Day 4 : Badrinath - ALAKNANDA RIVER AND BRAHMA KAPAL GHAT - Tapt Kund and Panch Shilas - Badrinath Temple - Mana Village (Here and There) - Mana Village (Places to visit)  - Diwali celebrations in the Badrinath Temple

10000 FEET… I never did understand this dimension until I reached the Mountain of the Gods - BADRINATH! Standing at 3133 mtrs that’s 10270 ft above sea level, this was the highest point in our Char Dham trip after Gangotri (which stands at a slightly lower level)… My cell phone’s network signal had dwarfed to a blank hours ago, hours back and everything seemed a million miles away...it felt like being on top of the world, literally!

It was 10 am and the sun was already out but with winters having set up here, icy winds blowing across were hitting us like a big cold wave. We were on our way to the Tapt kund – the natural hot thermal spring at Badrinath – to take our bath for the day. The way to the kund, a 5 min walk from the GMVN guest House Hotel Devlok, is a very scenic one and passes through a narrow lane. On one side of the way stand shops brimming with colorful trinkets and temple ware, pictures of Gods and Goddesses, charming amulets all of which are tantalizing enough for the believer to sense the presence of the Gods.

Shops selling trikets and temple ware on the way to the Badrinath temple
Shops selling trinkets and temple ware on the way to the temple

On the other side, at a slightly lower level, flows the Alaknanda River across which stands the majestic Badrinath Temple. The Alaknanda Bridge, the connect between the holy town and the temple, only adds a different dimension to the overall beauty!

Alaknanda bridge connecting the Badrinath town and the Badrinath Temple
The Alaknanda Bridge on the far left,
The Badrinath Temple can be spotted somewhere towards the upper-centre,
And the Alaknanda River flows below

A pool of magnificent aqua blue cradled by a string of rugged, cold mountains surrounded by exquisite natural beauty… The view that I had while standing on the bridge was…… it felt like someone having torn a page out of my junior art book and pasted it at 10000 ft! And I was feeling so fortunate, so very blessed to be actually feeling and breathing it all!

Alaknanda river and the mountains- view from the bridge in Badrinath

The smell of purity wafting through the cool crisp mountain airs... the Alaknanda waters crashing in against the rocks having its own exceptional force,

The Alaknanda waters at the Badrinath Tirtha
"Uddhava, Take my order and go to my ashram called Badrika, purify yourself by touching and also bathing in the holy waters there, which have emanated from My Lotus Feet, rid yourself of all sinful thoughts with the sight of this sacred Alaknanda river" - 
Lord Krishna

the rugged mountain peaks standing guard to the temple…


And the home of the Lord, The Badrinath Temple, cuddled up carefully in the grooves, placed at a slightly higher level but still very much within the common man’s reach…


...Every feature here was so delicately crafted, in such detail… this was an amazing view of nature’s own canvas and this heavenly sight for one long moment just took my breath away! However, my reflections of the spectacular marvels of the moment were quickly interrupted by the continuous chatter of pilgrims all around. The bridge was lined with beggars who, on the occasion of Diwali, were enjoying their day in the sun.

Charity to the poor and needy in Badrinath
Charity - Anna Daan in Badrinath
Charity being done on the big day of Diwali festival in Badrinath

Charity (daan) done especially on the auspicious Diwali occasion as well as otherwise at this holy place is said to give a lot of returns in the form of prosperity and goodwill. Hence, there were many pilgrims who could be seen donating money, eateries, woolies and other items to the poor.

From the bridge, one can see the Brahma Kapal Ghat, a flat platform on the river bank where pilgrims worship their ancestors by performing certain rites and rituals like pinddaan, shraddha, etc.

Brahma Kapal Ghat with the Brahma Kapal temple in red
Brahma Kapal Temple in red meaning Brahma’s forehead which had supposedly fallen here after an argument with Lord Shiva

From this elevated vantage point, I could also see the Tapt Kund and how the pilgrim crowd was swelling up there with every passing minute. Just reminded me to close my camera and speed up!