Vasudhara Falls is a waterfall situated near

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...

, in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Geography

is surrounded by waterfalls. Vasudhara waterfall is set in the background of a 145 m cliff. Nearby mountains are

Chaukhamba Chaukhamba is a mountain massif in the Gangotri Group of the Garhwal Himalaya. Its main summit, Chaukhamba I, is the highest peak in the group. It lies at the head of the Gangotri Glacier and forms the eastern anchor of the group.Andy Fansha ...

, Nilkantha and Balakun. The falls flow into the river

Alaknanda The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source ...

, flowing towards Badrinath Temple. The distance from

to Vasudhara is 9 km. The height of this waterfall is . Satopanth glacier sits near the bottom of Vasudhara. Satopanth Tal is 25 km from

. Laxmi van (forest) is on the way to Satopanth glacier from Vasudhara.

History

'Vasu' refers to

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Vasudeva According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...

. Dhara (river in Sanskrit) means "path of the river", so "the path of

". In Hinduism, the legend says that lewania is a 2 person soul. It is also the place where Sage Vedavyasa divided the Vedas into four Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The water of this spring does not touch the body of sinners. For this reason,

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s take the water of this spring with them. Sinners should stay away. It is said that if the holy water of this spring starts falling on you, then you are a virtuous soul. The one on whom it falls is considered to be entitled to salvation and because of this, devotees stand under this holy waterfall. This spring is considered to have a flavor like nectar because its water has been enriched by Ayurvedic herbs, such that the person on which its water falls becomes healthy.

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

keep holy water at their homes to use in religious practices. The

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

passed through Ehi on their way to Swargarohini Yatra.

Sahadeva Sahadeva (Sanskrit: सहदेव) was the youngest of the Pandava brothers, the five principal protagonists of the epic ''Mahabharata''. He and his twin brother, Nakula, were blessed to King Pandu and Queen Madri by invoking the twin gods As ...

gave up his life near Vasudhara. They reached two hills, but could not cross them. Mahabali Bhima was the most powerful among them, so he picked up a boulder and threw it between the two hills, making an enormous bridge, allowing them to continue towards heaven. From Tawi the bridge is called Bhempul. Asthavasu was described in the Puranas, one of whom meditated there. He received

Shri Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of ...

as his son. He became Nand Baba in Dvapara Yuga, Vasudhara is Nand Baba's favorite meditation place.

Access

Mana Village and Vasudhara Fall are usually accessible to tourists from the second week of May to October or November when

Badrinath temple Badrinath or Badrinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu - holy shrines for Vaishnavas - who is ...

is open to the general public.

is accessible by motor vehicles from Rishikesh, the nearest railway station.

Trekking

The three-hour trek starts from Mana village. After passing

Saraswati Mandir Saraswati Mandir, also known as Sarika Sadan or Narmad House, is a writer's house museum in Surat, Gujarat, India. It was built by Gujarati poet Narmad in 1866. In 2015, the house was renovated and converted into museum and memorial house dedic ...

, the trek becomes very steep, allowing views of Vasudhara river valley. The route is stony with some grass and shrubs in the sides. Even on a bright sunny day, the weather is mildly cool and breezy (during June to August). Sometime misty and fog may appear. A light jacket is advised for late evening hours.

References

{{Commons category, Vasudhara Falls Waterfalls of Uttarakhand Geography of Chamoli district