Badrinath

Badrinath (10,350 ft.) is in a wide valley at the headwaters of the Alakananda River, the largest tributary of the Ganges, and sits at the base of one of the passes leading from India to Tibet.  Badrinath's presiding deity is a form of the god Vishnu, This picture (from 2005) shows the temple gateway; the towers of the temples inside are just visible at left and at center.   

The Badrinath temple is easily the richest temple in the hills; to see how that affects development patterns, see the section on Tourism and Himalayan Pilgrimage.

 

Here's closer shot of the temple's wooden gateway, which is elaborately carved and painted.  It is generally accepted that the temple was originally a Buddhist site, and local people have told me that in earlier times Tibetans would come over the Mana pass each fall for the temple closing, and would bring a woolen robe to drape around the image. 

Note too how different the colors are in this picture of the gateway than in the one above.  This picture was taken in 1989, and the color scheme has obviously changed a little bit in the intervening years. 

 
Here's a line of people waiting patiently to get into the temple to view the image of Badrinath.  The town gets half a million visitors every season, many of whom stay only one night.  Given the difficulty in getting there (and the likelihood that they will never come back) such fervor is not surprising. 


As at all other Hindu pilgrimage sites, Badrinath has a group of hereditary pilgrimage priests called pandas, who help their clients with any rituals they desire, but also act as local guides and resources.   Before there were hotels, they would also feed and board their clients in a family-type relationship.

As sites have developed and pilgrims have had greater options, this bond has loosened and pandas have suffered economically.  In places like Badrinath another handicap is the short earning season (only 3 months, because traffic halts during the monsoon). 

Here the pandas are supervising the Lakshmi-Narayan puja (worship of Vishnu and Lakshmi as married divine couple), which is one of the common rites at Badrinath. 

(2005)


 

Badrinath's pilgrim traffic supports a well-stocked and flourishing marketplace, in which people can get just about everything they want or need.  Not surprisingly, many stores sell things for worship and rituals, such as the coconuts, bags of puffed rice, and puja trays prepared and arranged for immediate sale on this stand at the center..  There are also all sorts of consumer goods, from the inexpensive (such as the bead necklaces at right) to jewelry and precious stones. 

Enough money circulates through Badrinath to expand the width of the marketplace above the most-level goods to include luxury items as well.

 

Aside from its temple, Badrinath is also the summer seat for one of the Shankaracharyas.  According to tradition, the philosopher Shankaracharya set up a monastic center in each corner of India--at Puri, Dvaraka, Shringeri, and Joshimath (where the image of Badrinath spends the winter).   This building has the Shankaracarya's office on the second floor, and a restaurant (serving Indian, continental, and Chinese) on the ground floor--obviously taking advantage of its location to earn a bit more.

 

More Photos of Badrinath

 

Hinduism Picture Index

Jim Lochtefeld's Main Page

Carthage Home Page

 

 

These pages are in progress.
Page maintained by James G. Lochtefeld.
Last modified 28 January 2006