Discover the Bhavishya Badri’s Myths and Legends in Uttarakhand

Bhavishya Badri is situated at a higher altitude than the present Badrinath shrine. The locals in Joshimath believe that the shrine of Badrinath will become inaccessible in the future, and the worship of Lord Badrinarayan will instead take place at the Bhavishya Badri temple.

This temple is situated about 22km away from Joshimath, at an altitude of 8,530 feet in Suvai village. Tapovan is located ahead of Suvai village.

The prophecy is mentioned in the ‘Sanath Samhita’, an ancient text, which says that when the arm of the Narasingha idol at Joshimath falls off and the mountains of Jay and Vijay near Vishnuprayag collapse, making the present shrine of Badrinath inaccessible, the worship of Lord Vishnu as Badrinarayan will begin at Bhavishya Badri.

Bhavishya Badri Temple

“At Bhavishya Badri, there is another idol of Lord Badrinath which is said to have originated on its own and is growing bigger each day.

Our mythological texts mention that when the left arm of Lord Narasingha thins out, Lord Badrinath would abandon his present location and move to Bhavishya Badri. This is because the two mountains – Jay and Vijay – would come together, closing the gateway to present-day Badrinath which is about 45km from here.

Narsingha Temple Joshimath

Narshingh Temple in Joshimath

The Lord Narshingh Temple in Joshimath is home to an idol of Narasingha, one of the avatars of Vishnu. The arm of the idol is depicted in a meditative state, and is now ‘as thin as hair’. The idol of Lord Narasingha at the Shaligram temple is thinning with each passing day; we see it every day during the lord’s ‘Jalabhishek’ in the morning.

Vishnuprayag

The area near Vishnuprayag, where the NTPC hydropower project is situated, and the town of Joshimath are in a precarious state. This has led many people to wonder whether there may be some truth in the prophecy. Sanjay Prasad Dimri, the head priest of Lord Narasingha temple in Joshimath, spoke about the situation. “Locals feel, maybe, the deity is upset, and hence distressing events have started unfolding in the holy town.