Wander through India : Uttarakhand : An Ode to Himalaya and Spirituality ( towards Badri dhaam)

Day XII : Joshimath – Badrinath

82. The next day morning after visiting the Math again we left for Badrinath and also had a mendicant as passenger who wanted to reach Badrinath, The first stop was Vishnu prayag which is the confluence of Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers. After spending some time here we proceeded ahead. The route consisted of Vishnuprayag followed by historical places like Pandukeswara, Hanuman Chatti and then finally Badrinath.

83. This entire stretch had also faced the devastation of the 2013 disaster and had not recovered since then. The entire route gives one a feeling of instability and the road has been at various places kept open with the help of JCBs and other heavy earth moving equipments. The scenic beauty is worth describing as one goes right into the heart of the mountains as the road snakes its way deeper and deeper. Hanuman Chatti was reached by 1400 hrs and thereafter we reached Badrinath at 1500 hrs.

84. Our stay was booked at GMVN, Badrinath however we did not like the look of the property and shifted to Hotel Shankar Shree which was more welcoming. In the afternoon we went up till Mana Village which is the last village this side of the border and visited the various historical sites out there. In the evening we went to the Badrinath temple and spend some quality time out there.

85. As the night approached the temperature fell substantially and after a hot simple dinner we hit the bed as we wanted to get up early to witness the natural beauty of the place and also take part in the morning aarti at the temple.