The Dhari Devi Temple stands on a 20-metre high rock above the Alaknanda River, 19 km from Srinagar Garhwal on the highway to Badrinath. The temple houses only the upper portion of the goddess Dhari — the lower part is said to reside at Kalimath in Rudraprayag district. According to local tradition, the idol was washed downstream in a flood and a divine voice instructed that it be installed under the open sky on the spot where it was found; it remains there to this day. Thousands of pilgrims travelling to Badrinath stop here to pay their respects. Photography of the idol is strictly prohibited.
The temple is considered the guardian deity of the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. Many pilgrims make a point of stopping here both on the way to and from Badrinath, and the atmosphere during the peak season from May to June — with lines of pilgrims on the hanging bridge, the river rushing below, and the distant peaks visible upstream — is striking. A new concrete structure was built around the rock following a hydroelectric project that raised water levels in 2013; the original rustic atmosphere has been somewhat altered, but the setting and the devotional intensity remain.