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Tracing a pilgrim’s trail

Shishir Prashant

The yatra season in Uttaranchal has just started and pilgrims are coming from every nook and corner to pay their obeisance to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines perched on the lofty peaks of the Himalayas. The portals of all the four shrines were opened in the first week of May.

Lying in the north of the vast and bountiful expanse of India and cradled in the awesome beauty and the calm serenity of the stately Himalayas, Badrinath is the only temple which is considered as one of the chardhams established by Adi Shankracharya in the eighth century.

Other chardham shrines are: Puri in the east, Dwarika in the west and Rameshwaram in the south.

Nevertheless, visiting Badrinath is in itself an enchanting experience. There is a motorable road going from Haridwar right upto Badrinath.

The pilgrimage begins at Haridwar – the gateway to the Himalayan shrines. The vibrant ghats of Haridwar especially Har-ki-Pauri remains the main attraction here. The hilly terrain starts from Rishikesh. For Badrinath, one can take a night’s rest at Joshimath, the wintry sojourn of Lord Vishnu also known as Lord Badri before proceeding toward Badrinath. An important pilgrim centre, Joshimath or Jyotirmath is known for its magnificent scenery and bracing climate.

Adiguru Shankracharya got enlightenment here in a cave. Atop the cave is the Kalpavriksha, a Mulberry tree that is said to be 2400 years old. Under the tree, Adi Shankracharya did penance for years together and supposedly attainted enlightenment.

The priest of a small temple built under Kalpvariksha says the Akhand Jyoti was lit by Adiguru and claims it is still burning continuously since then.

Ashrams of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati and Swami Vasudevanand, the two warring Shankaracharyas of Badrinath peeth are also situated near Adiguru’s cave.

Among the many temples of Joshimath, the most famous are Narsingh and Durga temples. Lord Badri is worshiped in the temple during the winter months when Badrinath shrine is closed.

From Joshimath, the journey gets bumpy thanks to rampant landslides at Hanumanchatti and Lambagar areas on the way to Badrinath. A stretch of 30 km upto Badrinath might consume nearly two hours. One must take extra care while passing through this route.

On this stretch of the highway lies Govindghat from where one can go to the Valley of Flowers – a world heritage site.

As one reaches Badrinath, the breathtaking Neelkanth peak peeps out from the majestic mountains providing an excellent backdrop to the area.

On the right bank of river Alkananda lies the sacred shrine perched at an altitude of 3133 meters guarded on either side by two mountain peaks – Nar and Narayan.

Ever since it was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the eighth century, it is widely believed that the temple has been renovated several times due to damages by blizzards and cloudbursts. Late in the 19th century, royal houses of Scindia and Holkar restored the temple to its original beauty.

The epic Mahabharata was also believed to have been composed by sage Vyas and Lord Ganesh at the nearby Mana, which is also the last Indian village in the north. The inhabitants of this village belong to Marchha tribe who are closely associated with the temple.

The day when Badrinath shrine is closed for winters, unmarried girls of Mana observe a day’s fast and weave a blanket and extract desi ghee from butter.

There are several religious customs and rituals associated with the temple. During the closing ceremony, the Rawal (chief priest) apply ghee on the idol of Lord Vishnu and wraps it with a blanket woven by unmarried girls of Mana.

During the summers when the portals are reopened, the Rawal takes off the blanket and distribute its fibers among the devotees as Mahaprasadam. That is why few hours on the opening day the devotees get a chance to see the idol without any shringar.

So holy is the shrine that it forms one of the four prominent places of Hindu worship. This revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name Badrivan, meaning forest of berries.

Also known as Vishal Badri, it is believed that with the spread of Buddhism, Buddhists enshrined the statute of Lord Buddha at Badrinath. During the Hindu renaissance, the statue of Lord Buddha was thrown in the Naradkund.

And when Adi Shankracharya arrived at Badrinath, he restored the statue back to the temple. This also explains the deity sitting in Padmasan posture typical of Lord Buddha icons. According to Hindu mythology, Buddha is also considered to be ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.