The
temple of Bhavishya Badri is at an elevation of 2744 m
and is surrounded by dense forests. Located at Subain
near Tapovan about 17 km east of Joshimath on Joshimath
- Lata - Malari route, pilgrims have to trek beyond Tapovan,
up the Dhauliganga River. Tapovan has sulphurous hot springs
and the view of the Tapovan towards the north is simply
breathtaking.
It is believed that when Kaliyug comes
the mountains Jay & Vijay at Patmila near Vishnuprayag
will collapse, so making the present shrine of Badrinath
inaccessible and Lord Badrinath will be worshipped here.
Thus the name Bhavishya Badri which literally means the
Badri of the future. Bhavishya Badri is popular even now,
enshrined here is a lion headed image of Narsingh.
Getting there: Jolly Grant at Dehradun
is the nearest airport. 280 km away Rishikesh is the railhead.
Bhavishya Badri is connected by a motorable road upto
Sandhar (274 km from Rishikesh) and 19 km from Joshimath.
From saldhar it is 6 km trek up to the shrine.
The accomodation is available at Joshimath
and Tapovan.
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The
temple of Yog Dhyan Badri, one of the five Badris, is
located at Pandukeshwar, just 24 km short of Badrinath
on Rishikesh-Badrinath highway. Located at an altitude
of 1920 m named after the Pandava's king, the sanctum
has an image of the lord in a meditative (yogdhyan)
posture. The region surroundings the temple was known
as Panchaldesh. It is the place where Pandu believed
to have married Kunti. According to the myth, the Pandavas,
victorious after their battle against Kauravas, but
emotionally scarred, came to Himalayas for penance and
before seeking out the highway to heaven, handed over
their capital Hastinapur to king Parikshit.
Going there:
Jolly Grant at Dehradun is the nearest airport 274-km
away Rishikesh is the railhead. Yogdhayn Badri is 24
km short of Badrinath on a motorable road from Rishikesh.
Regular Buses and Taxis ply on this route.
4km away,
Govindghat, as private hotels as well as a Gurudwara
where pilgrims can stay over night.
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The
temple of the Bridha (old) Badri is located at Animath,
7 km from Joshimath in the direction of Pipalkoti.
Before
Badrinath was designated one of the four dhams, the
idol of Badrinath was worshipped here. It is said that
when mankind entered the age of Kaliyug, Vishnu chose
to remove himself from the temple. Interestingly, the
image was found by Adi Guru Shankaracharya at Narad
Kund, and restored, though part of it remains damaged.
The climb to the temple is through cultivated land and
past Malta Groves. A very huge Bayan tree shelters the
temple. Legend has it that the god, Vishnu disguised
as Bridh (old) person played with Ganeshji during period
of his childhood.
Getting
there: Jolly Grant at Dehradun is the nearest airport.
247 km away Rishikesh is the railhead. Animath 7 km
short of Joshimath, is accessible by motorable road
from Rishikesh on Badrinath route.
Joshimath
7 km is the centre with the private hotels and Govt.
accommodation.
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Another
pilgrimage centre of importance is this group of 16
temples almost 16 km from Karnaprayag on the Chaukhutia-Ranikhet
road. The main temple is dedicated to Narayan and has
raised platform in the pyramidal form where the idol
is enshrined. Sculpted out of black stone, the idol
of Lord Vishnu is a metre high. It is believed that
these temples,dating back to the Gupta period, were
sanctioned by Adi Shankaracharaya. This place is situated
quite far from the cluster of other four which form
the Vishnu-Kshetra.
Getting
there: Jolly Grant at Dehradun is the nearest airport
192-km away Rishikesh is the railhead. Adi Badri si
approachable from Karnaprayag, 16 km, which in turn
is connected by a motorable route with Ranikhet, Nainital,
Ramnagar also.
TRH, Temple
committee guest house, private hotel and dharamshala
are available at Karnaprayag.
