Badrinath temple shows devotees the way to moksham

One of the most important destinations is Badrinath. Every year, the Badrinath temple is closed on Deepavali, and is reopened on Akshaya Thrithiya day, attracting thousands of devotees to this holy town in Uttarakhand. Summer months are considered the best months to have darshan at Badrinath. 

Before arriving in Badri, it is advisable to visit Haridwar, bathe in the Ganges to get rid of one’s sins, and proceed to Badri, located 325 km from Haridwar. One can travel by road from Delhi to Haridwar, or take a flight to Haridwar. The evening Ganga arti is a must-see ritual for all devotees. 

The next point is Kadi Nagar or Deva Prayaga, which is 30-km away from Hrishikesh. The presiding deity is Neelamega Perumal and Pundarigavalli Thayar. The highlight of this temple is that it is at the confluence  of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. From Kadi Nagar, one should undertake the pilgrimage to Joshimath, also known as Nanda Prayag and Tirupirthi, which is 245 km from Hrishikesh. It is a day-long travel from Haridwar and travel after sunset is not permitted here, due to the challenging terrain. After praying to the presiding deities, Paramapurushan and Parimalavalli Thayar here, one can plan the journey to Badrinath the next morning. The presiding deity in Badrinath is Badri Nayarayanan and the temple is famous for the jujube ( elantha pazham ) tree. It is said that Goddess Mahalakshmi herself took shape as a jujube tree in order to extend shade to the Lord, as He took form as Saligram (black stone) image. There are only seven other divine destinations, where Lord Vishnu appeared as the presiding deity in Saligram image. These are Srirangam, Srimushnam, Tirupati, Vanamamalai in Tamil Nadu, Saligram, Pushkar and Naimisaranyam. 

Of all the eight kshetrams where God’s form appeared by itself, Badri is considered the holiest. It is here that Vishnu shared the Ashatkshara mantra ( Om Nano Narayanaya ). Vishnu appeared in the twin form of Nara and Narayana and arrived here, after an asura, born with protective armour numbering 1,000, was granted a boon of immortality, unless two brothers engaged with him simultaneously on two parametres: One had to continuously engage in a fight with him for a 1,000 years, while the other brother undertook penance for the same period. The combat took place in Badri and Nara Narayana defeated the asura Sahasrakavacha. Mahalakshmi appeared as a jujube tree to extend shade to her Lord doing tapas. 

The event culminated in the birth of Kali Yugam. Nara and Narayana decide to stay on in order to establish dharma and show devotees the path to moksham. Badrinath is therefore a hallowed ground. If devotees conduct srard ham and pinda pradhanam to their ancestors, they will protect 14 generations of one’s family. However, before doing that in Badri, one has to perform sradham and pinda pradhanam at Gaya in Bihar, first.