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BADRINATH
FACTS & FIGURES
Location:
Uttaranchal, India
Best time
to Visit:
Throughout the year
Significance
: Badrikashram
the Personality
of Godhead (Vishnu),
Nilkantha Mountain.
Badrinath
is a Hindu holy
town and a nagar
panchayat in Chamoli
district in the
state of Uttaranchal,
India. Badrinath
is on a small
plateau between
Narayana Parbat
and the Alakananda
River.
Badrinath is the
most important of
the four sites in
India's Char Dham
pilgrimage. Badrinath
is in the Garhwal
hills, on the banks
of the Alaknanda
River, at an elevation
of 3133 m. The Nara
and Narayana peaks
tower over Badrinath.
The fantastic Nilkantha
Mountain is 6,560m.
Badrinath is located
301km north of Rishikesh.
Badri refers to
a berry
that was said to
grow abundantly
in the area, and
nath refers to Vishnu.
Badri is the Sanskrit
name for the Indian
Jujube tree[3],
which has an edible
berry. Some scriptural
references also
refer to Jujube
trees being abundant
in Badrinath. Legend
has it that Goddess
Lakshmi took the
form of the berries
to protect Lord
Vishnu from the
harsh climate during
his long penance.
The Past
One legend has it
that when the goddess
Ganga was requested
to descend to earth
to help suffering
humanity, the earth
was unable to withstand
the force of her
descent. Therefore
the mighty Ganga
was split into twelve
holy channels, with
Alaknanda one of
them. It later became
the abode of Lord
Vishnu or Badrinath.
According to the
Skanda Purana:
“There are
several sacred shrines
in heaven, on earth,
and in hell; but
there is no shrine
like Badrinath.”
Prominent
Pilgrimage Attractions
of Badrinath
Lingaraj
Temple
The
10th- or 11th-century
Lingaraja temple
of Bhubaneswar has
been described as
"the truest
fusion of dream
and reality."
A rare masterpiece,
the Lingaraja temple
has been rated one
of the finest examples
of purely Hindu
temple in India
by Ferguson, the
noted art critic
and historian. Every
inch of the surface
of the 55 m-high
Lingaraja temple
is covered with
elaborate carvings.
Sculpture and architecture
fused elegantly
to create a perfect
harmony. Devout
pilgrims, who wish
to go to the Jagannath
temple at Puri,
must first offer
worship at the Lingaraja
temple.
Dhauli
Giri
Just
8 km away from Bhubaneswar
looking down on
the plains that
bore witness to
the gruesome war
waged on Kalinga
by the Mauryan emperor
Ashoka, stand the
rock edicts of Dhauli.
It was here that
King Ashoka, full
of remorse after
the Kalinga War
in 261 BC, renounced
his blood-thirsty
campaign and turned
to Buddhism. Ashoka
erected two main
edicts in Kalinga,
one in Dhauli and
the other in Jayagarh.
Sisupalgarh
Sisupalgarh
was extensively
renovated and beautified
by Kharvel at a
cost of 35 hundred
thousand silver
pieces, the rock
cut art of Khandagiri
contains a small
site plan of the
ancient city which
reveals meticulous
planning and attention
to detail.
Atri
The
Atri hot sulphur
spring is believed
to have medicinal
properties and has
become a popular
outing spot for
vacationers. The
drive from Bhuhaneswar
(42 km) alone is
worth the trip.
The countryside
is gorgeous. Atri
is also famous for
its temple dedicated
to Lord Hatakeswar.
A famous fare (Makar
Mela) is organised
every year . It
is in close vicinity
to Khorda town and
a famous shrine.
Hirapur
The
Yogini shrine at
Hirapur (dated 7th
century BC) is important
for its architectural
variation from the
main Oriya architectural
genre. The temple
is open to the sky
(hypaethral). There
are only four temples
of this kind in
India and two of
them are in Orissa
(the other one is
at Ranipur-Jharial).
Yogini Goddesses
were worshipped
in the hope of acquiring
supernatural powers.
It is 20 km from
Bhubaneswar.
How to Reach
Badrinath
Air :
The nearest airport
is the Jolly Grant
Airport near Dehradun,
about 317 km from
Badrinath.
Rail :
The nearest railway
stations to Badrinath
are at Rishikesh
and Kotdwar, which
are at a distance
of 297 km and 327
km respectively.
Road :
Well connected to
Rishikesh, Haridwar,
Dehradun, Kotdwar
and other hill stations
of Garhwal and Kumaon
region.
