Auli Excursions

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Bhavishya Badri: Bhavishya Badri is one of the ‘Panch Badri’ or five badri shrines in the region. Bhavishya Badri is worshipped at a distance of 3km from Tapovan on the road to Malari. It is believed that a time will come when the shrine of Badrinath will get inaccessible because of collision of Nar and Narayan mountaion. The shrine of Badrinath will then be worshipped at Bhavishya Badri.

Kalpavriksha: It is a forgotten tree which holds unsurpassed and unparalleled significance. Kalpavriksha is the oldest tree of India with an age of more than 1200 years. The great 8th century explorer Adi Shankaracharya used to meditate in the shades of this comely tree and the cave where he lived is also situated here. The circumference of this mulberry tree is 21.5mts. This historic tree is now only able to bear flowers and not fruits, but the leaves are still young and fresh. Millions of people visit Badrinath every year unknowingly that the tree they pass through has same age as the Badrinath temple.

Narsingh Temple: This is an ancient temple dedicated to Nasringh Devta at Joshimath which is the home of Shri Badrinathji in winters. The statue of God Narsingh is shrinking day by day and it is said that the day when it will fall, the route to Badrinath will get closed permanently by a major land slide. Narsingh is one of the several avatars’ of Lord Vishnu.

Mana: Mana is very close to Tibet border and it is one of the last villages of India. Most of the tourists who visit Badrinath also come to see the end of the road at Mana. Mana is inhabited by Indo-Mongolian tribes often called as bhotias. Mana is situated 3kms from Badrinath and 64kms from Joshimath. Bheem Pul, Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa are interesting places to look for at Mana.

Valley of Flowers: Valley of Flowers National Park is nestled in the west Himalayas covering an area of 87.50sqkms. The trek of 16km to Valley of Flowers commences from Govindghat. The valley is entirely covered with blooming flowers from June to October and with the sheets of snow during winters. The Valley of Flowers was declared as the national park in the year 1982 and it is now a world heritage site. The virgin beauty of this valley lures the botanists, nature lovers and adventure lovers as well. 

Badrinath: Badrinath is the most sacred Dham of India. It is located at an elevation of 3,133mts above sea level in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state. This Dham was established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 9th century. The deity of Badrinath temple is Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated on the right bank of the holy Alaknanda River. Every year millions of tourists and devotees visit this sacred place from May to October month. The temple remains closed during winter months as the region is prone to heavy snowfall. It is situated 60kms ahead of Joshimath on NH58.

Hemkund Sahib: The tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Govind Singhji mediated at Hemkund Sahib for years. The word Hemkund literally suggests "Lake of snow" and the immaculate water of this lake is as cold as snow. Hemkund Saheb is located at an elevation of 4,329mts above sea level amidst several snow capped peaks, which are collectively called Hemkund Parvat. A star shaped gurudwara near the lake is visited by thousands of devotees every month. A temple dedicated to Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama is also located here. One must complete a trek of 19km starting from from Govindghat to reach Hemkund Sahib. The best time to visit this place is from July to November.

Gopeshwar: The town of Gopeshwar is the administrative headquarters of the Chamoli district. There are sevaral ancient temples in Gopeshwar with great religious importance. The main attractions are the ancient temple of Lord Shiva, Vaitarni Kund and the splendid views of the Himalayas. Trek to Rudranath commences from Saggar which is situated 5kms ahead from Gopeshwar on Guptkashi – Gopeshwar road. Gopeshwar is situated 72kms from Joshimath.