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Yog dhyan Badri

On our journey back from Badrinath, we arrived Pandukeshwar. Pandukeshwar is a sacred place for Hindus, 18 kilometers from Joshimath and 22 kilometers from Badrinath. There are two temples in Pandukeshwar; Yogdhyan Badri and Vasudev temple. Yogdhyan Badri is one of the Sapta Badri's in the region. In this temple, the idol of Badrinath is seen meditating in a Yoga Posture, hence the name Yog dhyan Badri.
Though there are no magnificent visuals in this region but Yogdhyan Badri is worth visiting place. It is one of the ancient temples we find in the region. One interesting observation is the rooftop of the temple resembles a Buddhist Stupa. Buddhist architecture is seen in this temple complex.
I really loved the temple because of the sanctity to experience in this ancient temple. Unlike Badrinath, this temple is absolutely peaceful as it was not very crowded. It is located at the banks of Alaknanda surrounded by beautiful hills.
You will see amazing blue water of Alaknanda river passing through some of these giant rocks here.
 
  
According the temple priest, Pandukeshwar is named after the King Pandu who meditated here to get rid of his sins after killing the sage. Legend believes that King Pandu lived with his wife Kunti and Madri in Pandukeshwar after giving his throne to brother Dhrutarashtra.
Another legend is that during their exile Pandavas visited Pandukeshwar to perform funeral of their father Pandu. It is here that Arjun the third of the Pandavas meditated and got a boon from Indra. Pandavas then built a temple of Vasudev dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Spending sometime here in the peaceful atmosphere of the temple, we headed for the journey back to Rishikesh. A few more updates to come on our trip to char-dham. So keep watching the space for updates.
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