The Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand stands on the banks of which river?

The Badrinath temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu (as Badrinarayan), stands on the banks of the Alaknanda river in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, at a height of about 3,100 metres. It lies between the Nar and Narayan mountain ranges, with the Neelkanth peak in the background.

About the Alaknanda:

The Alaknanda rises from the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers near the India-Tibet border in Uttarakhand.

It is one of the two headstreams of the Ganga. At Devprayag, the Alaknanda meets the Bhagirathi, and from this confluence the combined river is called the Ganga.

The Alaknanda is the larger of the two in terms of water volume, while the Bhagirathi is traditionally regarded as the source stream of the Ganga.

Along its course, the Alaknanda is joined by several tributaries at sacred confluences called prayags. For example, it meets the Mandakini at Rudraprayag, the Pindar at Karnaprayag and the Nandakini at Nandprayag.

About Badrinath:

• Badrinath is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites of India (with Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram), and also one of the Chota Char Dham sites of Uttarakhand (with Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri).
• It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams (holy shrines of Vishnu) praised by the Alvar saints.
• The temple is believed to have been re-established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century.
• The temple is open only for about six months a year (April-May to November) because of heavy snowfall in winter.
• The Tapt Kund, a hot spring, lies near the temple.
• Mana, the last Indian village before the Tibet border on this route, lies a few kilometres away.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Bhagirathi flows past Gangotri and Uttarkashi; the Tehri Dam is built on it.
• ✗The Mandakini flows past Kedarnath and joins the Alaknanda at Rudraprayag.
• ✗The Pindar joins the Alaknanda at Karnaprayag.