The road to Badrinath, Temple in the Himalayas
June 27, 2012 • Photography & Travel
Since I posted a few days ago about Mana, the last Indian village before Tibet, I thought I’d share a little about the journey to Badrinath.
Badrinath is the little town just prior to Mana village. It is famed for the Badrinath temple, one of four holy sites in the Hindu Char Dham pilgrimage. All four sites are located deep in the Himalayas and accessible only in the summer months, and of these four Badrinath is considered to be the most important one. Badrinath is at an elevation of about 3,415 meters (11,204 feet) and is located on the banks of the Alaknanda river. The beautiful Neelkanth peak is right next to the town towering at 6,560 meters.
The temple is dedicated to Vishnu and is sacred to the followers of the Vaishnavite sect of Hindus.
Badrinath is located about 233kms north of Rishikesh and it is a good two day drive from Delhi if you are driving about 8 to 10 hours a day depending on road conditions. As you get closer to Badrinath the road gets worse to the point it is just a gravel road with no railing carved out of a side of mountain with frequent falling rocks. Yup, it is as scary as it sounds. Despite this thousands make the trek up here each year in the summer to worship at this sacred temple.
Lower in the mountains the roads are better but they wind endlessly to Badrinath
Local villages using a paved section of the road. Most parts aren't paved and many vehicles have been swept of the road by falling boulders as well.
A Sadhu (monk) making his way to Badrinath.
Vehicles snake their way around the Himalayas...
The scenary is simply breathtaking the higher you get
Badrinath Temple, one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites
View of the Himalayas at sunset from Mana village, north of Badrinath
Stars shower over Neelakant, towering at 6596m (21,640 feet), as strong winds blow snow of the top in this long-exposure photo.
Neelkanth in the morning, hidden behind clouds.
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