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Amidst the dramatic mountains capes of the majestic
Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of
Kedar or Lord Shiva. Lying at an altitude of 3584 m on
the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is
amongst the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus. There
are more than 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in the
district itself, the most important one is Kedarnath.
According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over
the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of
having killed their own brothers and sought the
blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He eluded them
repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in
the form of a bull. On being followed he dived into the
ground, leaving his hump on the surface. The remaining
portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places and
are worshipped there as his manifestations. The arms
appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly
at Madhmaheshwar and his locks (hair) with head at
Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above mentioned
shrines are treated as Panch Kedar.
An imposing sight, standing in the middle of a wide
plateau surrounded by lofty snow covered peaks. The
present temple, built in 8th century A.D. by
Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an
earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls of
the assembly hall are decorated with figures of various
deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple
door, a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard.
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architectured
Kedarnath temple is considered to be more than 1000
years old. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly
cut gray slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how
these heavy slabs had been handled in the earlier days.
The temple has a "Garbha Griha" for worship and a
Mandap, apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A
conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped
as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form.
Shandaracharya Samadhi :
The Samadhi of Adi Guru Shankaracharya is located just
behind the Kedarnath temple. It is said that after
establishing four sacred Dhams in India, he went into
his samadhi at an early age of 32 years.
Chorbari (Gandhi Sarovar) : Only 1 km trek away from Kedarnath. Floating - ice on the crstal
clear waters of the lake fascinates the visitors.
Vasuki Tal :
Situated at a height of 4,150mt, the lake is surrounded
by high mountains and offers an excellent view of
Chaukhamba peaks.
Gaurikund :
It is the base for a trek to Kedarnath and serves as a
roadhead. The village has a temple dedicated to Gauri
and hot water springs.
Trijuginarayan :
According to legend,this was the place where the wedding
of Lord Shiva and Parvati was solemnised. In front of
the Shiva Temple.
Ukhimath :
Winter home of the deity at Kedarnath temple and the
seat of the rawal of Kedarnath.Cinnected by bus services
to Rudraprayag and other major centers.
Madmaheshwar
: One of Panch Kedars, the temple of Madmaheshwar is
located at an altitude of 3,289 mt above sea-level, on
the slope of a ridge, 25 km north-east of Guptkashi.
There is a motorable road from Guptashi to Kalimath.
The best statue of Har Gauri in India measuring over a
metre high is found in the kali temple. The trek from
Kalimath to Madmaheshwar is distinguished by wild
unparalleled scenic beauty and engulfed by Chaukhamba,
Kedarnath and Neelkanth peaks. Gaundar at the confluence
of Madmeshwar Ganga and Markanga Ganga, is the last
settlement before one reaches Madmaheshwar, the place
where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of belly.
Tungnath :
The arms of Lord Shiva came out as per the Kedarnath
myth at Tungnath. He is worshipped here as one of the
Panch Kedars. Tungnath Temple at an altitude of 3,680mt
is the highest Shiva shrine among the Panch kedars but
the easiest to reach from Chopta, the nearest roadhead.
Rudranath :
The face of Lord Shiva is worshipped at the Rudranath
temple, at an elevation of 2,286 mt above sea-level and
is 23 km from Gopeshwar. 5 km of the has to be trekked.
The trek passes through wild orchards and picturesque
bugyals and involves trekking over high ridges (some
times 4,000 mt). The temple site provides magnificent
views of Hathi Parvat, Nanda Devi, Nanda Ghungti,
Trishuli and many other peaks. There are a number of
holy Kund near Rudranath temple namely - Suryakund,
Chandrakund, Tarakund etc. The entire area is utterly
enchanting and unmatched in scenic beauty.Anusuya Devi
temple is located on the trek to Rudranath involving an
additional trek of 3 km.
Kalpeshwar :
The more hardy to tourist may like to trek about 35 km
to Kalpeshwar, where the locks (hair) with head, of Lord
Shiva are worshipped. Located in Urgam Valley at an
altitude of 2,134 mt above sea-level, the temple is a
further 10 k m trek from Rudranath to Helong, the motor
head on Rishikesh- Badrinath route.
Deoria Tal :
At an altitude of 2,440 mt, the beautiful lake of Deoria
Tal is located on the Chopta - Ukhimath motor road about
3 km away from Sari. Another trek is from Ukhimath.
In the early morning, the snow Kedarnath are clearly
refected on the lake waters. The lake also provides an
excellent venue for angling, as well as birdwatching.
The opening of date of Kedarnath Temple is fixed and
depends on the Shiva Ratri and decided by priests in
Ukhimath. Normally Kedarnath temple opens on Mid May.
The closing date of Kedarnath is fixed on Yama Dwitiya
(second day after Diwali, November).
Kedarnath Temple is open for devotees from
6 am to 2 pm and
5 pm to 8 pm.
Shingar Darshan is from 5 pm onwards and
Aarti is performed at
6:45 pm. Sharavani Annakoot Mela is
celebrated on the day before Raksha Bandhan during
August. Special Samadhi puja is help on the closing day
of Kedarnath.
The Kedarnath Temple committee office organises booking
for special pooja which is performed before the general
darshan in the morning.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Area
: 3 sq. km.
Climate
: Winter: Sep. to Nov. cold during the day and chilly at
night.
Summer:
May - August- Cool during the day and cold at night.
Rainfall
: 1475 mm.
Best Season
: May to October except monsoon.
Clothing
: Light woollens in summer. Heavy woollens in winter.
Language
: Hindi, Garhwali and English.
ACCESSIBILITY
Airport :
Jolly Grant, Dehradun (251 kms.)
Railhead :
Rishikesh (234 kms.) Kotdwar (260 kms.)
Road :
Approachable on foot from Gaurikund, which is connected
by road to Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Dehradun, Haridwar and
other important hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon
region. |
