Introduction
How to plan my trip to Badrinath?. This has to be one of the most most frequently asked question I always get once I have started traveling and also it makes sense because it’s a dream of many to complete the Kedarnath trek and also to visit Badrinath Vishal Temple located just few kilometers away in the state of Uttarakhand.
About Badrinath
So, Badrinath is one of the very famous pilgrim centers in India. It is a small town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India’s Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and gets its name from the Badrinath Temple.
Location
Badrinath has an average elevation of 3,100 metres (10,170 feet). It is in the Garhwal Himalayas, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges 9 km east of Nilkantha peak (6,596m). Badrinath is located 62 km northwest of Nanda Devi peak and 301 km north of Rishikesh. From Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath by road is 233 km.
About the Temple
The Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town. According to legend, Adi Shankaracharya discovered a black stone image of Lord Badri Narayan made of Shaligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple.
A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist temples. Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha graha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carving
How to Reach
Unlike Kedarnath which has to be reached by trek, one can easily reach Badrinath through roads from Haridwar/Rishikesh/Dehradun. The road from Joshimath is a bit tricky but even the ones who can’t trek can also easily reach this holy place.
By Air
The nearest airport to reach Badrinath is Dehradun, but many prefer Delhi. Once you reach either of these, direct buses to Badrinath frequently are available from Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Badrinath and nearby cities to Badrinath. All these buses start early in the morning and reach Badrinath by late evening. No buses usually travel at night.
Train
This is the most economical and convenient option. Many direct trains from all over India are available till Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun. One can also reach Delhi and then to Haridwar by train. One can reach here and take the early morning bus starting from 4AM. The ones who reach Delhi can come to Haridwar by bus or train and catch the early morning bus.
Bus
Direct buses are available by various operators to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun from various parts of North India and can reach early morning here to catch the bus to Badrinath. From Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun govt and private buses run till Badrinath early morning, which can be even booked online. These are normal buses and don’t expect Volvo and luxurious buses. The distance is 315kms and takes almost 12-14 hours depending on delays. The bus stand is so close to temple and even many stay options are available for the pilgrims.
Private Vehicles
One can also reach Badrinath by private vehicles and there is a spacious parking space in available. The distance from Delhi is 550kms, though the road is good until Rishikesh, later one is unpredictable.
Registration for Yatra
There is mandatory registration for Kedarnath and other pilgrim centres here. One can register themselves in the Uttarakhand Tourist Care play store app or here or send ‘Yatra’ to +91 8394833833 for registration. One can give flexible dates without any issues and also it’s free, so tick all the nearby pilgrim sites like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Chopta Tungnath and other dhams as well.
Stay
As there are many places which you have to stay, there shouldn’t be any trouble with respect to staying in any area. Dorms, hotels, ashrams are easily available in Haridwar, Rishikesh at any budget.
Stays are also available in Badrinath ranging from ashrams, hostels, state bhavans, good hotels, but they get crowded and also expensive on holidays/weekends.
Ganesh Bhavan, Badrinath – 9520508941
Sandeep Hotel Owner, Badrinath – 7017634924
Helicopter
There is an option for pilgrims to book helicopter from this site. The starting point is Dehradun and the cost per person is 75,000 Rs and should be booked before online. This is a one day package which includes other benefits like VIP darshan as well.
Food Options
The amenities are pretty basic though far developed as far as the weather and conditions are concerned. Few hotels and small restaurants are available in the temple area. Due to the remote location, the facilities are decent and its actually good to see that this area is developing and pilgrims are getting better facilities in the coming days.
Network
This is the best part of this trek. Jio has made a special effort to provide best connectivity to all Chardhams to boost travel and also the main reason was the 2013 floods where the pilgrims were left clueless about what was happening and network connectivity would have saved a lot of lives. The network strength is very good, not sure about Airtel.
ATM and Fuel Pumps
There are many ATMs around the temple premises, but not sure about the availability of the cash all the times. Also there was a Petrol Pump being constructed right near the bus stand and might have finished by now. There are fuel pumps on the way to Badrinath from Rishikesh, make sure you full up your tanks without fail.
Weather
This would be the most challenging part of the dhams here and hence the temple is closed for 6 months. It would be totally bright and suddenly it would start snowing or raining. Even the roads in these areas in the mountains are already narrow, so landslides, roadblocks are common. Even in the roads, if it rains, it rains too heavily, also before you reach the temple, it snows very much sometimes, even in feets. Travelling in these terrain areas is very challenging. Make sure you are ready for all of these challenges.
Time to Visit
As the temple is open from April to November. Once it starts the crowd would be crazy, even after snowfall season, there would be feets of left out snow. Till may end the crowd would be very high. It’s not recommended to travel at this time.
The period from June to August is the season of crazy rain. When I say rain, you can’t even imagine. Also the floods in 2013 took place in June itself. The rain is extremely unpredictable and too high. Though the crowd is comparatively lesser.
The seasons from September to November are the best season to visit here. The rain is lesser and snowfall starts from mid October. The crowd is decent, the weather is pretty decent.
Things to Visit Around
Mana
Just 6-7 kms from Badrinath, also called as the Last Village of India, this is a very beautiful village which is just 55kms from China Border and the border area is called Mana Pass. The scenes around the village is damn fabulous and also at the banks of River Saraswathi, even Vasundhara Falls is too beautiful. There is a great story about Mana of Mahabharat period revolving around Vyas and River Saraswathi. I’ll definitely post a separate blog about this lovely village.
Joshimath
This town is popularly called the “Sinking Town” on the way to Badrinath. Everyone who has to travel Badrinath, has to go through here. The Narsingh Temple here is the most famous temple having a great history. Also one can reach Auli from Joshimath.
Auli
This is another very popular tourist destination of India. This is very famous place for heavy snowfall and Skiing in India. There is a ropeway to Auli from Joshimath, not sure of the status right now.
Treks
There are many treks in Uttarakhand, which start around Badrinath. The famous Satopanth Trek actually starts from Mana. The Hemkunt Sahib(Valley of Flowers) also starts near Joshimath.
Conclusion
This is everything you need to know before planning your trip to Badrinath. There is much more to be added with respect to cost incurred, ideal plan to visit Badrinath, nearby places to visit, things to keep in mind, other pilgrim centres to visit nearby and many other things, which I would cover in the upcoming blog. Comment down if you wish to add anything to this information and have any doubts about the same. This information is based on my visit to Uttarakhand and other pilgrim centres of Uttarakhand in October 2023.
