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Jhumka in the stone courtyard of Yogdhyan Badri at Pandukeshwar, two stone temples beneath a cliff
Jhumka in the stone courtyard of Yogdhyan Badri at Pandukeshwar, two stone temples beneath a cliff

Four Badris in Uttarakhand

Jhumka Bandyopadhyay · Dispatches · · 4 min read

Coffee with Nilabh · No. 1

“I travel during day time. I eat early, sleep early while travelling. I don't show off.”

Jhumka Bandyopadhyay, 63, of Kolkata, October 2026

I completed four Badris: Adi, Yogdhyan, Bhavishya and Vridha. It took 5 days in total, starting from Rishikesh, ending at Joshimath. On this trip I have no plan for Badri Narayan.

Map of the road from Rishikesh to Joshimath by Karnaprayag, five days in all, with the four Badris Jhumka visited: Adi Badri near Karnaprayag, Yogdhyan Badri at Pandukeshwar, and Bhavishya Badri beyond Tapovan; Vridha Badri, near Helang, is not in OpenStreetMap and is in the key only; Badrinath is marked, not on this trip (map data © OpenStreetMap contributors)

(Our map: the road from Rishikesh to Joshimath and the four Badris. The order she took them in is not on it, and Vridha Badri, a few kilometres before Joshimath near Helang, is not in OpenStreetMap. Open the road in Google Maps for directions and today's traffic.)

A ridge with fresh snow above a forest of pines, seen on the trip

Adi Badri, near Karnaprayag

One is near Karnaprayag, that is Adi Badri.

Jhumka before two stone temples with tall carved spires at Adi Badri

Yogdhyan Badri

One is at Pandukeshwar, it is near Govindghat on the Badrinath Road.

Bhavishya Badri

Bhavishya Badri is 40 km from Joshimath. The road to Bhavishya Badri from Joshimath was really beautiful. On the way there is a village called Tapovan which is worth staying one night.

Jhumka at Bhavishya Badri in Subhain, the shrine hung with marigolds, pines and prayer flags behind

Vridha Badri

The 4th one is Vridha Badri, near Helang, 10 km away from Joshimath.

Jhumka at the blue-roofed shrine of Vridha Badri in Animath

How hard is it?

None are very difficult. Mostly half to one km, and going down or going up steps.

Getting around

The mode of transport is a shared jeep or bus. For Bhavishya Badri and Vridha Badri I hired a small car at ₹3,000. I didn't count the total cost.

A valley and a snow peak beyond it, seen past the car's side mirror

Where I stayed in Joshimath

I didn't book accommodation at Joshimath. So I asked at GMVN, but their economy room at ₹2,200 was not satisfactory. So I tried Alaknanda Homestay, at the gate of the GMVN Narsingh Tourist Complex. It is ₹1,000 but unexpectedly clean, though the building is a little old. I am not sure why it was so clean. It may happen that day they changed the linen and cleaned thoroughly. ₹1,000 was too cheap for such a clean room.

How I travel

I travel during the day time. I eat early, sleep early while travelling. I don't show off. I didn't find myself anywhere till now in danger.

This was the first Coffee with Nilabh: a traveller from our community, her trip and her words. The next cup is already brewing. All dispatches →

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