Goddess Lakshmi took the shape of a large Badri tree to protect Vishnu from trepidations of the weather and was named ‘Badri Vishal’.
Not just the temple, but the forests and mountains around it hold spiritual significance.
According to a mythological legend, god-sage Narad rebuked Lord Narayan for getting his feet massaged by Goddess Lakshmi which led the God to perform penance at Badrinath.
According to historical legend, Adi Shankaracharya built the current Badrinath temple that houses the Badrinarayan deity in it in the 8th century.
It is believed that the mountains Nar and Narayan hold the doors or the path of Badrinath which keeps getting narrower as the distance between the two keeps reducing with time.