A recess in the river, near Tapt Kund, forming a pool from where the Badrinath idol was recovered.

It is sheltered by a projecting rock which breaks the force of the river and allows people to bathe in it. Adi Shankaracharya knew this by his great powers and retrieved the idol from this pool. He is the one who has laid down the rules by which the Lord is to be worshipped. He decreed that the Rawal or chief priest of the temple should come from the state of Kerala, far down south. He also decreed that the chief priest of the temple of Rameswaram in the south, should be from the state of Garhwal. Thus he ensured that there was a good interchange between the north and south of this holy land. This tradition is followed to this day and the Rawal of Badrinath is always a Namboodiri Brahmin from Kerala, the land of Adi Shankara’s birth.

The best time to visit Badrinath is between May-June and September-November. Due to heavy rainfall in the area, visitors may face difficulty reaching the temple during monsoon season (late June to Aug). Tthe temple usually remains open from first week of May to 2nd week of November.

Badrinath By Air

Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun is the nearest airport to Badrinath. It is domestic airport 317 km away from Badrinath and a Cab will charge about Rs 3000-4000 for travel from Dehradun to Badrinath. Nearest International airport is New Delhi, which is well connected to most of the major foreign cities.

Badrinath By Train

Rishikesh (nearly 300 km), Haridwar (nearly 310 km) and Kotdwar (nearly 330 km) are the nearest railway stations. These railway stations are well connected to other cities in India.