The most important town on the route, Joshimath is the place where The Adi Guru Shankaracharya attained enlightenment while sitting under the mulberry tree near his cave. In this very cave he wrote his famous Shanker Bhasya which started the reclaimation of the Hindu religion. The first Math was set at Joshimath and a dham at Shri Badrinath which was followed up later by four dhams in the four corners of the country. Established over 1250 years ago, the temple and the math are extant. Atop the cave is tree The Kalpa Brikhsha which has been there for 2,450 years, develop a girth of alomost 40 metres, hundred of pilgrims worship every day at the temple built by the Shankaracharya and the first Math estabilished by the first shankaracharya.

Among the most famous places are Nursing and Durga temples.

Vishnu incarnation is worshipped in the Narshing temple and Joshimath becomes the winter seat of Shri Badrinath.

Altitude: 1890 Metres