Kedarnath
Kedarnath is situated in the Uttarkashi district of the northern state of Uttaranchal in the Garhwal Himalayas, very close to the Indo-Chinese border, at an altitude of 3581 m above sea level. It is set against the Kedarnath range and nestles close to the source of the Mandakini, one of the tributaries of the Ganga. Amidst a stunning landscape of stark mountain faces, deep gorges and snow peaks, the Kedarnath shrine is the site of one of the 12 Jyotirlings of Lord Shiva and is a majestic sight, standing in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded by lofty snow covered peaks.

The Legend of Kedar
According to legend, Lord Shiva wished to elude the Pandavas who had come to seek his blessings. The Lord tried to escape by disguising himself as a bull and mixing with a grazing herd. Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, straddled the valley and let the herd pass through his legs. When he saw one bull refusing to pass through, he recognised it as Shiva. On being spotted, Shiva dived into the ground at Kedarnath, with Bhima holding onto his back. While Shiva's hindquarters remained at Kedarnath, the other parts of his body emerged in four locations, thus giving rise to the Panch Kedar or five Kedars. The lingam remained at Kedarnath, while the arms appeared at Tunganath (3680 m) 90 km from Kedarnath, the highest Shiva shrine among the Panch Kedars , the face at Rudranath, 142 km from Kedarnath, the navel at Madhmaheshwar, 74 km from Kedarnath in northwest Garhwal and the hair at Kalpeshwar 160 km away, over the Alaknanda valley.

The trek to Kedarnath begins at the small village of Gauri Kund with its Gauri temple and hot sulphur springs or Tapt Kund. From Gauri Kund a pony trail leads up through pine forests to Rambara, beyond which the road gets steeper and more difficult. After a very tough climb the track eases out a kilometre short of Kedarnath at Garur Chatti. Beyond, as one rounds a corner on the trail, one comes upon the southern face of the grand Kedarnath peak (6940 m) at the end of the Mandakini valley.

Kedarnath Temple
The present temple, built in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architectured Kedarnath temple is built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut gray slabs of stones and evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs were handled in the earlier days. The temple stands at the head of a small settlement. Outside the main sanctum stands a massive stone image of Shiva's Nandi bull. The temple walls are embellished with figures of deities and scenes from mythology and exquisitely carved images. Behind the temple is the memorial of the saint-philosopher Adi Shankaracharya who died at this spot.

To the south of Kedarnath a path leads up the hillside to the ancient temple of Bhairav Nath, a fearsome embodiment of the Lord of Destruction. Till the 19th century fanatic devotees jumped to death from a cliff near the temple in the hope of attaining salvation.

Excursions
Gandhi Sarovar. Crossing the Mandakini over the main bridge, a trek leads up the valley to the far edge of the glacier at Chorabari Tal, now known as Gandhi Sarovar (some of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were scattered here). About 800 m short of the lake lies the source of the Mandakini. According to mythological tales, the eldest Pandava Yudhishthir left for heaven near the lake.

6 km up from Kedarnath is another lake, the Vasuki Tal, at a height of 4135 m. Surrounded by snow mountains, the placid lake offers good views of the Chaukhamba peaks. 20 km from Kedarnath is another trek route leading to Sonprayag, the confluence of the Son Ganga with the Mandakini river. 5 km beyond Sonprayag is the ancient temple of Triyuginarayan. Believed to be the spot where Lord Shiva married Parvati, the temple has an undying flame that is said to be the marriage fire of the divine couple. Amongst other sites around Kedarnath is Gupt Kashi, 45 km away, with its temples of Ardhnarishwar (half male-half female form - a unification of Shiva and Shakti) and Vishwanathji.

Ukhimath, 60 km below, is the winter shrine of the deity at Kedarnath. It is also home to the Rawal or head priest for the winter months.

Best time to Visit
May through to October. The Kedarnath temple opens in the spring season of Vaisakhi in May. From May till early November, the shrine is accessible to visitors. On the first day of the Hindu month of Kartik, the temple closes for the winter and the deity is worshipped lower down at Ukhimath.

