Amazon Quiz (October 12): This visual depicts which site of pilgrimage?
Amarnath
Kedarnath
Badrinath
Vaishno Devi
Answer: Badrinath
In the Indian state of Uttarakhand‘s Chamoli district is the town and nagar panchayat of Badrinath. It is one of the four Hindu holy places in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage and a stop on the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage route. The Badrinath Temple is where it derives its name.
The term Badrayana refers to Rishi Ved Vyas, who is thought to have lived in this area and went by the name Badrayana. It also goes by the name Badarikashrama.
Adi Shankara restored Badrinath as a significant destination for pilgrims in the eighth century. Hundreds of kilometres were once walked by pilgrims to get to the Badrinath shrine.
Avalanches and earthquakes have frequently devastated the temple. The town’s only buildings up to the First World War were the 20 or so huts occupied by the temple’s personnel, but it attracted thousands of visitors every year, with up to 50,000 attending its duodecennial festivities (every twelve years).
With an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season, compared to 90,676 in 1961, its popularity has grown even more in recent years. For Vaishnavites, the temple in Badrinath is a holy destination for pilgrimage. Numerous mountaineering trips to mountains like Nilkantha depart from Badrinath as well.
The average elevation in Badrinath is 3,100 metres. On the banks of the Alaknanda River, in the Garhwal Himalayas. 9 kilometres to the east of Nilkantha peak, the town is situated between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges.
Badrinath is situated 301 kilometres north of Rishikesh and 62 kilometres from the Nanda Devi mountain. By road, it takes 233 miles to get from Gaurikund (near Kedarnath) to Badrinath.
