Badrinath

Badrinath is located at 30°44′N 79°29′E / 30.73°N 79.48°E / 30.73; 79.48. It has an average elevation of 3,415 metres (11,204 feet). It is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560m). Badrinath is located 301 km north of Rishikesh. From Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233 km.

Badrinath has been mentioned as a holy place in scriptures and legends for thousands of years. 

According to the Bhagavata Purana, "There in

Badrikashram the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu),

in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, 

had been undergoing great penance since time 

immemorial for the welfare of all living entities."

(Bhagavata Purana 3.4.22) Badri refers to a berry

that was said to grow abundantly in the area, and

nath means "Lord of". Badri is also the Sanskrit name for the Indian Jujube tree, which has an edible berry. Some scriptural references refer to Jujube trees being abundant in Badrinath. The Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town. According to legend Shankara discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs^. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the

present temple.

The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof. The facade is built of stone, with arched windows.A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist

temples. Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carvings.

The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are said to have ended their life by ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini - literally, the

'Ascent to Heaven'. Local legend has it that the Pandavas passed 

nilkantha peak from badrinath

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.