Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a town and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Located at a height of 6,150 feet (1,875 m),[3] it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails and pilgrim centres like Badrinath.

[6][7] Between the 7th and 11th centuries C.E., Katyuri kings ruled the area of varying extent from their capital at "Katyur" (modern day Baijnath) valley in Kumaon.

[8] According to Badri Datt Pandey in his book Kumaon Ka Itihas, Joshimath was the original capital of the Katyur dynasty before it moved to Kartikeyapur (modern day Baijnath).

According to the story, king Vasudev was a devotee of Narsingh (avatar of lord Vishnu).

The god said he came because he was happy with his kingdom but after this incident he cursed the king to move to a new location (Baijnath).

[8] A part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Nanda Devi National Park in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on 7 February 2021, causing flash flood in Rishiganga and Dhauliganga River, devastating among others the village Rini, the Dhauliganga Dam, the Rishi Ganga dam, Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Plant, killing and endangering people.

[citation needed] In the aftermath of the floods, residents began noticing cracks in homes; eventually over 600 houses were evacuated after a local temple collapsed.

[12][13] Hundreds of residents were able to evacuate and authorities classified zones within the town as "danger", "buffer" and "completely safe" areas; demolition work began on 9 January 2023.

[20] Jyotirmath is the uttarāmnāya matha, or northern monastery, one of the four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankara, the others being those at Shringeri, Puri, Dwarka and Kanchi.

This place can be a base station for travellers going to Guru Gobind Ghat or the Valley of Flowers National Park.

It is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 Tamil poet-saints or Alvars, and god and goddess are known as Parimalavalli sametha Paramapurusha Perumal.

[21] Joshimath Cantonment is one of the important military stations of Indian Army, present in Uttarakhand.

[22] As per local belief, present Kedarnath will disappear along with Badrinath and re-appear in Bhavishya Kedar temple at Joshimath.

Haridwar railway junction, 24 km farther from Rishikesh, has train connections to most of the major cities in India.

Joshimath lies on national highway NH58 that connects Delhi with Badrinath and Mana Pass in Uttarakhand near the Indo-Tibet border.