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Town in Uttarakhand, India
Photo: Vijayakumarblathur, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Badrinath (बद्रीनाथ Badrīnāth), a Hindu holy town in Uttarakhand, is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage.
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The first 3 km can be travelled by a car or a bus. This stop is called "Mana". First point after the village Mana, the last habitat in the Indian side, is Bhim Pool. This is said to have been built by Bhim (of the Pandavas from the Mahabharata epic) for his wife Draupadi who could not cross the ridge. From here, there is a 4 km trek to the falls. No special gear for the trek is needed apart from some sturdy shoes.
Satopanth Tal is a pristine glacial lake surrounded by mighty peaks like Chaukhamba, Neelkantha, Swargarohini and Balakun. This triangular lake is a challenging trek (25 km from Badrinath) and one of the hidden gems of the Garhwal region. Locals say this lake is where gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva meditated. The trek to Satopanth is takes you past Mana, India’s last village, the popular Vasudhara waterfall and the Sahastradhara falls.
Mana is the first Indian village towards the Tibetan border. Located at an altitude of 3200 meters (10,499 feet) above the sea level in the lap of Himalaya in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. With small houses and narrow lanes leading up towards the mountains, the village is pretty like in a fairytale. It falls on several popular trekking routes and is located at a distance of just 4 km from Badrinath temple. This village is also known as the gateway to the mysterious world of the mythological period and is famous for the mythological stories shared by locals there. It is also known as the only village in India where Saraswati River can be seen.
This is a sacred site near Badrinath at a distance of 4 km. It is said that it was here that the great sage Ved Vyas documented the epic Mahabharata with the help of Lord Ganesha.
It is said that Lord Brahma, the Creator, resides here. Hindu devotees perform Pind Daan and Tarpan, an homage and rituals for the departed souls, on the banks of the river at this site.
This is said to be the origin of the Saraswati river coming out and going underground again. This river is not visible anywhere from its source up to Allahabad Sangam in UP, where it is said to merge into Ganga river along with Yamuna river. Very close to the visible part of the river Saraswati, there is very small water stream said to be water from Mansarover Lake in Tibet.
Narad Kund
A natural thermal spring where the devotees take a holy dip before proceeding to the main temple of badrinath. It is also believed to possess medicinal value good for skin
Reasonable variety of vegetarian Indian and Chinese.
A multi-cuisine restaurant — Chinese, North Indian and South Indian — with a seating capacity of 110+.
Many rooms offer views of the 6,500 m high Neelkanth ('Blue Neck') mountain. The heating and electricity within the hotel is reliable.
By bus
There are regular buses operating to Badrinath from New Delhi, Haridwar and Rishikesh, especially in the early morning from the latter two.
By car
There are certain timings to visit Badrinath by car/bike after opening of the temple, as routes are narrow from Pandukeshwar on some places. As of 2018, roads are open 8AM–8PM.
The temple is open only May–October and the dates are announced through the media.
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