Where to Stay
The GMVN Tourist Bungalow has basic accommodation. At Kedarnath, the temple committee runs a guesthouse as well. Besides these there are several private hotels and dharamshalas that offer cheap accommodation. Only vegetarian food is served in the hotels and ashrams and alcohol is strictly prohibited. Carry adequate woollens, including blankets, since resources can get stretched during the peak season.

Accessibility
Airport
Jolly Grant Dehradun 251 km.

By Rail
Rishikesh, the nearest railhead, is 221 km.

By Road
Kedarnath is well connected by bus services to other centers in the region. Ponies and porters are available at Gaurikund, from where the 14 km trek to Kedarnath starts.

Badrinath
Against the backdrop of the towering Neelkanth, in the lap of Nar-Narayan Parvat, lies Badrinath, among the holiest of the Hindu shrines in India. Falling in the religious itinerary of every devout Hindu, this holy town nestles at a height of 3133 m, at the site where a forest of Badri (berry) trees, known as the mythical Badrivan, once covered the area. The great Nilkantha peak (6558 m) towers over the temple set deep down in the Alaknanda valley. Badrinath has for centuries been the seat of seers and saints who assemble and live out their ascetic lives here. Which is probably why it is also known as 'Tapobhumi', the land of meditation and penance. Its other name is 'Bhubaikunth', which means heaven on earth.

The Legend of Badrinath
According to legend, when Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity, the earth was unable to withstand the force of its descent. Therefore the mighty Ganaga was split into twelve holy channels. Alaknanda was one of them that later became the abode of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath.

Badrinath Temple
Found by Sri Shankaracharya in the 9th century, this temple lies at an altitude of 3133 m, and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Preserver. The original Badrinath shrine has been re-built several times over due to damage from avalanches and snowfall. The rulers of Garhwal built the present temple of Badrinarayan some two hundred years ago. Made of wood, the temple stands 15 m high, topped with a gilded cupola. The exteriors are painted in bright colours every year before the temple gates open. Standing in sharp contrast to the grey concrete buildings around it and the stark mountain slopes behind, the temple resembles a Tibetan gompa from a distance.

The temple is built over the west bank of the river Alaknanda and is reached by a small footbridge. There are 15 idols in the temple complex, each sculpted in black stone. The principal idol represents Vishnu in a meditative posture finely sculpted in black stone, flanked by Nara-Narayan. This image of Badrinath, depicting Lord Vishnu sitting in meditation, is the show-stealer. Some of the other images include Lakshmi (Vishnu's consort), Garuda (Vishnu's mount), Shiva , Parvati and Ganesha.

Before the entrance is a stone Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu. The double doors before the inner sanctum are of silver and feature fine work. On either side are the celestial bodyguards, Jai (on the right) and Vijay (to the left). On the top panel of each door are raised images of Surya, the Sun God.

The opening of the temple usually falls towards the end of April or beginning of May and it is usually closed during the second week of November following an elaborate ceremony. The head priest of Badrinath as also that of Kedarnath, hail from the Namboodiri Brahmin caste of Kerala in southern India.

Below the temple are the Tapt Kund and Surya Kund, hot sulphur springs where pilgrims take a ritual dip before entering the temple. The water of the kund is believed to have medicinal properties. The ancient village of Badrinath is to the south of the temple.

Brahma Kapal is a flat platform on the bank of river Alaknanda where Hindus perform propitiating rites for their deceased ancestors. On the right bank of Alaknanda stands the Mata Murti Temple dedicated to the mother of Sri Badrinathji. Other places to visit include a rock boulder with the impression of Sheshnag, a mythological serpent, called Sheshnetra, the Charanpaduka or the footprints of Lord Vishnu present on a boulder, and the source of Alakananda River, Alka Puri.

Panch Badris or Five Badris
Besides the main temple of Badrinath there are four other smaller badri temples. These are collectively called the panch badris or five badris. Very few pilgrims however, visit the other four Badri temples.

Yogadhyan Badri (1920 m.).Closest to the main temple of Badrinath lies this tiny, sleepy hamlet which remains unnoticed by most pilgrims and is the winter home for the idol at Badrinath.

