Badrinath temple
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| Badrinath temple | |||
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| Name: | Badrinath temple | ||
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| Creator: | Adi Sankaracharya | ||
| Date built: | 9th century A.D | ||
| Primary deity: | Badrinarayan (Vishnu) | ||
| Location: | Badrinath | ||
Badrinath temple, sometimes called Badrinarayan temple, is situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of Badrinath in Uttaranchal state in India. It is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites. The temple is open only six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.
Several murtis are worshipped in the temple. The most important is a one meter tall statue of Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black shaligram stone. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight swayam vyakta keshtras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu.[1] The murti depicts Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than His far more typical reclining pose. In November each year, when the town of Badrinath is closed, the image is moved to Joshimath. The temple also includes murtis of Nara & Narayana, Narasimha (the fourth incarnation of Vishnu), Lakshmi, Narada, Ganesha, Uddhava, Kubera, Garuda (the vehicle of Lord Narayan), and Navadurga.[1]
The Tapt Kund hot sulphur springs just below the temple are considered to be medicinal—many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The springs have a year-round temperature of 45°C.
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[edit] History and Legend
The original temple was built in the ninth century by Adi Shankara. Since then, it has undergone several major renovations, due to age and damage by avalanche.[2] 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.[1] The stone facade of the temple is brightly painted, more typical of Buddhist temples.
Badrinath is mentioned in religious texts as far back as the Vedic period. Some accounts claim that the temple was built on a former Buddhist temple site. According to one legend, the image of Badrinarayan was thrown into the Alaknanda River — Shankara discovered the statue submerged in the Alaknanda and had it installed in the temple.[2]
Although Badrinath is located in the far north of India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally from the far south of India, in Kerala. This tradition was begun by Adi Shankara. The Rawal is assisted by Dimripundits belonging to Village Dimmer of Garhwal.
One legend explains the reason that Vishnu is shown sitting in padmasana, rather than reclining. According to the story, 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.[1] To this day, the area around Badrinath attracts yogis who come for meditation and seclusion.
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[edit] External links
| Famous Vishnu temples |  |
|---|---|
| Tirupathy • Srirangam • Badrinath • Kanchipuram • Guruvayur • Puri • Thiruvananthapuram • Udipi • Srivilliputhur • Thiruvallikeni • |
