LORD BADRINATH-PRESIDING DEITY OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS GARHWAL RIFLES

"BAHUNI SANT TIRTHANI

DIWYA  BHUMI RASASU CHA

BADRI SADRISHYA TIRTH: NA BHUTO NA BHAWISYATI"

( There are many Pilgrimage Centres in this great world.But  BADRINATH is just incomparable. There has never been one like this in the past, nor, there shall ever be one-as magnificent & great like it)

-Skanda -Purana

(LORD BADRINATH-THE PRESIDING DEITY OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS GARHWAL RIFLES.

NOTHING MOVES IN THE REGIMENT WITHOUT SEEKING HIS BLESSINGS !)

 

(BADRINATH TOWN)

(THE GARHWALI FLAG)

THE ULTIMATE

(THE GARHWALI CREST THAT ADORES OUR CAPS)

Badrinath Temple, also called Badrinarayan Temple, is dedicated to Vishnu which is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Badrinath—holy shrines for Vaishnavites. It is open for about seven months every year, between the end of April and the middle of November, because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River at an elevation of 3,133 m (10,279 ft) above the mean sea level. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centres of India, having recorded an average of 1,060,000 visits per year.

The image of the presiding deity worshipped in the temple is a 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, black stone statue of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu.

Mata Murti Ka Mela, that commemorates the descent of river Ganga on mother earth, is the most prominent festival celebrated in the Badrinath Temple. Although Badrinath is located in North India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a Nambudiri Brahmin chosen from the South Indian state of Kerala. The temple was included in the Uttar Pradesh state government Act No. 30/1948 as Act no. 16,1939, which later came to be known as Shri Badarinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. The committee nominated by the state government administers both the temples has seventeen members on its board.

The temple is mentioned in ancient religious texts like Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana. It is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, an early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries AD.  The Nar Parbat mountain is located opposite to the temple, while the Narayana Parbat is located behind the Neelakanta peak.

The temple has three structures; the Garbhagriha (sanctum), the Darshan Mandap (worship hall), and Sabha Mandap (convention hall).The conical shaped roof the sanctum, the garbhagriha, is approximately 15 m (49 ft) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof. The facade is built of stone and has arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to the main entrance, a tall, arched gateway. Just inside is a mandap, a large, pillared hall that leads to the sanctum, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the hall are covered with intricate carvings.

The main shrine houses the 1 m (3.3 ft) Shaligram (black stone) image of Badrinarayan, which is housed in a gold canopy under a Badri Tree. The image of Badrinarayan holds aShankha (conch) and a Chakra (wheel) in two of its arms in a lifted posture and two arms are rested on its lap in a Yogamudra (Padmasana) posture. The sanctum also houses images of the God of wealth - Kubera, sage Narada, Uddhava, Nar and Narayan. There are fifteen more images that are also worshipped around the temple. These include that of Lakshmi, Garuda (the vehicle of Narayan), and Navadurga. Behind the temple is a shrine to Lakshmi Narasimha, which has shrines of Adi Shankara, Vedanta Desika and Ramanujacharya. All the idols of the temple are made of black stone.

The Tapt Kund, a hot sulphur springs just below the temple, are considered to be medicinal; all pilgrims bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The springs have a year-round temperature of 55 °C (131 °F), while outside temperature is typically below 17 °C (63 °F) all year round. The two water ponds in the temple are called Narad Kund and Surya Kund.There is a mention of the Presiding Deity Lord Badrinath in Vedic scriptures, indicating the presence of the temple during the Vedic period.It was originally established as a pilgrimage site by Adi Shankara in the ninth century. It is believed that Shankara resided in the place for six years from 814 to 820 AD. He resided six months in Badrinath and the rest of the year in Kedarnath. He is believed to have discovered the image of Badrinath in the Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. People call it "Bolanda Badrinath", meaning speaking Badrinath. They had other titles, including Shri 108 Basdrishcharyaparayan Garharj Mahimahendra, Dharmabibhab and Dharamarakshak Sigamani.

The throne of Badrinath was named after the Presiding Deity; the king enjoyed ritual obeisance by the devotees before proceeding to the shrine. The practice was continued until the late 19th century. During the 16th century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple. When the state of Garhwal was divided, the Badrinath temple came under British rule but the king of Garhwal continued as the chairman of the management committee.

The temple has undergone several major renovations due to its age and damage by an avalanche. In the 17th century; the temple was expanded by the Kings of Garhwal. After significant damage in the great 1803 Himalayan earthquake, it was rebuilt by the King of Jaipur. During 2006, the state government announced the area around Badrinath as a no construction zone to curb illegal encroachment.According to Hindu legend, Lord Vishnu sat in meditation at this place unaware of cold & harsh weather. Lakshmi, his consort, protected him in the form of Badri tree (jujubi tree). Pleased by the devotion of Lakshmi, Vishnu named the place Badrika Ashram. According to Atkinson (1979), the place used to be jujubi forest. Vishnu in the form of Badrinath is depicted in the temple sitting in the padmasana posture. According to the legend, Vishnu was chastised by a sage, who saw Vishnu's consort Lakshmi massaging his feet. Vishnu went to Badrinath to perform austerity, meditating for a long time in padmasana.

