Yogdhyan Badri at Pandukeshwar (between Joshimath and Badrinath) is one of the Panch Badri temples of Vishnu. The stone shrine stands in a quiet village setting above the Alaknanda, with old houses, small shops and terraced fields around it. The main idol shows Vishnu in a meditative posture (Yogdhyan) rather than the standing form of Badrinath, giving the sanctum a very serene, inward-looking mood.
About this place
History & highlights
Local tradition and temple sources hold that Yogdhyan Badri is as ancient as Badrinath itself and that this area formed part of the original “Badrikshetra”. Mythologically, the temple is associated with King Pandu (father of the Pandavas), who is said to have retired and meditated here; some stories say the Pandavas’ coronation of their heir Parikshit happened at this spot before they left for the Himalaya. In the wider Sapta/Panch Badri system, Yogdhyan Badri acts as a subsidiary or earlier seat of Vishnu: when Badrinath is closed or when pilgrims cannot make the full journey, worship here is considered a valid substitute, and the site also serves as the winter home for the utsav-murti of Badrinath in certain traditions. All this makes Pandukeshwar not just a roadside halt but a living part of Chamoli’s deep Vishnu heritage.
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