| Char Dham Yatra – Badrinath Darshan, Day 64 |


Badrinath Darshan

Badrinath temple is built on a ground level higher than that at which river Alaknanda flows. The temple entrance faces the river. There are three main portions in the temple – the Sanctum Sanctorum, the Darshan pavilion and the Assembly hall. The temple facing is made of stone and the windows are arched in shape. A flight of broad steps lead up to the temple main entrance and it is called the “Simh Dwar” – “Lion gateway”. The entrance is long and arch-shaped that has 3 golden pinnacle domes on its head, and a huge temple bell suspended from its centre point. The pavilion located just after the entrance is a large hall with pillars, leading to the Sanctum Sanctorum or main temple area. The walls & pillars in the hall have been embellished with very intricate carvings. Seated in this hall, all the devout offer their special worship, prayers & Aarti. The assembly hall is where the head priest, deputy priests and the vedic reciters also have their respective seats. The roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum is coniferous in shape and form.

There is an idol of Lord Badrinarayan in the Sanctum Sanctorum sculpted in Saligram stone, that has been placed under a jujube berry tree, on a golden throne. This idol of Lord Badrinath is considered by many of the Hindus as one of the 8 self-manifested idols of Lord Vishnu. The Lord is depicted here with four hands; two of them raised up, with a conch in one and a Chakra – the Divine wheel / discus in the other. The other two hands are shown resting in the Lord’s lap in the Yoga Mudra (Padmasan) posture. A diamond adorns the forehead of the Lord’s idol which Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Himself had manifested and placed there. The Sanctum Sanctorum also has idols of Lord Kubera, Devarishi Narada, Uddhava & Nar Narayan. There are fifteen other idols too all around the temple, that are worshipped here. Devi Lakshmi, Garuda and Nava Durga – nine forms of Devi Durga are included in these. Apart from these are the idols of Lakshmi-Narsimh, Saint Adi Shankaracharya, Nar Narayan, Vedanta Deshik, Ramanujacharya and a local deity of Pandukeshwar region – Ghantakarn too, in the temple premises outside the Sanctum Sanctorum. All the idols in Badrinath temple are sculpted in Saligram stone.

(To be continued …)