The Vishnu Purana narrates another version of the origins of Badrinath. According to the tradition, Dharam had two sons, Nar and Narayan —both of which are modern names of Himalayan mountains. They chose the place to spread their religion and each of them wed the spacious valleys in the Himalayas. Searching for an ideal place to set up a hermitage, they came across the other four Badris of the Pancha Badri, namely Bridha Badri, Yog Bhadri, Dhyan Badri and Bhavish Badri. They finally found the hot and cold spring behind the Alakandha River and named it Badri Vishal.The temple finds mention in several ancient books like Bhagavata Purana, Skanda Purana and Mahabharata. According to the Bhagavata Purana, "There in Badrikashram the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nar and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities". The Skanda Purana states that "There are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath". The area around Badrinath is also celebrated in Padma Purana as abounding in spiritual treasures. The Mahabharata revered the holy place as the one which can give salvation to devotees arriving close to if, while in other holy places they must perform religious ceremonies. The temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, in 11 hymns in the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon by Periazhwar and in 13 hymns in Thirumangai Azhwar. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Badrinath.Devotees of all faiths and all schools of thought of Hinduism visit the Badrinath Temple. Many religious heads of various Mutts, such as Jeeyar Mutt (Andhra mutt), Sringeri, Kanchi, Udupi Pejavar and Manthralayam Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutts have their branches and guest houses there.

The Badrinath temple is one of five related shrines called Panch Badri, which are dedicated to the worship of Vishnu;a little more on this now. The five temples are Vishal Badri - Badrinath Temple in Badrinath, Yogadhyan Badri located at Pandukeshwar, Bhavishya Badri located 17 km (10.6 mi) from Jyotirmath at Subain, Vridh Badri located 7 km (4.3 mi) from Jyotirmath in Animath and Adi Badri located 17 km (10.6 mi) from Karnaprayag. The temple is considered one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four divine) sites, comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka. Although the temple's origins are not clearly known, the Advaita school of Hinduism established by Ad Shankara attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer. The four monasteries are located across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaramin the South.

Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all-Hindu affair. There are four abodes in the Himalayas called Chota Char Dham (Chota meaning small): Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri—all of which lie in the foothills of the Himalayas.The name Chota was added during the mid of 20th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. As the number of pilgrims to these places has increased in modern times, it is called Himalayan Char Dham- now known as Uttarakhand Char Dham Yatra.

The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus, who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetimes. Traditionally, the pilgrimage starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding clockwise in a manner .

The Badri Kedar festival is celebrated during the month of June in both the temple and the Kedarnath temple. The festival lasts for eight days; artists from all over the country perform during the function.

The major religious activities (or poojas) performed every morning are mahabhishek (ablution), abhishek, gitapath and bhagavat pooja, while in the evening the poojas include geet govinda and aarti. Recital in vedic scripts like Ashtotram and Sahasranama is practiced during all the rituals. After aarti, the decorations are removed from the image of Badrinath and sandalwood paste is applied to it. The paste from the image is given to the devotees the next day as prasad during the nirmalaya darshan. All the rituals are performed in front of the devotees, unlike those in some Hindu temples, where some practices are hidden from them.Sugar balls and dry leaves are the common prasad provided to the devotees. From May 2006, the practice of offering Panchamrit Prasad, prepared locally and packed in local bamboo baskets, was started.

The temple is closed for winter on the auspicious day of Vijayadasami during October–November.On the day of closure, Akhanda Jyothi, a lamp is lit filled with ghee to last for about seven months. Special poojas are performed on the day by the chief priest in the presence of pilgrims and officials of the temple. The image of Badrinath is notionally transferred during the period to the Narasimha temple at Jyotirmath, located 40 mi (64 km) away from the temple. The temple is reopened around April on Vasant Panchami, another auspicious day on the Hindu calendar.Thousands of Pilgrims from all over the world gather on the first day of opening of the temple after the winter to witness the Akhanda Jyothi.All dates of opening & closing of ' kapats' are calculated & given out by the Raj Jyotishi of erstwhile Tehri Durbar.

The Rawal (chief priest) is requested by the Uttarakhand government (Uttar Pradesh government before the formation of Uttarakhand state) to the Kerala government. The candidate should possess a degree of Acharya in Sanskrit, be a bachelor, well-versed in reciting mantras (sacred texts) and be from the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism. The erstwhile ruler of Garhwal, who is the tutelary head of Badrinath, approves the candidate sent by the Government of Kerala. A Tilak Ceremony is held to instate the Rawal and he is deputed from April to November, when the temple remains open. The Rawal is accorded high holiness status by Garwhal Rifles and the state governments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. He is also held in high esteem by the Royals of Nepal. From April to November, he performs his duties as a temple priest. Thereafter, he either stays in Joshimutt or returns to his native village in Kerala. The duties of the Rawal start at 4 a.m. every day with the Abhisheka. He should not cross the river until Vamana Dwadasi and must adhere to Brahmacharya. The Rawal is assisted by the Garhwali Dimri Pundits belonging to the Village Dimmer, Nayab Rawals, Dharmadikari, Vedapathi, a group of priests, Pandas Samadhini, Bhandari, Rasoiyas (cook), devotional singers, clerk of devashram, Jal Bhariya (water keeper) and temple guards. 

The temple is reached from Rishikesh, located 298 km (185 mi) away via Dev Prayag, Rudra Prayag, Karna Prayag, Nanda Prayag, Joshimutt, Vishnuprayag and Devadarshini. From Kedarnath, visitors can follow the 243 km (151 mi)-long Rudra Prayag route or the 230 km (140 mi)-long Ukthimath and Gopeswar route.