Cold Play at Badrinath
Posted On September 23, 2011
In the hills of the Himalayas in the land of ice in the subcontinent of India lies the popular pilgrim spot in then northern side. Amongst the pilgrim places of India, Badrinath occupies a great position as it is one of the four Char Dham sites of Indian pilgrimage. The lofty hills, and the landscapes, and the terrain, along with the cliffs, and the mountains lend a lot of serenity to the entire place. This could be one of the most beautiful places ever seen.
The temple is believed to be the seat of the Indian God Lord Vishnu, and the route to this place is considered to be very difficult.
The temple was believed to be built by the Garhwal Kings some two hundred years back. The temple has three different sections. There is the main sanctum or the Garbhagriha then there is the Sabha Mandap and the Darshan Mandap. The main sanctum has the deity of Lord Badri Narayan. Then there are the other deities here like the god of wealth Kuber and the Narad Rishi as also the deities Nar and Narayan.
Here you can see the Lord with a conch in one hand and a chakra in the other. The deity is in the Yogamudra pose and the black stone image is one representing the Indian God Lord Vishnu. One can also find the Indian vehicle of the Indian God Lord Narayan, Garuda, and the Goddess of Wealth Lakshmi.
Badrinath besides having the Badrinath temple is also a place where you can find hot water springs. These hot water springs are natural and the sulphurous content in the waters is what makes them hot. It is believed that a bath in these hot water springs is medically very beneficial. The Tapt Kund is a hot spring here and the other is the Surya Kund.
When you come to Badrinath, don’t miss the Panch Badris – Vishal Badri, Yogathyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Preetha Badri, and Adi Badri. These are the temples which have been built around in this place. The Vishal Badri is the most sacred and the Yogathyan Badri is where the epic King Pandu prayed as per Hindu mythology. Then the small village of Bhavishya Badri lying around 17 kms from Joshimath is also a popular spot. The Preetha Badri is also the same distance from Joshimath and is situated at Animath. It is believed by Hindus that Adi Sankara worshipped the Lord here. Adi Sankara is a religious Hindu leader.
You also have the Vyas Gufa here which is a beautiful village situated around 3 kms from the pilgrim spot of Badrinath. With the River Saraswati flowing by this is where it is believed hat the great Vyas Maharishi composed the Indian epic Mahabharata.
Then there is the valley of flowers which is the most beautiful place in the world. This place founded by Frank. S. Smythe is a lovely paradise of flowers with the River Pushpavati flowing by and the majestic Rataban peak complimenting the surroundings.
So while you are on a pilgrim tour just head for this pristine locale in Northern India and feel closer to Nature.
