Charan Paduka, Badrinath - Timings, Accessibility, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 3 km from Badrinath, Charanpaduka or Charan Paduka is a beautiful rock, which is believed be holding the foot prints of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the darshan of these footprints will relieve visitors from all aliments.

The Charan Paduka is perched at an elevation of 3,380 feet above sea level. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu set his foot on earth at this place. Bhagwat Purana says that Lord Sri Krishna advised his minister Uddhav to proceed to Badrinath with his Charan Paduka to get rid of his wrongdoings.

Charan Paduka can be reached by 3 km trek from Badrinath. The path towards Charan Paduka is on the left side of Badrinath temple. Walk few meters and on the right side you will see stairs going upwards. Follow the stairs to reach Charan Paduka situated at Narayan Parvat. The 3 km uphill trek takes about 1.5 hours to reach Charan Paduka.

The view from Charan Paduka is excellent. At one side you can watch Neelkanth Peak and the other side Nar Parvat. On the left side of Charan Paduka is Rishi Ganga flowing through a manmade diversion to create a waterfall. There are several caves and boulders on the path which lead to Charanpaduka. The rock holds a medical unit of Badrinath shrine board. This medical unit is well equipped and it holds all basic medical amenities.

Nilkantha Peak is 6 km trek from Charan Paduka.