Neelkantha Peak in Mana Villae

Nilkantha is the only major mountain visible from Badrinath. In Hindu mysticism and mythology, this peak is associated with Shiva, as Nilkantha or Nilakantha, the blue naked, is an allusion to the god whose mattered locks are represented by torn glaciers and eternal snows.

It is easy to understand why pilgrims hold Nilkantha in superstitious awe and reverence because there is no more majestic and awe-inspiring peak of this height in the world. It rises 21,640 feet above sea level and its peak, at 10,159 feet, is only five miles from Badrinath.

Nilkantha stands alone and has no rival within eight miles, and is beautifully proportioned, with a graceful ice-clad summit from which sweep down three great ridges, the southernmost of which terminates in the Alaknanda Valley at an elevation of only 7,000 feet.

Early in the morning, Nilkantha appears as a mountain of gold, and the entire game lasts 3-4 minutes after the first sunlight strikes the crest of Nilkantha.