Badrinath Trekking
¤ The Sacred Trio
This triangular trek through Badrinath, the Valley of Flowers, and
Hemkund Sahib gives its trekkers some of the best trekking tours on
Badrinath Trekking in India, an awesome adventure in itself. The sight
of beautiful and rare flowers, snow-covered mountains and the visit to
the sacred shrines of Hemkund Sahib and Badrinath make this trek an
unforgettable experience.
¤ Badrinath - Valley of Flowers - Hemkund Sahib
7 Day Trek
Altitude: 3096m
(Badrinath),3658 T0 3962m (Valley of Flowers),4150m (Hemkund Sahib)
District:Chamoli
¤ Badrinath
Main Attractions
Badrinath gives an idle trek tour on the mountain ranges of
Badrinath. On your trek tour visit the temple of Shri Badri Vishal
(3096m), one of the four dhams (holy places of the Hindus) of Garhwal
(the other three being Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath), stands at
the base of the mighty greater Himalayan wall that includes the Nar,
Narayana and Neelkanth peaks. The sacred Alaknanda River and the Rishi
Ganga stream merge into one another beside the temple. There is a hot
water spring (Tapt kund) near the temple, and a depression in the
Alaknanda River known as Narad Kund from where the image of Lord
Vishnu (the Preserver in the Hindu Holy Trinity of
Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) was recovered by Adi Guru Shankaracharya
(the great Hindu reformer who tried to revive Hinduism when it was on
the decline during the reign of King Ashoka, a great patron of
Buddhism who was promoting the religion in the land).
Legend has it that Lord Vishnu came to the area to meditate after
Narad (a highly learned doyen) rebuked the Lord for being immersed in
worldly pleasures.
Lord Vishnu sent His consort Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth)
to Naaglok (the celestial Snake God’s land beneath the sea) and
chose this valley, then called Badri Van, or the berry garden, to
meditate. The main image in the temple shows a meditating Lord Vishnu,
seated with both hands on the lap. This posture is similar to that of
the Buddha, and opinions vary on whether the idol in question is that
of Vishnu or the Buddha. As a matter of fact, the Buddha is the 9th
incarnation of Vishnu.
¤ Valley of Flowers
Badrinath trekking adventure will take you to the Valley of Flowers,a
vast concave valley in the Himalayas (3658m to 3962m). A 10km stretch
about 2km wide, the Valley of Flowers is blocked by the massive
Ghoradhungi mountain. The beautiful Pushpawati stream (according to a
legend, the Pandavas, during their visit to the valley, saw flowers
floating in the stream and named it Pushpawati – Pushpa means
flowers in Hindi) that flows through the valley, joins the Laxman
Ganga stream, flowing in from Hemkund Sahib, at Ghangaria (3048m) to
form the Laxman Ganga River. Another legend associates the valley with
Laxman, the younger brother of Lord Rama (the king of Ayodhya in the
epic, Ramayana, and the 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu,
the Preserver in the Hindu Holy Trinity of
Creator-Preserver-Destroyer). Laxman is said to have meditated here,
and the Sanjivani Buti, or the herb that saved Laxman's life when he
was severely wounded by Meghnath (son of Ravana, the king of Lanka),
was found in the valley.
Some of the flowers that are found in the valley are the sacred
brahma kamal, pink geraniums, mauve polemoniums, creamy anemones, the
rosy petalled cypripedium, blue forget-me-nots, white androsace, the
blue borage, large purple asters, purple and dwarf larkspurs, dwarf
irises, green and chequered fritillaries, blue and yellow pansies, the
indigo-coloured nomocharis, dwarf rhododendrons, pink, blue and purple
primulaes, ranunculus, white and red potentillas, the Himalayan blue
poppy (mecanopsis) and many more.
Best Time To Visit
During monsoon from mid-July to mid-August.
¤ Hemkund Sahib
Hemkund Sahib is another magnificent trekking adventure on the
high ridges of Himalayan mountain lying on the Badrinath trek route.
As the name itself suggests – Hem (snow) and Kund (lake), is a
high-altitude lake (4329m) surrounded by seven huge snow-covered
mountains collectively called Hemkund Parvat. Close to the lake is a
Gurudwara (Sikh temple) that is a pilgrimage centre for Sikhs and
Hindus from all over the world.
It is said that Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji (the Tenth Guru of the
Sikhs and the founder of the Khalsa Panth) meditated on the very banks
of this lake where a number of sages and religious teachers from the
Hindu mythology, including Rishi Medhasa of the Markandeya Purana, and
King Pandu (the father of the five Pandavas), performed penance.
Besides the Gurudwara, you can also see a temple here. The lake is the
source of the Laxman Ganga (Hem Ganga) stream that merges with the
Pushpawati stream flowing from the Valley of Flowers, at Ghangaria.
From this point on, the river is called Laxman Ganga.
¤ Itinerary
DAY 1: Drive 256km from Rishikesh to Joshimath(1890m). Lunch en
route. Dinner and overnight stay at the GMVN rest house. There are a
number of hotels as well in town.
DAY 2: Breakfast and drive 22km, with packed lunch, to Govindghat
(1828m) and trek 14km to Ghangaria (3048m) via Bhyunder along the
Laxman Ganga through an enchanting route. Ghangaria is a beautiful
place located at the confluence of the Pushpawati and Laxman Ganga
streams. Dinner and overnight stay at the GMVN rest house or tent.
DAY 3: Breakfast and trek 5km, with packed lunch, along a gradual
ascent to the Valley of Flowers. Trek back to Ghangaria the same day.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ghangaria.
DAY 4: Breakfast and trek 6km, with packed lunch, along a steep
ascent to Hemkund Sahib. Trek back the same day to Ghangaria. Dinner
and overnight stay at Ghangaria.
DAY 5 & 6: Breakfast and trek back 14km with packed lunch to
Govindghat and drive 22km to Badrinath. Dinner and stay at the GMVN
rest house in Badrinath.
DAY 7: Breakfast and drive 300km to Rishikesh. It is roughly a
ten-hour drive. Lunch en route.
Best Time for Treks: April to June, and September to October. |
