Badrinath

बद्रीनाथ

Vishnu · Badarinath

Seated meditative image of black Saligram stone, about one metre high, holding conch and chakra in two hands with the other two in a yogic pose

Badrinath, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand · Vaishnava tradition

The main image is a seated, meditating Vishnu about one metre high, carved from black Saligram stone, on the right bank of the Alaknanda.

The story begins: “The sages pray to Vishnu.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Season
Main season: Apr – NovDates and caveats
Walking and access
The temple committee lists road distances from Rishikesh railway station (about 274 km) and Jolly Grant airport (about 290 km). More on access
Getting there
Train: RishikeshAir: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Told in: The temple committee's own account (Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee)

Nar-Narayan and the badri tree

The sages pray to Vishnu. In answer he takes birth as Nar-Narayan, and comes to this valley on the Alaknanda to perform austerities for the welfare of the world. The austerity has a purpose: it is directed against the demon Sahasrakavacha.

Lakshmi takes the form of a badri, a plum tree, and stands over Narayana to shield him from the cold while he meditates.

The committee's account takes the name of the place from this tree: Badri, and the shrine Badarinath. It also gives the site a different name in each age. In the Satya yuga it was Muktiprada; in the Treta, Yoga Siddhida; in the Dvapara, Vishala; and in the Kali yuga, Badrikashram, the hermitage of the badri.

The story is visible in the sanctum. The committee lists images of Nar and Narayan beside the main image, and the main image itself shows Vishnu seated in meditation, two hands holding the conch and chakra and the other two resting in a yogic pose — the posture of the austerity this story describes.

Where this account comes from

  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: The temple committee's own account (Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee)

The image in the Alaknanda

Vishnu leaves a divine image in the Alaknanda beneath the rock called Naradshila. The gods later take it out and appoint Narada as its worshipper. Adi Shankaracharya finds a black stone image in the river and first enshrines it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot spring. In the sixteenth century the King of Garhwal moves it to the present temple. In winter, when the doors close, worship is held to pass to Narada.

Read this account

The committee's account of the image begins in the river. Vishnu leaves a divine image in the Alaknanda, beneath the rock known as Naradshila. The gods later bring it out and appoint the sage Narada to worship it.

Later, Adi Shankaracharya recovers a black stone image from the Alaknanda. He places it first in a cave near Tapt Kund, the hot spring by the shrine.

The image is moved once more. In the sixteenth century the King of Garhwal shifts the murti to the place where the temple now stands.

Narada's role does not end with the first appointment. The temple is open for about six months in summer. When heavy snow closes the doors, the committee says worship continues through Narada, and an akhand jyoti, an unbroken lamp, is left burning inside until the doors reopen.

The link to Adi Shankaracharya also runs through the priesthood. The chief priests, the Rawals, are Namboodiri Brahmins from Malabar, whom the committee describes as descendants of Adi Shankaracharya.

The episode explains three things a visitor meets: Tapt Kund, where the image first rested; the Narad Shila tradition at the river; and the winter lamp that pilgrims gather to see when the doors open again.

Where this account comes from

  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Badrinath matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The main image is a seated, meditating Vishnu about one metre high, carved from black Saligram stone, on the right bank of the Alaknanda.

    Source for: The main image is a seated, meditating Vishnu about one metre high, carved from
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The place takes its name from the badri, or plum, tree that Lakshmi became to shelter Narayana from the cold.

    Source for: The place takes its name from the badri, or plum, tree that Lakshmi became to sh
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The chief priests, the Rawals, are Namboodiri Brahmins from Malabar.

    Source for: The chief priests, the Rawals, are Namboodiri Brahmins from Malabar.
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. When the doors close for winter an akhand jyoti, an unbroken lamp, is left burning, and worship is held to continue through Narada.

    Source for: When the doors close for winter an akhand jyoti, an unbroken lamp, is left burni
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

The temple committee describes a temple about 50 feet tall with a small cupola and a gold-gilt roof, entered through the Singhdwar, but names no style. No architectural study naming its style has been found yet.

  • Detail

    Singhdwar

    The entrance gate, called the Singhdwar.

  • Sanctum

    Garbha Griha

    The black Saligram image of Vishnu in meditation, under a canopy covered in gold, with Kubera, Narada, Uddhava, Nar, Narayan and a silver Ganesha around it.

  • Great hall

    Darshan Mandap and Sabha Mandap

    The two halls in front of the sanctum: the Darshan Mandap where rituals are performed and the Sabha Mandap where pilgrims gather; carved walls and pillars.

  • Sculpture

    Garuda

    A seated Garuda facing the main image.

