The Badrinath Temple, situated on the banks of the River Alakananda and surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the Himalayas, is one of the Chaar Dham temples. One of the legends surrounding the temple has it that Lord Vishnu was once cursed by a sage. To seek forgiveness, Lord Vishnu decided to perform penance. He sat at Badrinath to do the penance, and the harsh climate disturbed Him. Seeing this, Goddess Lakshmi took the form of a Badriphal tree (Jujube tree). Touched by this, He named the