Best Tourist place in Badarinath
1 Mana Village –
Mana village is one of the best attractions near Badrinath and is also known as the last Indian village which is situated on the Tibeto-Chinese border.
Situated at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level on the banks of the Saraswati River, it is known for its grandeur surrounded by the wonderful Himalayan mountain ranges.
Best Tourist Place in Srisailam
Mana village is inhabited by Indo-Mongolian tribes known as Bhotia. The village has about 180 houses and a population of about 600.
The people of the village are culturally associated with the activities of the Badrinath Temple and the annual fair of Math Murti.
They perform an annual traditional ceremony by offering choli to the deity on the closing day of the temple.
When Badrinath temple reopens in April/May, they come and stay here for 6 months to keep alive the culture and traditions of their tribe.
For the rest of the year, he lives in Chamoli. Mana village, 3 km from Badrinath is an interesting place where you can see tiny houses and handicraft shops as you drive up the hills.
2 Pandukeshwar –
Situated at an altitude of 6000 feet, Pandukeshwar is a holy pilgrimage site for Hindus.
It is believed that this is the place where King Pandu, the father of the five Pandavas, prayed to Lord Shiva.
The Vasudev temple at Pandukeshwar is said to have been built by the Pandavas.
The mesmerizing magnificence of the region attracts nature lovers from far and wide.
Pandukeshwar is a holy place situated at an altitude of 1829 meters on the way to Badrinath temple.
Pandukeshwar has two popular temples: the Yoga Dhyan Badri Temple, one of the seven Badris, and the other is the Lord Vasudeva Temple.
Yoga Dhyana Badri Temple is home to the festival-idol in winter when the Badrinath Temple is closed.
3 Vasudhara Falls –
Vasudhara Falls is surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. The water of this spring flows down from a height of 400 feet and is situated at an altitude of 12,000 feet.
The falls are considered to be a haunted site. There is a myth behind this waterfall that the water of Vasudhara Falls gets away from the tourists who are not of a pure heart. From afar, the autumn water looks like milk flowing down a mountain.
This waterfall looks stunning during the post-monsoon season with lush greenery and beautiful mountains all around.
March to June is the ideal time to visit this waterfall. It is believed that the season of Badrinath starts in April/May, so the best season to visit this place is between May and June.
To reach this waterfall, tourists have to cover a distance of 6 km from Mana village.
The trek from Mana to Vasudhara takes about two hours. It is comparatively easy to walk the first 2-3 km.
But, after passing through the Saraswati temple, the trek becomes very difficult as the path becomes very difficult. The views of the Vasudhara river valley during this trek are very picturesque.
Taking a bath under the falling water is very refreshing and thrilling. Mountains like Chaukhamba, Neelkanth, and Balkun can be seen from here.
4 Vishnuprayag –
Vishnuprayag, located 32 km from Badrinath, is one of the Panch Prayag of the Alaknanda River and is situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda River and the Dhauliganga River in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
The Alaknanda River, which originates from the eastern slopes of the glacier regions of Chaukhamba, joins the Saraswati River near Mana and then flows in front of the Badrinath Temple.
After this, it joins the Dhauli Ganga river, which originates from the Niti Pass and forms Vishnuprayag.
This stretch of river Alaknanda is called Vishnu Ganga. Vishnuprayag is the first of the Panch Prayag, the other four are Nandprayag, Karnprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag.
Situated at an altitude of 1,372 meters, Vishnuprayag is named after Lord Vishnu who appeared to the sage Narada at this place.
A Vishnu temple is situated near the Sangam which dates back to the 19th century and is attributed to the Maharani of Indore – Ahilyabai.
From this temple, a staircase leads to the Sangam Sthal. Most of the pilgrims take a dip in the nearby Vishnu Kund before entering the temple.
Due to the strong current in Vishnuprayag, it is forbidden to take a dip in the Sangam.
5 Joshimath –
Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, at a distance of 42 km from Badrinath, is a town and a municipal board in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
It is situated at an altitude of 6150 feet in the snow-capped Himalayan ranges just above the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda mountains. It is also the gateway to many Himalayan expeditions, trekking trails, camping, and pilgrimage centers.
Joshimath is one of the four mathas established by Adi Guru Sri Shankaracharya in the eighth century.
Joshimath is an important pilgrimage center with many temples and religious places. Narasimha Temple and Bhavishya Badri Temple are the major temples located in Joshimath.
Narasimha Temple is an ancient temple of Lord Vishnu and the main temple of Joshimath. It houses the idol of Lord Narasimha, which is believed to have been founded by Shankaracharya.
According to local belief, the right hand of this idol has become as thin as a hair.
When it breaks, the Jai-Vijay mountains will join and become one and Lord Badrinath will disappear from the present temple and reappear as black stone at a new place called Bhavishya Badri, located 10 km from Joshimath.
When the Badrinath temple is closed during winters every year, an idol of Lord Badri is brought to the Narasimha temple and worshiped for six months.
Joshimath is also home to the oldest tree in India, the Kalpavriksha, which is about 1200 years old.
