VALLEY OF FLOWERS - PART IV
BADRINATH
We proceeded to Badrinath immediately after our descent from Ghangria to Govind ghat. The distance from Govind ghat to Badrinath is a mere 23 Kms but the roads are narrow, winding and slippery. There is a “Gate” system here. The timings of the gate are known to the bus drivers. Once you miss the gate timing you have to wait for atleast 1 hour before your onward journey begins. The traffic is only one way here because of the narrow roads. There is always a threat of landslides and the movement is very slow. The drive is very picturesque with the roaring Alaknanda on one side and stunning mountains on the other side.
Ideal time for visiting the shrine will be between May to November. One should, without fail, carry sweaters, woolen clothing, umbrella and required medicines during the trip. Minimum luggage should be preferred. Non-vegetarian food and alcoholic drinks are strictly prohibited here.
There are a number of hotels and dhabas, rest houses both government and local. The prices vary from season to season.
Badrinath is a Hindu holy town in Chamoli district. It is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham Yatra. Badrinath is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River, at an elevation of 3133 mts. The other teen Dham are Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. The temple of Shri Badrinathji is flanked by two mountain ranges known as Nar and Narayan, with the towering Neelkanth peak providing a splendid backdrop. This spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name ‘Badri Van’,meaning ‘forest of berries’. The shrine is dedicated to Vishnu, the preserver and falls in the religious itinerary of every devout Hindu.
The present temple was built about two centuries ago by Garhwal Kings. It is a conical structure, 15 m. tall and has small cupola of a gilt bull and spire. There are 15 idols in the temple complex, each sculpted in black stone. The principal idol represents Vishnu in a meditative posture and is flanked by Nara-Narayan.
It is believed that worshipping at this shrine is a means of liberating the soul from the bound of transmigration. The idol of Lord Badrivishal is made of black stones haligram.
The temple is divided into three parts - the garbagriha, the "darshan mandap" and the "sabha mandap". The idol of the Lord Badrivishal is seated in the inner most part - garbhagriha. The canopy is covered with a sheet of gold, and this was an offering made by queen Ahilyabai. Badrivishal is flanked by the idols of Nar Narayan on the right and of Kubera and Narada on the left. The other important idols are those of Uddhava and Garuda (Vishnu’s vehicle). In the courtyard of the temple, to the right, stands a small shrine dedicated to Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, and the idols of Ghantakaran (the kshetrapal on guard) Hanuman and Ganesha stand in the wings. The darshan mandap is a small rectangular area where puja is performed.
Opposite the temple of Badrinath, there are hot water springs with water temperature upto 450 C. The Tapt Kunda. There are 2 hot water kundas here one hotter than the other.It is customary to bathe before entering the Badrinath Temple. The beauty of the place is such that we see the icy waters of the Alaknanda flowing a few meters below and the hot water springs on top, divided by a wall of rock.
On a clear day, one can see the towering mountain – Neelkanth – a conical mountain, blue in colour with snow capped peak, most of the time it is surrounded by thick curtain of clouds. It is also popularly known as the ‘Garhwal Queen’.
Just about 1.5 km from Badrinath on the way, there is the Sheshnag’s eye, as it is called is a boulder with an impression of the legendary snake Sheshnetra. Many pilgrims get down from the bus or their vehicles and scoop the black mark on the rock with their fingers and apply it on to their eyes.
Badrinath is connected by road to Rishikesh, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Nainital and Almora districts in UP Hills. Some of the major road distances are:
Rishikesh 297 km
Joshimath 42 km
Haridwar 321 km
Karnaprayag 123 km
Rudraprayag 155 km
Deoprayag 225 km
Dehradun 343 km
MANA VILLAGE
About 3 kms from Badrinath, is this beautiful village Mana, where the Mahabharatha comes alive.
Inhabited by Indo-Mangolian tribe, it is considered to be the last Indian village before Tibet on this route.
The village is controlled by the military, and there are a lot of signboards, “Aliens Not Allowed”, Foreigners Not Allowed, Strangers not allowed – there is also a checkpost where we have to declare our belongings, especially photography equipment. We were lucky to be allowed to enter the valley, and the village, with our cameras. I did not carry all my equipment since I was told that the military officials expose the film from the camera and hand it back. I didn’t want to lose all the photographs so I decided to take just one camera with a wide angle lens and a 2x converter in my pocket. I had not loaded my camera just in case.
Things to remember:
Carry with you the following:
- A powerful torch with enough cells.
- A small penknife
- Paper napkins
- Plastic bags to cover your camera or any other piece of equipment
- Carry if possible a manual SLR camera, it works best in those conditions. Macro lenses, flash, tele lenses, zoom if necessary.
- Cleaning accessories and enough film or memory cards.
- If you are using a digital camera or a video camera, carry additional set of fully charged batteries. Batteries lose their charge in cold climate.
- About 1 kg of dry fruits in small packets.
- Adequate drinking water.
- Carry enough medicines to take care of emergencies. Pain-killers, sprays, band-aid,gauze, anti-emetics, and medicines of the first aid.
Do’s and Don’ts:
1.Don’t litter anywhere, carry your garbage back to your campsite and dispose appropriately
2. Don’t do any heroic attempts to photograph flowers on the slippery slopes, you may end up with broken bones or even loss of your life.
3. Don’t make things complicated and difficult for your fellow companions if you are traveling in a group
4. If you have to travel by mule or any other mode, do it. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You need to conserve your energy for the treks beyond.
5. Carry a book on Himalayan flowers, it will help you to identify the flowers easily.
6.Make notes of the photographs you have shot, or in case you video graph, talk into the microphone to identify the area, or the flower, or the event.
7. Help others in distress.