Joshimath is a small town buzzing with pilgrims and tourists who are heading towards the char dham, Hem Kund, Auli, Kuari Pass treks, or Valley of flowers. It is at a height of 6150 feet above sea level. Joshimath name was derived from Jyotirmath.
In the 8th century Adi Shankaracharya visited this place and founded the fourth Shankaracharya Peetha or Matha (monastery). The other three being Sringeri, Puri, and Dwarka. The matha in Joshimath is in charge of the Atharvana Veda. The head of the matha is known as Shankarcharya.
In the matha, there are shrines dedicated to Lord Badrinarayan and Goddess Rajrajeshwari Devi. A cave in which Adi Shankaracharya meditated is situated here.
A short distance from the matha is a temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha is located here. The Lord has been installed by Adi Shankaracharya. It is believed that the left hand of the deity is thinning day by day and the day the hand disappears, Badrinath will be inaccessible to people. During winter, when Badrinath temple is closed, the idol of Lord Badri is brought to Lord Narsimha Temple and worshiped for six months.
Next to Lord Narasimha temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Vasudeva.
Interesting places around:
Srinagar
Auli
Tapovan
Gari Bhawani Temple
Bhavishya Badri
Bhavishya Kedar
Place statistics:
Type of place: Temple town
Situated: Chamoli district, Uttarakhand
Transport: Bus services are regularly available from Delhi, Rishikesh, Dehradun, and Haridwar to Joshimath
Distance: The nearest Airport is Dehradun which is 298 kms away and Rishikesh, the nearest railway station, is 235 kms away
Facilities: Budget hotels and eateries are available
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Hi Shantha thanks so much for your blog! I have been studying your articles about trees as we are in the middle of an exciting tree-planting venture here in Langford Town and I wanted to know the Kannada names details about height etc .. your writings were a great help!
Hi Shanta great to see your blog. I belong to Joshimath however resides in Delhi because of my occupation. I want to inform you that there is some misunderstanding during winters the idol of Lord Badrinath is worshipped in Lord Narsimha Temple and not in Jyotirmath Temple. If you doubt you can re-check. Rest all information is correct I’ll request you to please correct it if possible.
Hi Nazneen,
I am glad that the articles that I write helped you.
Will keep posting more.
Regards,
Shantha
Thank you so much for the information, Apoorv. I have updated the post. You are from the most beautiful and divine place. Regards,Shanta