Uttarakhand - Do Dham Kedarnath & Badrinath 2025

 Kedarnath & Badrinath - Yeh dil mange more ... 

I had the opportunity of visiting Kedarnath for the third time and Badrinath for second time because of two very dear friends of mine. Co-incidentally this time also it was a trio and we had great trip covering two dhams in just four days. It was a short but great trip with my besties. 

This pic was captured when we started our journey from Haridwar.  

I could discover so many new things which I did not know in my previous trips. 

We all know that there are five prayags in Uttrakhand. The five prayags are Devprayag, Karnprayag, Nandpragyag, Rudraprayag, and Vishnuprayag. But I never noticed in the past that all of these are made from another river/glacier merging with Alaknanada river at the point of Sangam. It is only when Alaknanada merges with Bhagirathi at the last / first prayag - Devprayag, and then it becomes the holy river - Ganga and reaches Rishikesh and Haridwar. 

Sangam Pictures

We covered two dhams this time - first Kedarnath and then Badrinath. 

I departed from Delhi to catch my train for Haridwar, where my besties were waiting for me. The cab picked me from the railway station, and we started our journey towards Kedarnath. On the way, we took a couple of breaks for breakfast and then for Dhari Devi Mandir. 

Kedarnath

We were all excited to reach Kedarnath. Here is our first expression as we reach the top. 

Kedarnath Temple views

Bhairon Ghati - It is considered a must visit place after visiting Kedarnath temple. It is believed that Bhairon baba protects the dham from any mishaps. The views from Bhairon ghati are simple awesome. Some tourists venture to climb the mountains and so did we. It was a great experience with fresh air and seeing the snow capped mountains.  

Some beautiful images from Kedarnath were captured. I would say that the pictures could do only 10% justice and there is nothing like being there and observing it in person. 

Om Chowk and other places in the vicinity of temple premises such as Bhim Shila and Shankracharya Stupa which are located just behind the temple premises. 

 

On the way to Badrinath, we stopped at Joshimath. Here, the temple is the winter place where Lord Badri (Vishnu) is worshipped. It was on the highway to Badrinath and beautifully made. 

On the way, we came across beautiful wall paintings. 

The roads were beautiful and the backdrop was amazing. We also visited Hanuman Chatti which is said to be the protector of the dham. Also, this is the place where Hanuman ji broke the ego of Bhima who considered himself as the most powerful when we could not move the tail of Hanuman ji and had to bow down in front of him due to this. 

We visited Mana Village which is also known as the first village of India. 

The pandavas started their Swarg Yatra from this village which could be completed only by Yudhishthir being alive, while the rest of the pandavs and Draupadi could not reach till Swarg in human body alive.  

Ved Vyas Mandir

Ganesh Gufa - it is said that Mahabharata was written by Ganesh ji in this Gufa which he was told to him by Rishi Ved Vyas. 

After seeing the Saraswati river, which is said to be merged in Sangam Allahabad after this place. The reason is that its flow was making noise and hence was asked to sub-merge and flow under the earth as Ganesh ji was finding it difficult to hear Rishi Ved Vyas and write the Mahabharata. 

After spending almost an hour in Mana village, we visited the Badrinath dham. First thing we did was take a bath in the hot water springs which are located just in front of the temple. 

Some people do reckless driving or may be due to the road conditions it becomes all the more important to take good care while one drives. We came across an incident but thankfully all the tourists were saved and not much damage was done to the car. 

We had some great time and came back home after satisfying darshan at both the dhams. It is never enough irrespective of the number of days you spend at these places and feels like staying here forever. However, we came home with happy memories and plans to visit again next year.