It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and gets its name from the Badrinath Temple.

Badrinath derives from the Sanskrit compound Badarīnātha, consisting of the terms badarī (jujube tree) and nātha (lord), an epithet of Vishnu.

In earlier days, pilgrims used to walk hundreds of miles to visit the Badrinath temple.

[10] The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof.

[12] Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha grha, or main shrine area.

Thus, in the Mahabharata, Krishna, addressing Arjuna, says, "Thou wast Nara in a former body, and, with Narayana for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years.

Vishnu meditated here and Lakshmi took the form of the Badari tree to provide shade for him from scorching sun.

[16] The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas were said to have died one by one, when ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini (literal meaning - the 'Ascent to Heaven').

In Jainism, Himalaya is also called Ashtapad because of its eight different mountain range Gaurishankar, Kailash, Badrinath, Nanda, Drongiri, Nara-Narayana and Trishuli.

The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges 9 km east of Nilkantha peak (6,596m).