Badrinath

Coordinates: 30°44′38″N 79°29′35″E / 30.744°N 79.493°E / 30.744; 79.493
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about Badrinath town. For the temple, see
Badrinath temple. For the cricketer, see Subramaniam Badrinath. For the 2011 Telugu film, see Badrinath (film)
.

Badrinath
Town
UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
246422[5]
Vehicle registrationUK 11
Websitebadrinath-kedarnath.gov.in
Rameswaram
class=notpageimage|
Char Dham

Badrinath is a town and

pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and gets its name from the Badrinath Temple
.

Etymology

Badrinath derives from the Sanskrit compound Badarīnātha, consisting of the terms badarī (

jujube tree) and nātha (lord), an epithet of Vishnu.[6]
It is also known as Badarikashrama.

History

In earlier days, pilgrims used to walk hundreds of miles to visit the Badrinath temple.

First World War, the town consisted only of the 20-odd huts used by the temple's staff, but the site drew thousands each year and up to 50,000 on its duodecennial festivals (every twelve years).[8] In recent years its popularity has increased still more, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season,[9] compared to 90,676 in 1961.[10] The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites. Badrinath is also gateway to several mountaineering expeditions headed to mountains like Nilkantha.[7]

Temple

Main article: Badrinath Temple

The

garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carving.[12]

Legend

According to the

Nara and Narayana
, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities." (Bhagavata Purana 3.4.22)

The Badrinath area is referred to as Badari or Badarikaashram (बदरिकाश्रम) in Hindu scriptures. It is a place sacred to Vishnu, particularly in Vishnu's dual form of Nara-Narayana. Thus, in the Mahabharata, Krishna, addressing Arjuna, says, "Thou wast Nara in a former body, and, with Narayana for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years."[13][14]

As per one legend, when the goddess

Alaknanda
as one of them.

Another lore states that the area was full of Badri bushes and Vishnu meditated here. His beloved Lakshmi stood next to him, sheltering him from scorching sunlight and thus turned into a Badri herself called 'BADRI VISHAL' and her lord (Nath) became the BadriNath.

The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas were said to have died one by one, when ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini (literal meaning - the 'Ascent to Heaven'). The Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of Mana, 4 km north of Badrinath, on their way to Svarga (heaven). There is also a cave in Mana where Vyasa, according to legend, wrote the Mahabharata.[10]

The area around Badrinath was celebrated in Padma Purana as abounding in spiritual treasures.

This place is considered holy in

Neelkanth mountain attracts everybody towards him.[10]

Geography

Badrinath has an average elevation of 3,100 metres (10,170 feet). It is in the Garhwal

Gaurikund (near Kedarnath
) to Badrinath by road is 233 km.

According to the

subtropical highland climate
(Cwb).

Climate data for Badrinath, Uttarakhand
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.3
(39.7) 		6.0
(42.8) 		10.0
(50.0) 		15.0
(59.0) 		18.6
(65.5) 		20.4
(68.7) 		19.1
(66.4) 		18.6
(65.5) 		17.1
(62.8) 		13.7
(56.7) 		9.7
(49.5) 		6.5
(43.7) 		13.2
(55.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.3
(31.5) 		1.2
(34.2) 		5.0
(41.0) 		9.3
(48.7) 		12.6
(54.7) 		15.0
(59.0) 		14.9
(58.8) 		14.7
(58.5) 		12.6
(54.7) 		8.3
(46.9) 		4.5
(40.1) 		1.5
(34.7) 		8.3
(46.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.9
(23.2) 		−4.6
(23.7) 		0.0
(32.0) 		3.6
(38.5) 		6.7
(44.1) 		9.6
(49.3) 		10.8
(51.4) 		10.8
(51.4) 		8.1
(46.6) 		3.0
(37.4) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		−3.4
(25.9) 		3.3
(37.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 145.0
(5.71) 		139.0
(5.47) 		163.0
(6.42) 		77.0
(3.03) 		54.0
(2.13) 		102.0
(4.02) 		325.0
(12.80) 		312.0
(12.28) 		188.0
(7.40) 		63.0
(2.48) 		45.0
(1.77) 		67.0
(2.64) 		1,680
(66.15)
Source: [15]

Demographics

As of

2011 Indian Census, Badrinath had a total population of 2,438, of which 2,054 were males and 384 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 68. The total number of literates in Badrinath was 2,265, which constituted 92.9% of the population with male literacy of 95.4% and female literacy of 79.7%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Badrinath was 95.6%, of which male literacy rate was 97.1% and female literacy rate was 86.9%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 113 and 22 respectively. Badrinath had 850 households in 2011.[1]

Gallery

  • Badrinath is one of the most popular and religious holy towns of the Hindus located at Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in India
    Badrinath is one of the most popular and religious holy towns of the Hindus located at Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in India
  • Badrinath temple at night
    Badrinath temple at night
  • Neelkanth Parbat from Badrinath
    Neelkanth Parbat from Badrinath
  • Badrinath Town
    Badrinath Town
  • Himalayas in Badrinath, Uttarakhand
    Himalayas in Badrinath, Uttarakhand
  • View from Badrinath
    View from Badrinath
  • Sheeshtaal (Sheshnaag lake)
    Sheeshtaal (Sheshnaag lake)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Census of India: Badrinath". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 47. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  3. ^ Trivedi, Anupam (19 January 2010). "Sanskrit is second official language in Uttarakhand". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Sanskrit second official language of Uttarakhand". The Hindu. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Badrinath Pin code". pin-code.net. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  6. ^ Books, Kausiki (24 October 2021). Skanda Purana: Vaishnava Khanda: Badrinath Kshetra Mahatmya: English Translation only without Slokas. Kausiki Books. p. 13.
  7. ^ a b Wylie, C.G. "Himalayan journal : A PRE-SWISS ATTEMPT ON NILKANTA(1947)". The Himalayan Club. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  8. ^ EB (1911).
  9. ^ The Hindu newspaper, 17 November 2006
  10. ^ a b c d e f Nautiyal, Govind Prasad, Call of Badrinath, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temples Committee, 1962.
  11. ^ Randhir Prakashan, The Holy Places of Uttarakhand Yatra.
  12. ^
    ISBN 81-7167-617-0
  13. ^ Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu mythology
  14. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 75.
  15. ^ "BADRINATH CLIMATE". CLIMATE-DATA.ORG. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

References

External links

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