Temples in Hemkund — Famous Temples & Complete Darshan Guide

Sri Badri Narayana Perumal Temple in Thiruvadariyasramam (Badrinath, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand) is the 105th Divya Desam. Celebrated in 22 pasurams by Periyalvar and Thirumangai Alvar, Badrinath is the king among Himalayan pilgrimage citadels and one of the four supreme Char Dhams of India.Situated at an altitude of 10,279 feet along the icy Alaknanda river between the sacred mountain peaks of Nara and Narayana, this holy kshetram is where Lord Vishnu sat in unmoving penance during the bitter Himalayan winters. Seeing Her Lord braving the biting snowstorms, Goddess Mahalakshmi transformed Herself into a sheltering Badri tree (jujube/berry tree) to canopy Him with Her green foliage. Pleased by Her supreme devotion, Vishnu declared that the tirtha would forever be called Badrika-ashrama, giving priority to Her name.The Moolavar is a 3.3-foot self-manifested (Swayambhu) black Shaligram stone depiction of Lord Narayana seated in deep Padmasana meditation. Adi Shankaracharya personally retrieved this sacred murti from the swirling waters of Narada Kund and consecrated it in the temple. Right beside the icy Alaknanda flows the miraculous Tapta Kund—a natural sulfur thermal spring maintaining a steady 55°C temperature where pilgrims bathe before entering the sanctum. By long-standing tradition established by Adi Shankara, the head priest (Rawal) of Badrinath is always a Nambudiri Brahmin from Kerala, linking the southernmost tip of India directly to the Himalayan crown of Sanatana Dharma.

Kedarnath Temple, situated at an altitude of 3,583 meters (11,755 feet) in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, is the highest located Jyotirlinga. The temple is part of the famous Char Dham Yatra and Panch Kedar circuit. According to Hindu mythology, this is where the Pandavas sought Lord Shiva for forgiveness after the Kurukshetra war. The temple houses a triangular-shaped rock worshipped as Lord Shiva. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is only accessible from April to November. The temple survived the devastating 2013 floods, which is considered miraculous. The journey to Kedarnath involves a challenging trek, making it a test of devotion and physical endurance.