Badrinath is a holy town of the Hindus and is located
in the Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is the most
important of the four sites in the Char-Dham pilgrimage. It is located
in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River, at a height
of 3133m above the sea level.
The mountains around Badrinath find mention even in the Mahabharata,
when the Pandavas are said to have ended their life by ascending the
slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini. According to
local legends, the Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of
Mana, 4 km north of Badrinath, on their way to Swargarohini. There is
also a cave in Mana where Vyas wrote the Mahabharata.
Badrinath was founded by Adi Shankara in the 9th century. During the
recent years however, the popularity of Badrinath has increased
manifolds, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the
2006-07 season alone. Nestled in the twin mountain ranges of Nar and
Narayan, it is considered as one of the main pilgrimage shrines. The
shrine of Badrinath is dedicated to Vishnu, with the main idol
representing him in a meditative posture. In brief, we can say that
Badrinath is a place of great importance.
