Badrinath Temple Opening Uttarakhand India

Winter endings mark the perfect beginning times for the char dham yatra. Thousands of people from across the country travel to Uttarakhand during these times for capturing the holy glimpses of the Char Dham- Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

I was fortunate enough to join a team of doctors from AIIMS Rishikesh and be a part of the inauguration of a hospital in the holy town of Badrinath on the day of Badrinath temple kapat opening (10^th May 2019). It was my second visit to the holy shrine. Back in 2015, we had visited Badrinath and Mana village during our Kuari pass trek.

We took an Innova and headed towards north, a 320 km gruelling ride through the mountains crossing Srinagar- Deoprayag- Rudraprayag- Nandaprayag- Joshimath. It took around 14 hours to reach Badrinath town, bustling with devotees eagerly waiting for the opening of the temple. After refreshment we headed towards the temple crossing the Alakananda river. The vibrant coloured walls of the temple were all decked up with flowers and petals. Devotees crowded near the entrance lighting candles and incense to welcome the god. We returned back to our hotel at mid-night after a sumptuous meal at one of the Bhandaras on the street.

The closed temple gates- a day before opening

We woke up in the dark to walk to the temple. It was at around 4 am that the temple gates opened for devotees. It was a very busy courtyard with queue extending to more than a kilometre to enter the temple. We decided to wait in the front and feel the holy vibe. A group of scouts from the army were playing drums amidst the chants and prayers. Few local residents were singing a traditional folklore of the god. They attracted a lot of attention from the photographers who were busy capturing the beautiful formation of the residents. In a while the head priest had come out to give interview to the press. After a while, we joined the long queue for darshan. In another 3 hours we successfully entered the temple and prayed to lord Badrinath in his “nirman avatar” (a non-decorated form of the deity).

Traditional dance performance at dawn

Painted

The long queue to the temple

Jai Badri Vishal !!

Saint !!

Wall art near the Alakananda river

After prayer we headed to the Indian Army bhandara to have a sumptuous lunch with poori and sabji. Later in the day, we headed to Baba Kali Kamli Ashram to attend a satsang. The event was graced by the governor of the state. The National Medical Organisation along with a NGO had developed a hospital in this ashram. It had advanced medical system with an intensive care unit- truly an incredible effort in this remote area. After the programme we headed to the mountains for a short hike and clicked some rare birds. We revisited the temple in the evening and returned back to hotel.

NMO has transformed the ashram into a advanced medical service facility in such a remote area

Prayer time !!

Waterfall hike

We packed up and left for Rishikesh the next morning.

General information:

Reaching Badrinath- Shared Jeep or bus will take around 12- 14 hours from Rishikesh (around 300 km) in the current road conditions. It better to start very early from Rishikesh or Haridwar.

Nearby places to visit:

I had visited Mana- the last India village and also trekked to Vasudhara waterfalls (3-4 Km one way) during my last trip. It usually takes a day. You can also see Bhimkund where river Saraswati originates. Check here

At Badrinath town you can Explore Bamini village, Charan Paduka and birthplace of Shri Badrinath- walking distance from the temple premises.

During the months of June to September you can also visit Hemkund Sahib gurudwara and Valley of flowers. Govindghat the starting point of the trek in around 20 km on the Joshimath- Badrinath highway.

For trekking enthusiast- Kuari pass and Pangarchula peak trek is a easy to moderate trek to enjoy the Nanda devi biosphere reserve. You can check my trek travelogue.

There are very limited budget hotels. Ashrams and dharamshalas are usually booked during the yatra. Prior reservation is necessary.

Descent hotels are expensive.

You can also book helicopter at GMVN website

Jai Badri Vishal !!