The Sapta Badri are seven Vishnu temples in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, along the Alaknanda and its valleys: Badrinath (Badri Vishal), Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Yogadhyan Badri, Dhyan Badri, and as the seventh, depending on the list, Narsingh Badri (Jyotirmath) or Ardha Badri. Badrinath is the chief of them. Five of them are called the Panch Badri, but the sources do not agree on which five.
| # | Name | Where | Tradition or note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BadrinathBadri Vishal, Badrinarayan | Badrinath, on the Alaknanda, Chamoli district | One of the Char Dham and the Chhota Char Dham; the chief of the seven |
| 2 | Adi Badri | About 17 km from Karnaprayag, on the road towards Kumaon | A group of sixteen small temples |
| 3 | Vriddha Badri | Animath village, about 7 km short of Joshimath on the Rishikesh-Badrinath road | By tradition Vishnu appeared to Narada here as an old man |
| 4 | Bhavishya Badri | Subhain village, beyond Tapovan, about 17 km from Joshimath (towards the Niti valley) | By tradition Badrinath will one day be worshipped here |
| 5 | Yogadhyan BadriYog Badri | Pandukeshwar, near Govindghat | In winter the festival images of Uddhava and Kubera stay here; tradition links it with King Pandu |
| 6 | Dhyan Badri | The Urgam valley, near Kalpeshwar | An image of Vishnu in meditation |
| 7 | Narsingh Badrisome lists have Ardha Badri in its place | Jyotirmath (Joshimath) | In winter Badrinath’s worship is held in the Narsingh temple here |
The Panch Badri: which five?
Badrinath is in every count of the Panch Badri; the other four change. We read four sources, and each gives a different list:
| Source | The Panch Badri |
|---|---|
| British Garhwal gazetteer (H. G. Walton, 1910) | Badrinarayan (Vishal Badri), Yog Badri (Pandukeshwar), Bhavishya Badri (near Tapovan), Vriddha Badri (Animath), Dhyan Badri |
| Man Mohan Sharma, Through the Valley of Gods (1976) | Badrinath, Yog Badri (Pandukeshwar), Bhavishya Badri (Tapovan), Narsimha Badri (Joshimath), Adi Badri |
| Wikipedia: Sapta Badri | The Sapta Badri less Ardha Badri and usually Dhyan Badri (sometimes Vriddha Badri) |
| Chandan Yatra Das, Joshimath and Himalayan Char Dhama Yatra (2025) | Badri Vishal, Yogadhyan Badri, Vriddha Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Adi Badri |
The Badri region and its traditions
The 1910 gazetteer calls the region round Badrinath the "Vaishnava-kshetra", within which the Panch Badri stand. According to the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, in winter, after the doors close, Badrinath’s worship moves to the Narsingh temple at Jyotirmath, and the festival images of Uddhava and Kubera stay at Yogadhyan Badri in Pandukeshwar. The committee places Dhyan Badri in the Urgam valley, near Kalpeshwar.
Bhavishya Badri and Narsingh Badri belong to one tradition: it says that when in the Kali age the way to Badrinath is closed, Badrinath will be worshipped at Bhavishya Badri. Of Vriddha Badri the tradition says that Vishnu appeared to Narada here as an old man. Tradition links Yogadhyan Badri with King Pandu, after whom Pandukeshwar is named. These are traditions; we did not find a Purana chapter for them.
Where the sources differ
- The seventh Badri: Harshwanti Bisht’s Tourism in Garhwal Himalaya (1994) counts Narsingh Badri (Joshimath) among the seven; Wikipedia counts Ardha Badri and says Narsingh Badri sometimes takes its place. We did not find Ardha Badri’s location stated clearly in a reliable source, so it has no row of its own in the table.
- The way to Adi Badri: Bisht puts it 17 km from Karnaprayag on the Gwaldam road, Wikipedia on the Ranikhet road, and the 2025 pilgrim book 18 km towards Dwarahat. The 1910 gazetteer places Dhyan Badri "near Silang", the temple committee and Bisht in the Urgam valley.
- The four differing lists of the Panch Badri are in the table above. We found no ground to call one of them the "right" one.
Frequently asked questions
Which are the Sapta Badri?
Badrinath (Badri Vishal), Adi Badri, Vriddha Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Yogadhyan Badri, Dhyan Badri, and as the seventh Narsingh Badri or, in some lists, Ardha Badri.
Which are the Panch Badri?
Badrinath is in every list. In the oldest list we found (the Garhwal gazetteer, 1910) the other four are Yog Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vriddha Badri and Dhyan Badri; many present-day lists count Adi Badri instead of Dhyan Badri.
Where is Badrinath worshipped in winter?
According to the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, in the Narsingh temple at Jyotirmath; the festival images of Uddhava and Kubera stay at Yogadhyan Badri in Pandukeshwar.
Where is Bhavishya Badri?
About 17 km from Joshimath, beyond Tapovan in Subhain village, towards the Niti valley (Bisht 1994; Garhwal gazetteer 1910).
Sources
- Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in): Other temples (Dhyan Badri, Yogadhyan Badri, the Narsingh temple at Jyotirmath); read in October 2026 for the Panch Kedar and Badrinath pages
- H. G. Walton, British Garhwal: A Gazetteer (District Gazetteers of the United Provinces, vol. 36), 1910, pp. 143-144 and "Tapoban" (archive.org)
- Harshwanti Bisht, Tourism in Garhwal Himalaya, Indus Publishing, New Delhi, 1994, pp. 83-84 (archive.org)
- Man Mohan Sharma, Through the Valley of Gods: Travels in the Central Himalayas, Vision Books, New Delhi, 1976 (archive.org)
- Chandan Yatra Das, Joshimath and Himalayan Char Dhama Yatra, 2025 (archive.org)
- Wikipedia: Sapta Badri (read 17 October 2026)
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