Vriddha Badri, Joshimath, Uttarakhand
Vriddha Badri is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu
located near Joshimath at the elevation of 1,380 metres (4,530 ft)
above mean sea level, on the Rishikesh
– Joshimath – Badrinath road. Vriddha Badri is situated at Animath in Chamoli
district in Uttarakhand state of India. It is also called as Briddha Badri. Vriddha
Badri is part of famous Panch
Badri and Saptha Badri Temples of Uttarakhand. The Vriddha
Badri Temple dates back to Gupta Period.
Legends
Vriddha
Badri:
As per legend, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of
a Vriddha or old man before sage Narada who performed penance here.
Thus, the idol installed at this temple is in the form of an old man. Hence,
the place came to be called as Vriddha Badri.
Association
with Shankaracharya:
According to legend, the image of Badrinath was carved
by the divine craftsman Vishwakarma and worshipped here. At the
advent of Kali yuga, Vishnu chose to remove himself from
this place, later Adi Shankara found the partly damaged image in Narad Kund
pond and established it at the central Badrinath shrine. It is believed that
Badrinath was worshipped here by Adi Shankara, before his enshrinement at the
Badrinath temple.
The Temple
The Temple follows Nagara Style architecture. Presiding
Deity Badrinath, is housed in the sanctum in the form of old man. There is no
other idol found in this temple. The chief priests of the temple are from
Southern India. The temple is open throughout the year.
Festivals
Krishna Janmashtami and Makar
Sankranti are the famous festivals celebrated here.
Religious Significance
Pancha
Badri:
As this temple was the first one of the five Badri
temple of Uttarakhand, where the worship been started first, so the temple is
called as "Adi Badri". These five Badris are - Adi Badri, Bhavishya
Badri, Yogadhyan Badri, Vriddha Badri & Badri Vishal of Badrinath. Some
people omit Vriddha Badri and instead include Narasinga Badri.
Saptha
Badri:
The seven temples of Badri in and around Badrinath are
called as Sapta Badri temples. They are Badrinath, Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri,
Dhyan Badri, Ardha Badri, Bhavishya Badri and Yogadhyan Badri. Hence, Adi Badri
is one of the Sapta Badri sites. Some people include Narasinga Badri as one of
the Sapta Badri sites.
Best time to Visit
The ideal time or peak season to go for a Char Dham
Yatra is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because; all the four
sacred sites are perched in Garhwal Himalayas, which is prone to heavy
snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to the shrines are blocked.
Moreover, during the monsoon season, there is undue threat of having
landslides, which can further disrupt the journey. For safety reasons, the
gates of the temples are also closed for this period of time and the idols are
shifted to nearby pilgrim points.
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 3 Kms from Joshimath Bus
Stand, 28 Kms from Kalpeshwar, 82 Kms from Karnaprayag, 255 Kms from Rishikesh,
275 Kms from Haridwar Railway Station, 279 Kms from Haridwar, 269 Kms from
Dehradun Airport and 497 Kms from New Delhi Airport. The Temple is situated
near to Joshimath at the elevation of 1,380 metres (4,530 ft) above mean
sea level, on the Rishikesh – Joshimath – Badrinath road. It is
situated ahead of the Kalpeshwar Mahadev
Temple, ahead of Helang. The temple is located in a secluded place in the hilly
area, which can be reached by trekking for about one and half kms.
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