  • Detail

    Roof and cupola

    The small cupola and gold-gilt roof.

    temple height (approximate): 50 ft
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  • Temple tank

    Tapt Kund

    The hot spring near the shrine, where the committee says Adi Shankaracharya first enshrined the image in a cave.

  • Sacred water

    Tapt Kund

    Hot spring near the temple.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • Register for the yatra on the Uttarakhand government portal (registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in) before travelling; the temple committee asks every pilgrim to do so.
  • The temple is open for about six months in summer. In 2026 the portals opened on 23 April; in 2025 they closed on 25 November. Dates are announced each year.

Walking, steps and access

The temple committee lists road distances from Rishikesh railway station (about 274 km) and Jolly Grant airport (about 290 km). No official information on step-free access, ramps or wheelchair provision inside the complex has been found yet.

Getting there

  • By air: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun · about 290 kmDistance as listed by the temple committee.
  • By train: Rishikesh · about 274 kmDistance as listed by the temple committee.

PIN 246422 (not yet checked with India Post)

Main pilgrimage months

The highlighted months are the season the temple’s sources point to. Exact opening and closing days change every year — check the dates before you book.

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr — recommended
  • May — recommended
  • Jun — recommended
  • Jul — recommended
  • Aug — recommended
  • Sep — recommended
  • Oct — recommended
  • Nov — recommended
  • Dec

Sevas

  • Puja booking and donations (online)Booked through the temple committee's site; availability is shown per date.Book

Prices as published by the temple when we checked. They change; the temple’s booking site is final.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Kapat opening (portals open)

    April–May

    The doors reopen after winter on an announced date — 4 May in 2025, 23 April in 2026 at 6:15 a.m. — and devotees gather to see the akhand jyoti left burning through the winter.

  • Kapat closing

    November

    The doors close for winter with the akhand jyoti left burning inside; in 2025 the closing was on 25 November.

  • Narayan's visit to Mata MurtiVaman Dwadashi

    Each year on Vaman Dwadashi, Narayan visits the Mata Murti temple, dedicated to Badarinath's mother, and the Rawal performs puja there.

Customs you will see here

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Nar-Narayan's austerities and the badri tree

    Vishnu as Nar-Narayan performs austerities here and Lakshmi shelters him as a badri tree. The committee names the place differently in each yuga, ending with Badrikashram in the Kali yuga.

    Source for: Nar-Narayan's austerities and the badri tree
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 1500–1599

    King of Garhwal moves the murti to its present site

    In the sixteenth century the King of Garhwal moved the murti to its present location, per the temple committee. The king is not named in the source.

    Source for: King of Garhwal moves the murti to its present site
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 2026

    2026 season opens

    The portals opened at 6:15 a.m. on 23 April 2026; the 2025 season had closed on 25 November 2025.

    2 sources for: 2026 season opens
    • Press: News On AIR, "Uttarakhand: Portals of Badrinath Dham to open tomorrow at 6:15 AM", 22 April 2026 newsonair.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: ETV Bharat, "Kedarnath Doors Closed For Devotees For Winter Season; Record Devotees Visit Dham This Year", 23 October 2025 etvbharat.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Adi Shankaracharya recovers the image from the Alaknanda

    The committee credits Adi Shankaracharya with finding a black stone image in the Alaknanda and first enshrining it in a cave near Tapt Kund. No date is given in the source.

    2 sources for: Adi Shankaracharya recovers the image from the Alaknanda
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, home page (Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Yatra 2026) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Mata Murti Temple

    Dedicated to the mother of Badarinath, on the right bank of the Alaknanda opposite Mana village.

  • Ghat

    Brahma Kapal

    A flat platform on the Alaknanda near the temple where pilgrims offer shraddha and pind daan for ancestors.

  • Temple

    Yog Badri, Pandukeshwar

    One of the Sapta Badri, 24 km short of Badrinath, with the Lord in a meditative posture.

  • Temple

    Narsingh Temple, Joshimath

    Shaligram image of Narasimha; worship continues here year-round, including while Badrinath is snowbound.

Also in Chamoli district

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Badarinath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, home page (Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Yatra 2026) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: News On AIR, "Uttarakhand: Portals of Badrinath Dham to open tomorrow at 6:15 AM", 22 April 2026 newsonair.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: ETV Bharat, "Kedarnath Doors Closed For Devotees For Winter Season; Record Devotees Visit Dham This Year", 23 October 2025 etvbharat.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples (Tungnath, Omkareshwar, Mata Murti, Brahma Kapal, Yog Badri, Narsingh) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
Corrections made to this page (1)
  • 2026-10-09: changed “null” to “[4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]”. Derived from the opening and closing dates already sourced in this record (opened 23 April 2026; closed 25 November 2025).

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Badrinath”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/badrinath (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence