About BansiNarayan Temple:
The temple opens only on the day of Raksha Bandhan. The festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated with great pomp. On this day sisters tie rakhi to their brother and the brother takes a pledge to protect his sister. According to the Hindu religion, Rakhi is tied not only to brother and sister but also to God, temples, and vehicles on this day.
Special worship is also done in many temples on this day, but the special celebration is done in the BansiNarayan temple of Lord Vishnu located in the Urgam valley of Chamoli district, which opens only on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. One has to walk for about 7 km to reach the temple. On the day of Raksha Bandhan, there is a huge crowd of women because women reach here to tie Rakhi to Lord Vishnu on this day.
After reaching by vehicle from Chamoli district headquarters Gopeshwar to Urgam Valley, a further 12 km journey has to be done on foot. The Velvet meadows stretched 5 kilometers away, crossing the meadow, is visible in front of the BansiNarayan Temple built in the famous hill style Katyuri. The ten feet high temple houses a quadrilateral idol of Lord Vishnu. According to tradition, the priests of the temple here are Rajputs.
History of the Bansi Narayan Temple:
According to mythological beliefs, this temple was built during the Pandav period. It is said that in this temple, Devrishi Narad worshiped Lord Vishnu for 364 days of the year. Because of this, a common man can worship Lord Vishnu only for one day, on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
According to legend, it is believed that in order to destroy the ego of King Bali, Lord Vishnu took the form of Vamana and destroyed the ego of Bali, and sent him to Hades. When Bali’s ego was destroyed, he prayed to Narayan that you should stay in front of him. After this Vishnu became the gatekeeper of the sacrifice.
Once King Bali requested Lord Vishnu to become his gatekeeper.
Lord Vishnu accepted this request of King Bali and he went to hades with King Bali. Due to not seeing Lord Vishnu for several days, Mata Lakshmi got upset and went to Narada Muni. After reaching Narad Muni, Mata Lakshmi asked him where is Lord Vishnu. After which Narad Muni told Mata Lakshmi that he is in hades and serving as a gatekeeper to King Bali.
Narada Muni also told Mata Lakshmi the way to bring back Lord Vishnu. He said that you should go to hades on the full moon of Shravan month and tie a Raksha sutra on the wrist of King Bali. After tying the Rakshasutra to King Bali, as for Lord Vishnu in return. On this, Mata Lakshmi says that I do not know the way to Underworld, and asked Narad Muni to show her the way to hades.
On this, he accepted the request of Mata Lakshmi and he went with her to hades. To free her husband, Goddess Lakshmi reached hades and tied the Rakhi of King Bali and freed the Lord. After which, in the absence of Narad Muni, the Jar priest of Kalgoth village worshiped Banshi Narayan, since then this tradition is going on.
Another story related to the temple:
The BansiNarayan Temple is said to have been built in the 6th century. Another folk belief is that in this temple Lord Narad Ji worshiped Lord Vishnu for 364 days and used to leave for a day so that people could worship.
Bansi Narayan Fair:
On the day of Rakshabandhan, butter comes from every house of Kalgoth village for Lord Narayan. Prasad is prepared from this butter there. Many rare species of flowers bloom in the meadows surrounding Lord BansiNarayan temple. Lord Narayan’s makeup is also done in this temple on Shravan Purnima. After this, the people of the village tie Rakshasutra to Lord Narayan. There are priests of the Thakur caste in the temple. The womb of this temple is 10 feet high, built in Katyuri style, and of square shape. Where Lord Vishnu is present in the form of a “Chaturbhuj”.
The special thing about the “BansiNarayan Temple” located in the Urgam Valley of Chamoli district is that both Lord Narayan and Lord Shiva are seen in the statue of this temple. The idols of Lord Ganesha and forest goddesses are also present in the BansiNarayan Temple.
How to reach Bansi Narayan Temple, Urgam Valley:
Bansinarayan Temple is located in the Urgam Valley of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state at a distance of about 12 km from Kalpeshwar Mahadev Temple and about 10 km from Devgram village. One has to trek to reach Bansinarayan Temple.
The Urgam Valley is known for its natural and spiritual beauty. This place is known for one of the ancient temples of Lord Shiva, the Kalpeshwar temple, which is a famous Kedar among the Panch Kedars. Helang, located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath road, is the place from where one can reach the Urgam valley. It is an easy 2 km trek from Urgam to Kalpeshwar.
By Rail: The distance from Joshimath to Haridwar Rishikesh railway station is 255 kilometers, Vanshinarayan temple can be reached by trek from Joshimath to Helang Urgam road located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath route.
By Road: Rishikesh to Joshimath distance by road is about 255 km. Joshimath to Helang valley distance is about 10 km. From Helang to Urgam one can reach by local taxi. And by traveling on foot from the Urgam valley, one can reach the Vanshinarayan temple via Devgram village.
By flight: There is no airstrip or helipad due to high mountain ranges and inaccessible roads. The nearest airstrip to Vanshinarayan Temple is Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun, which is located at a distance of 20 km from Rishikesh, from Rishikesh to Joshimath can be reached by bus, bike, and other motor vehicles.
Best Time to Visit:
Trek to BansiNarayan Temple is all season trek, but one should avoid traveling to BansiNarayan temple during Monsoon season in hilly areas.
Temple is open only on the day of Raksha Bandhan, so it is advised to plan your journey according to that if you want to witness the Fair at BansiNarayan Temple.
Travel advice:
- When visiting the BansiNarayan Temple, always abide by local customs and beliefs.
- Explore the surrounding areas as well to make your trip more memorable.
- Arrange your trip in advance taking the weather into account.
- If traveling between November and February, bring warm clothing.
- Research routes online before you go out on your excursion.
- Before leaving a hotel, always double-check your belongings.
- Steer clear of shortcuts when traveling uphill.
