Joshimath & Auli
Adi Shankaracharya Cave
Joshimath is a town that is located in the state of Uttarakhand in the District of Chamoli. The place is highly revered by Hindus and it is an important pilgrimage center in the country.
Joshimath, the first Math established by Shri Adi Sankaracharya.
Joshimath or Jyotirmath holds an important position in the history of Vedic revivalism. Adiguru Shankaracharya got enlightenment here in a cave and in this cave he wrote his famous Shankar Bhasya.
Kalpavriksha Tree
Atop the cave is the Kalpvriksha, a Mulberry tree that is said to be more than 2500 years old under which Adi Guru is believed to have attained enlightenment. It is one of the four ‘Maths’ organized by Adiguru, the other three are at Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram.
This historic tree is now only able to bear flowers and not fruits, but the leaves are still young and fresh.
Lord Narsimha Temple
This is an ancient temple of Lord Vishnu in Narsimha Avtar and main temple of Joshimath. It has idol of Lord Narsimha, which is considered established by Shankaracharya. As per local belief, the right hand of this idol has become as thin as hair. On the day when it will break, the mountains Jay-Vijay (which are situated on a way to Badrinath) shall join and become one and Lord Badrinath of Badrinath temple will disappear from present temple and re-appear as black stone (Shaligram) at new place called Bhavishya Badri, which is situated at a distance of 10 km from Joshimath. When Badrinath temple remain closed during winter every year, one idol of Lord Badri is brought to Narsimha temple and worshiped for six months.
In the temple for Lord Narasimha, separate vigrahas (deities) of Badari Narayan, Uddhava, Kuber, Chandikadevi, Ram, Lakshmana, Sita and Garud can be seen together in the sanctum. Outside the temple separate statues of Brahma, Krishna, Lakshmi & Anjaneya can be seen. Vyas Maharishi is believed to have worshipped Goddess Lakshmi here. The presiding deity Lord Narasimha is believed to have been established by Adi Sankaracharya
Vasudeva Temple
This Temple of Lord Vasudeva is situated some 30 yards away from the temple of Lord Narasimha. The presiding deity here is Vasudeva who is identified with Lord Vishnu. It is one of the most famous Vishnu temples of north India. It was considered very sacred by the ‘Alavars’, the Tamil Vaishnavite Saints. The deity’s idol here is carved out of a piece of black stone, measuring 6 feet in height. This temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, recognized by the Tamil Nadu Vaishnava saints as being very important Vishnu temples. The black carved stone Deity of Lord Vasudeva is about 2m (6 ft) tall. He stands with his associates Sri, Bhu, Nila, and Kama. This temple is about 30 m from the Narasimhadeva Temple. To the left of the main entrance is a deity of dancing Ganesh, which is said to be one of only two such deities in India. This temple is very ancient, and no one knows exactly how old it is.
The temple of Lord Vasudev houses Lord Vasudev in the sanctum sanctorum as well as Sridevi, Bhoodevi, Leela devi, Oorvasi devi & Balram in the outer praharam. Further separate structures are available for Vinayaka, Brahma, Indira, Chandra(Moon), Navadurgas & Gauri Shankar.
Auli
Auli is the most popular skiing and paragliding spot of Uttarakhand situated at an elevation of 3050mts above sea level. Auli affords astounding and celestial views of the enchanting snow laden Himalayan range.
16 km from Joshimath and accessible by a good motor able road, is the ideal ski resort of Auli with its slopes comparable to the best in the world. The resort is run by GMVN, which, apart from providing accommodation also provides all facilities for skiing. The season extends from January to March, during this time skiing festivals and the National Championships are held. The Auli slopes, descending from 3049 to 2915 m are flanked by stately conifers and oaks, which cut wind velocity to the minimum. Adding to the thrill of skiing is a 180 degree view of Himalayan peaks, which include Nanda Devi (7817 m), Kamet (7756 m), Mana Parvat (7273 m) and Dunagiri (7066 m), seemingly only snowballs throw away.
The conditions for skiing are perfect at Auli. A 500 m long ski-lift and an 800 m long chair-lift link the upper and lower slopes, and snow beaters and snow-packing machines maintain the smoothness of the slopes. Skiers can enjoy almost 20 km of virgin slopes, which provide excellent opportunities for cross-country, slalom and down-hill skiing events. Auli has now become a leading tourist spot. While its slopes beckon daring and gallant skiing enthusiasts, its pristine natural beauty and its alpine atmosphere lure many tourists. A haven for those who want to escape the humdrum of everyday life, conquer their fear of heights, savour nature in its purest form or just throw snowballs at each other.
Cable Car : The most popular way to drop in at Auli is by the famed cable car service. Travelling by the rope-way, it is impossible to resist the captive beauty of the snow covered peaks, the alpine forest and the bracing climate. This cable holds a record of longest in Asia with total length of 4.15 km. Its lower tower is at 1906 m from MSL and the upper tower is at 3016 m. It takes around 15 minutes to complete this ride. Its the best start one can have for exciting Auli trip. Charges are Rs 700 for Return.
When you reach at the top, you can ask local people to show Nar Narayan Mountain, where Shri Nar Narayan are performing tapasya.
While returning from Joshimath we visited Devprayag, which I have explained in another article – Devprayag.