Badrinath
Badrinath is an important Hindu pilgrimage site
located in a glacial area some 10,000 feet high in
the central Himalayas, in the Chamoli District of
the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is sometimes
said to be one of the four shrines that a Hindu
must visit in his or her lifetime to reach salvation.
It is also known as Badarikashrama and has been
an important pilgrimage site from ancient times,
mentioned in the MAHABHARATA epic. Badrinath
lies on the Alaknanda River, understood to be one
of the channels that the GANGA or Ganges took
when descending from heaven.
The town has a comparatively modern temple
built on a peak, dedicated to a form of VISHNU
called Badarinatha. The name—of the site and of
the god—is taken from the berry patch, badari
vana, that once existed there. The great ninth-
century sage SHANKARA established one of his four
famous centers at Badrinath.
Further reading: Anne Felhaus, Connected Places:
Region, Pilgrimage, and Geographical Imagination in
India (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003); Dinesh
Kumar, The Sacred Complex of Badrinath: A Study of
Himalayan Pilgrimage (Varanasi: Kishor Vidya Niketan,
1991); Kanaiyalal M. Munshi, To Badarinath (Bombay:
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1953).
Bahubali
In Jain mythology Bahubali was the younger son
of RISHABHA, the first TIRTHANKARA (holy teacher)
in this half of the cosmic cycle, renowned for his
remarkable asceticism. In a contest for control
of their kingdom Bahubali defeated his older
brother, BHARATA, who then became a monk. Not
long afterward, Bahubali himself decided to take
vows of renunciation. His initial motive was just
to compete with his brother, whose asceticism he
envied. When his own austerities yielded no fruit,
he eventually concentrated on fierce renunciation.
On one occasion he was said to have stood on one
leg so long that vines and other plants grew up
around him and he became covered with ants. He
reached his goal of kevalajnana, highest knowl-
edge, and has since been famed for it.
Bahubali is one of the 63 great beings in the
DIGAMBARA Jain pantheon. He is enshrined in
colossal statues, particularly in the state of Karna-
taka. One huge statue, the 10th-century Shravana
Belagola statue in Karnataka, rises nearly 60 feet
from its base atop a small mountain peak. On
special occasions this statue is given a huge ritual
bathing in milk along with massive offerings.
Another Bahubali, built in the 15th century in
Udipi District, Karnataka, is 40 feet high.Further reading: Phyllis Granoff, ed. The Clever
Adultress and Other Stories: Treasury of Jain Literature
(Oakville, Canada: Mosaic Press, 1990); Jyotindra Jain
and Eberhard Fischer, Jaina Iconography (Leiden: E. J.
Brill, 1978); Helen M. Johnson, trans., Trisastisalakapu-
rusacarita (Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1931–62); Vilas
Adinath Sangave, The Sacred Sravana Belagola (New
Delhi: Bharatiya Jnanapith, 1981).Bailey, Alice Ann (1880–1949) Theosophical
teacher
Alice Ann Bailey was a prominent teacher and
leader in the Western Theosophical movement.
She founded Lucis Trust, the Arcane School, and
World Goodwill.
Bailey was born on June 16, 1880, in Manches-
ter, England. She had a rather confined childhood.
A devout member of the Church of England, as
a young adult she went to India on its behalf to
work with the British army. There she met her
first husband, John Evans. The couple moved to
the United States, where he served as an Episcopal
minister, and had three children. The marriage
eventually ended in divorce.
About the time of her divorce during World
War I, she was introduced to the THEOSOPHI-
CAL SOCIETY. At the society headquarters in Los
Angeles she saw a picture of a man in a turban,
whom she recognized as the same person whoK 64 Badrinath