Overview
Badrinath is a holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and gets its name from the temple of Badrinath.
The temple has been repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes and avalanches. As late as the First World War, the town consisted only of the 20-odd huts used by the temple's staff, but the site drew thousands each year and up to 50,000 on its duodecennial festivals.[4] In recent years its popularity has increased still more, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season,[5] compared to 90,676 in 1961.[6] The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites. Badrinath is also gateway to several mountaineering expeditions headed to mountains like Nilkantha.
Pandukeshwar:
Pandukeshwar is a sacred place located in-route to abode ofLord Vishnu 'Badrinath' at an elevation of 1829 mtrs. At a distance of 18 km from Joshimath, Pandukeshwar, as per believe is the place where King Pandu, father of great Pandavas of Mahabharat epic, worshipped Lord Shiva.
There are two famous temples in Pandukeshwar. Yogadhyan Badri Temple, one of 'Sapta Badri' or seven Badri's and other is Lord Vasudev Temple. Yogadhyan Badri Temple is the abode of Utsava-murti (festival-image) in winters when Badrinath is closed. Lord Vasudev Temple was believed to be built by Pandavas.
