Vasudhara Falls
West of Mana village, above Badrinath, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand
The thin, high waterfall above Badrinath that Sadhguru walked to on his first Himalayan journey in 1993, and where, he says, a sadhu asked him for help and was initiated.
What the texts say
- Lineage text
Sadhguru says that in September 1993 he reached Badrinath by bus from Hardwar with no warm clothes, and the next morning was so taken by the dark valley and the sunlit snow peak that it did not occur to him to visit the temple. He walked instead towards Vasudhara, which he gives as a twelve kilometre walk, describing a four hundred foot fall so thin that most of it is lost in the wind. He sat on a rock where only a faint spray reached him, and a sadhu took hold of his feet and begged for help with a stagnation in his practice.
“Parvat jaise atal raho.”
Himalayan Lust, Sadhguru, "Part Three: No Take-away (Badrinath)"
- Lineage text
He says he initiated the sadhu into shoonya meditation, speaking fluent Hindi although he can barely speak it, and telling him to be as still as the mountains. The sadhu settled into deep stillness with tears running down his face, and in gratitude gave him a single faced rudraksha the size of a large lemon, which Sadhguru says was thumping like an excited heart in his pocket.
Himalayan Lust, Sadhguru, "Part Three: No Take-away (Badrinath)"
What tradition holds
Kept apart from the texts on purpose. These are held with respect, and they are not the same as a written source.
- Folklore
The district administration describes strong winds that can make the falling water seem to stop for a minute or two, and says this has given rise to a good deal of belief among local people about the fall.
Held by: Local people, as described by the Chamoli district administration
What you will find today
- Getting there
- The district administration places the fall about 5 km west of Mana village, which is 2 km from Badrinath, and on the same page calls it a trek of about 7 km from Mana. We give both figures because the official page gives both. It puts the drop at 145 metres, where the book says four hundred feet. The nearest railway station is Rishikesh, about 280 km, and the nearest airport Jolly Grant, about 325 km.
- Timings and conduct
- There are no timings and no gate. The walk is only possible while Badrinath itself is open, which the temple committee gives as April or May to November.
- Best season
- The temple committee lists May to November as the time to visit Badrinath and advises against travelling in the monsoon.
Last checked via District Chamoli, Government of Uttarakhand (https://chamoli.gov.in/tourist-place/vasu-dhara/); Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/AboutUs/shri-badrinath.aspx). Conditions change; confirm before you travel.
A practice for this place
Walk from Mana without music and without talking, and keep something in reserve for the walk back. At the fall, sit on a rock well clear of the spray, let the sound of the water fill your hearing, and stay with it for fifteen minutes without naming anything you hear. Start back in good time, as the weather above Badrinath changes quickly.