Joshimath

Joshimath is a city in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is home to one of the four cardinal pīthas established by Adi Shankara. Joshimath is home to several temples, the most renowed of which is the temple of Narasimha, where Badrinarayan is enshrined along with a pantheon of deities. The presiding deity Lord Narasimha is believed to have been established by Adi Sankara.

Every year in April, before the opening day of the Badrinath shrine, a ritual is held at the Narasimha temple. Thousands of people from neighbouring villages throng the temple to witness one of the priests, upon being possessed, eating a raw goat along with raw rice.

Narsingh Temple is one of the oldest temples in Joshimath which is dedicated to the Lord Vishnu in his lion form. This brightly painted temple is said to be 2,500 years old and has nine idols of Lord Vishnu depicting him in his various avatars.

The main idol of Narsingh is made of black onyx stone and has an interesting story behind it. The left wrist of the idol is receding year after year, and the local gentry believe that it signifies the coming closer of kalyug or the end of the world as we know it. They believe that once the wrist snaps completely, the two mountains of Nar and Narayan — between which nestles the Badrinath Temple — will fall and close the pathway to this famous dham forever. Lord Vishnu will then be worshipped at Bhavishya Badri temple which is located around 18km east of Joshimath in Tapovan.