Bhavishya Badri (2744 m.).The bhavishya or future badri is situated at Subain near Tapovan, about 17 km east of Joshimath. According to Hindu belief, when evil is on the rise in this world, the two mountains Nara and Narayan at Badrinath will close up on each other and destroy the route to the present Badrinath. This would also mark the end of the present world and the beginning of a new one. Lord Badrinath will then appear at the Bhavishya Badri temple and be worshipped here instead of at the present temple. Bridha Badri or the 'Old Badri', Bridha Badri or the 'old Badri' is the third temple about 7 km short of Joshimath, on the main Rishikesh-Badrinath motor road at Animath. It is believed that Badrinath was worshipped here before its enshrinement by Shankaracharya at the main Badrinath seat. The temple of Bridha Badri is open throughout the year.

Adi Badri, Adi Badri is the farthest from the other four badris. It is approachable from Karnaprayag by a motorable road enroute Ranikhet. The temple complex has 16 small temples with intricate carvings.

Excursions
Gobind ghat is situated between Joshimath and Badrinath, at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers, Gobindghat is the starting point for the trek to either the Valley of Flowers National Park (which is 19 kms away) or Hemkund Sahib (a little further on).

Hemkund Sahib. (43km) Near the Valley of Flowers is the holy lake Hemkund-an important pilgrimage of the Sikhs and Hindus. Along its shores is the sacred Sikh Shrine where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru unified with God after prolonged meditation in his previous birth.

Nearby is the Lakshman Temple where Lakshman - the brother of Lord Rama performed his penance.

Mana Village. (4km) Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is considered to be the last Indian village before Tibet on this route. Nearby are Vyas Gufa-the rock cave of saint Ved Vyas, the writer of Mahabharata; Bhim Pul-a natural bridge over the Saraswati river and Vasundhara Falls-a 122 m. high Waterfall-all forming and important part of the pilgrimage to Badrinath.

Joshimath.(44km) The winter home of Shri Badrinathji is situated on the slopes above the confluence of Alaknanda and Dhauliganga. Adi Guru Shankaracharya performed penance under a tree here and after getting enlightenment, established a Math (religious centre), known as "Joshimath". Temples of Narsingh and Nav Durga are located here.

Chamoli. This tiny mountain retreat, with gorgeous landscapes, is just 10 km from Gopeshwar on the Badrinath Highway. Pilgrim sites at the convergence of the rivers are collectively called the Panch Prayag. Devprayag, at the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alakananda, is famous for its rock inscriptions and the temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Raghunath. Rudraprayag, at the meeting point of Alakananda and Mandakani, is known for the Rudranath and Chamunda Devi temples. Nandaprayag is known for the Gopalji temple. Karnaprayag is the confluence of Alakananda and Pindar rivers and is famous for its temples dedicated to Uma and Karna. The fifth pilgrimage spot is Vishnuprayag, at the confluence of Alakananda and Dhauliganga, where there is a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, besides the pool of Vishnu Kund.

Best time to Visit
Between May and October. As with the other Char Dham shrines, the Badrinath temple opens only from May till October. It closes down for winter in November, when the deity is carried to Pandukeshwar for worship.

Where to stay
There are guesthouses of PWD, GMVN, Jal Nigam and the forest department, as well as the Gujarat Bhavan and GMVN`S Hotel Devlok. Therefore the accommodation options in Badrinath run the gamut from GMVN and PWD resthouses to dharamshalas, privately owned guest houses and small hotels. None of them are luxurious, and it makes sense to carry bedding and spare blankets, as resources tend to be rather stretched during peak season. Food is vegetarian and simple in preparation.

Getting There
Airport
Jolly Grant Dehradun 317 km.

Railhead
Rishikesh 300 km, Kotdwar 327 km.

Road
Just 40 km. from the border with Tibet, Badrinath is of strategic importance to the Indian army, who maintain a road link throughout the year. The town has good road connections, with daily buses and private taxis traveling to and from Joshimath, 48 km down the road. Joshimath is in turn linked by bus to a number of towns in north India, including Rishikesh, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Nainital and Dehradun.

- Bindu Bhadana

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