page_title: Badrinath
section_title: Temple
hierarchical_section_title: Badrinath / Temple
caption_attribution_description: English: Sheeshtaal, Badrinath, Uttarakhand (May, 2005)
context_page_description: Badrinath is a holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and gets its name from the temple of Badrinath.
context_section_description: The Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town. According to legend Shankar discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple. The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof. The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist temples. Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carving.
caption: Sheeshtaal (Sheshnaag lake)
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