TheVishnu temple of Badrinathis located 298 kms from Rishikesh and 48 km from Joshimath . This holy town nestles at a height of 3,133 metres, at the site where a forest of Badri (berry) trees, known as the mythical Badrivan, once covered the area.

The original Badrinath shrine, built by the 9th century saint Shankara, has been re-built several times over due to damage from avalanches and snowfall. Made of wood, the temple stands 15 metres high, topped with a gilded cupola. The exteriors are painted in bright colours every year before the temple gates open. Standing in sharp contrast to the grey concrete buildings around it and the stark mountain slopes behind, the temple resembles a Tibetan gompa from a distance. The head priest of Badrinath is also that ofKedarnath, hailing from the Namboodiri Brahmin caste of Kerala in southern India. Below the temple are the Tapt Kund and Surya Kund, hot sulphur springs where pilgrims take a ritual dip before entering the temple. The ancient village ofBadrinathis to the south of the temple.

24 kms from Badrinath is the famous site of Govindghat, the confluence of the Alaknanda with the Lakshmanganga. This is also the entry point for the mystical Valley of Flowers and the Sikh shrine of Hemkund Sahib. The Vasuki Tal at a height of 4,135 metres is 8 kms from Badrinath. Besides the main shrine of Badrinath, there are four other shrines that together form the Panch Badri or five Badris.Bhavishya Badri is believed to be the future Badrinath shrine, which will be used once thepresent shrine site is blocked when the twin peaks of Jay and Vijay join together.

All tourists should be careful of cheats in the form of seers and saints. They usually dupe the tourists with both their money and other belongings. One should always keep an eye out for the frauds, who also exploit the religious and spiritual sentiments of the visitors for immoral motives.