A Note on the Main Image Installed in the Badrinath Temple

Summary

A Note on the Main Image Installed in the Badrinath Temple Summary: T.M. Bothra examines the principal image of Badrinath temple, questioning whether it is an ancient Jain Tirthankara image. He compares photographs of the image during nirvana abhiseka (when it is stripped of decorations) with a 17th‑century Jaina scroll and notes striking similarities, especially the seated meditation posture. Unlike typical Hindu idols, the Badrinath image sits in padmasana with both hands resting on the lap, is nude, and has matted hair—features characteristic of Jain Tirthankaras. Bothra observes that the Rawal (priest) eats only once daily, avoids night meals and lives like a Jain ascetic, lending credence to the image’s Jain origin. Citing accounts by Seth Govind Das and other travellers, the author describes the temple’s sanctum, the 18‑inch black stone image and its two‑handed posture; he notes that Buddhists claim the idol is Buddha while some Jains identify it as Rsabha or Parsva. Reports by Ved Kumari Ghai and others suggest that different devotees perceive the image as Narayana, Siva or the goddess Bhadrakali depending on their faith, yet the absence of clothing and the presence of matted hair point to a Jain provenance. Bothra argues that myths about Sankaracarya recovering the image obscure historical evidence. He contends that the temple’s architecture, the installation of the image on a silver throne, the nirvana abhiseka ceremony and the ascetic lifestyle of the Rawals align with Jain practice, supporting the thesis that the image is that of Tirthankara Rsabha.