Exploring Joshimath in Uttarakhand - The Winter Home of Lord Badri Vishal

Day 5 : Neelkanth Peak - Hanuman Chatti Temple - EXPLORING JOSHIMATH - Enroute to Rishikesh - Rishikesh Dayananda Ashram - Haridwar - Char Dham Trip Concludes Finally....

44 km south of Badrinath is situated the town of Joshimath, the winter home of  Lord BadriVishal, where we made a brief stop on our way down towards Rishikesh to pay obeisance in some of the temples the place is known for.

Jyotirmath

A short climb up from the parking lot is Jyotirmath; the seat of learning, a monastery and theological college that Adi Shankaracharya (the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy) had established many centuries ago. It’s after ‘Jyotirmath’ that the place eventually got its present name ‘Joshimath’.

The Laxmi Narayan Temple in Jyotirmath

A flight of stairs ahead of Jyotirmath
lead you to the other temples in Joshimath...

Jyoteshwar Mahadeo Temple and Amar Kalpvriksha

A few steps up from the Jyotirmath, is the ancient tree Amar Kalpavriksha and Adi Shankaracharya’s Tapasthali Sphatik Shivling Gufa also known as the Jyoteshwar Mahadeo Temple. At the tender age of 11, Adi Shankaracharya had come to Badrikaranya (Badrinath jungle) for performing penance. After performing penance for 5 years, he saw the light (vision) under a tree which is today known as ‘Amar Kalpavriksha’.

Amar Kalpavriksha - An evergreen mulberry tree

The tree is believed to have survived more than 2500 years,
quite evident from its texture too

Prayer offerings by devotees and deities at the base of the tree

There is a cave near the tree where it’s believed that Adi Shankaracharya used to catch up on some rest. Inside the cave, there is a crystal (sphatik) Shivlingam brought by Adi Shankaracharya himself from Kailash.

The Jyoteshwar Mahadeo Temple

Inside the cave - The sphatik Shivling and other deities

Around the same time while he was absorbed in penance, the Badrinath temple was destroyed and the Badrinarayan idol was thrown in the Narad kund. Adi Shankaracharya not only repaired the damaged temple and restored the idol in the temple but also went on to establish the first of the four maths – Jyotirmath (described above) also known as Joshimath.

Climbing further up, one comes across the Purnagiri Mata temple and Syambhu Sankatmochan Hanuman Temple dedicated to Goddess Durga and the devotee of Lord Rama, Lord Hanuman respectively.

The Purnagiri Mata Temple

Apart from these well known temples, there was one more temple - the Bhavishya Kedar Temple, which we came across while making our way back towards the parking area. Though the Bhavishya Badri temple is quite well heard of (described below) but not much information is available on the Bhavishya Kedar.

Bhavishya Kedar dedicated to Lord Shiva..

Goddess Gauri, His consort is visble in the image

Other Temples to visit in and around Joshimath

Narsimha Temple, The Winter Home of Lord BadriVishal

About 15 km from Joshimath, is the the Narsimha Temple, the winter home of Lord BadriVishal, where devotees throng to worship the Lord when the Badrinath Temple is closed in winter. The temple is about 1200 years old. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the presiding deity of the temple is Narsimha, the half-man-half-lion fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The Narsimha temple also has a very fascinating tale to share. The left wrist of black stoned idol of Lord Vishnu’s lion-man avatar is said to be getting thinner with each passing day. It is believed that a day will come when this wrist will fall off and the Nar-Narayan mountains ahead of Vishnu Prayag will fuse together blocking the way to Badrinath forever. From that day onwards, the Lord will have a new home at Bhavishya Badri. One has to trek beyond Tapovan up the Dhauliganga River to reach this holy spot.

Vasudev Temple

Another sacred shrine in Joshimath is the ancient Vasudev temple, which the Vaishanavas consider as one among the 108 divya desams, the most sacred Vishnu shrines. It is also noted for housing an idol of a dancing Ganesha, one of only two such idols venerated in any temple in the country.

Auli (also known as ‘Bugyal' in the local language which means meadow)

Gorgeous Mountain views and Skiing treks at Auli

(image courtesy Google Picasa images and panoramio.com)

Auli is popular for adventure sports like skiing and paragliding affording impressive picturesque panoramas of the massive Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet, Mana Parvat and Dunagiri. Auli is the end point of the Asia’s highest and longest trolley which originates from Joshimath. Auli is a perfect destination for skiers in winters (Dec-Feb) as one can enjoy the heavy snowfall that the region recieves during this period. Auli is a 13 km drive from Joshimath or one can also trek for a distance of 5 km to reach there. Another exciting option is the 4 km long ropeway connecting the two towns.

Previous posts from this trip -

1. Char Dham Yatra

2. Planning the Char Dham Trip
3. Introduction to Uttarakhand and Char Dhams

4. ISKCON Temple, Delhi
5. Entire DAY 1 of the Yatra (includes The journey finally begins... Haridwar to Uttarkashi)

6. Entire DAY 2 of the Yatra (includes Enroute to Gangotri - Gangnani, Enchanting Mother Ganga... Our First Dham - Gangotri, Places to visit in and around Gangotri, Bhaironghati, Harsil, Pilot Baba Ashram in Bhatwari, Temples of Uttarkashi)
7. Entire Day 3 of the Yatra (includes Uttarkashi to Birahi (Chowrangikhal), Uttarkashi to Birahi (Kemundakhal))

8. Entire Day 4 of the Yatra (includes Birahi-Badrinath:Joshimath Gate System, Badrinath introduction - Where to stay, Eat, Alaknanda River and Brahma Kapal Ghat, Tapt Kund and the Panch shilas, The Badrinath Temple, Exploring the last Indian Village in Uttarakhand - Mana Village,  Places to visit in Mana Village, Diwali Celebrations in the Badrinath Temple)
9. Entire Day 5 of the Yatra (includes Neelkanth Peak, Hanuman Chatti Temple)