanctum’s conical ceiling, is around 15 meters (49 feet) tall with a little cupola on top and is covered in a roof made of gold gilt.
The facade includes arched windows and is made of stone. The main entrance, a tall, arched entryway, is reached by way of a wide staircase. A mandap, or huge, pillared hall, is immediately inside and leads to the sanctum, or primary shrine area. The hall’s pillars and walls are decorated with elaborate carvings.
The 1 ft (0.30 m) Shaligram (black stone) deity of Badrinarayana is enshrined under a gold canopy beneath a Badri Tree in the main temple. The image of Badrinarayana’s god depicts him holding a Shankha (conch) and a Chakra (wheel) in two of his raised arms, with the other two reclining in the Yogamudra (Padmasana) position on his lap.
The shrine also has statues of Kubera, the sage Narada, Uddhava, Nara, and Narayana, the god of riches. Around the temple, there are fifteen other images that are adored. These embody Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, Garuda, Narayan’s vahana, and Navadurga, Durga’s incarnation in nine various forms.
Ramanujacharya, Lakshmi Narasimha, Adi Shankara (CE 788–820), Nar and Narayan, Ghantakarna, Vedanta Desika, and Nar and Narayan shrines may also be found in the temple. The temple’s deities are all fashioned of black stone.
Many pilgrims believe it is necessary to take a dip in the waters before going to the temple because the Tapt Kund, a collection of hot sulfur springs right below the temple, is thought to have curative qualities. The springs maintain a constant temperature of 55 °C (131 °F), but the outside temperature is typically below 17 °C (63 °F) year-round. The two water ponds at the temple go by the titles Narad Kund and Surya Kund.
Literature :
The temple is mentioned in numerous ancient texts, including the Mahabharata, Skanda Purana, and Bhagavata Purana.As recorded in the Bhagavata Purana, “here in Badrikashram, the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nar and Narayana, had been engaging in great penance for the welfare of all living entities since time immemorial.” According to the Skanda Purana, there are many holy places in heaven, on earth, and in hell, but no shrine is like Badrinath.
The Badrinath region is praised by the Padma Purana as being full of spiritual treasures. In contrast to other holy spots, where pilgrims must execute religious rites, the Mahabharata valued the holy place as the one that can grant salvation to devotees arriving nearby. The temple is praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, 11 songs from the Vaishnava canon composed by Perialvar between the 7th and 9th centuries, and 13 hymns from Thirumangai Alvar. One of Vishnu’s 108 Divya Desams, also known as Badrinath, is devoted to him.
Administration and visit :
The Shri Badrinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act, later known as the Uttar Pradesh State Government Act No. 30/1948, incorporated the Badrinath Temple as Act No. 16,1939. Both temples are managed by a group chosen by the Uttarakhand State Government.
In order to include more committee members, including government representatives and a Vice-Chairman, the statute was amended in 2002. The board is made up of seventeen people: ten people nominated by the government of Uttarakhand, ten people chosen by the district councils of Chamoli Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, and Uttarkashi, and three chosen by the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.
The priests of the temple were Shiva ascetics known as Dandi Sanyasis, who belonged to the Nambudiri community, a religious sect popular in contemporary Kerala, as revealed by the temple records. The King of Garhwal accepted non-ascetic Nambudiris from Kerala for the priesthood after the last of the ascetics died without an heir in 1776 CE; this tradition is still followed today.
Up until 1939, the Rawal (Chief Priest) received all donations provided by temple patrons; however, following that year, his purview was limited to religious matters. The chief executive officer of the temple is supported by a deputy chief executive officer, two OSDs, an executive officer, an account officer, a temple officer, and a public officer. The deputy chief executive officer is responsible for carrying out state government directives.