Kedarnath Dham located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand is one of the most important places for the worshipers of Shiva.
The air seems to resound with the name of Lord Shiva amid the mighty snow-capped peaks of the lower Himalayan mountain ranges, enchanting meadows and forests. Situated near the origin of Mandakini river and at an altitude of 3,584 metres, Kedarnath Dham celebrates the greatness of Lord Shiva.
Kedarnath Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and also the most important temple in the Panch Kedars (group of 5 Shiva temples in the Garhwal Himalayas).
It is one of the important temples of the holy Chhota Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, which takes the glory of this place to greater heights.
Story behind Kedarnath Temple:
It is believed that when the Pandavas won the war of Mahabharata in the Dwapar period, burdened with the guilt of killing their blood relatives, the Pandavas prayed to Lord Shiva to absolve them of their sins.
Shiva did not want to absolve them of their wrongdoings so easily and disguised himself as a bull to roam the Garhwal Himalayas.
Upon being discovered by the Pandavas, Shiva dived into the ground. Bhima tried to catch him and only the hunchback could catch him. Other parts of Shiva's body (in the form of a bull) came to different places. The hump of the bull at Kedarnath, the navel emerged at Madhya-Maheshwar, the two forepaws at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath and the hair at Kalpeshwar.
Together these five holy places are called Panch Kedar.
It is believed that the Pandavas originally built the temple of Kedarnath; The present temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya who restored and revived the glory of the temple.
Mysteries of Kedarnath Dham:
Many stories are associated with Kedarnath Dham and the temple. Let us know the mysterious information related to this.
1. The secret of Shivling origin:
According to mythology, Mahatapasvi Nar and Narayan Rishi, the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, used to do penance on the Kedar horn of the Himalayas. Pleased with his worship, Lord Shankar appeared and as per his request, granted him the boon to reside forever in the form of Jyotirlinga. This place Kedarnath Parvatraj is situated on the horn named Kedar of the Himalayas.
There are two mountains Nar and Narayan Parvat in the Kedar Valley. One of the 24 incarnations of Vishnu, this is the Tapobhoomi of Nar and Narayan Rishi. On the other side is Badrinath Dham where Lord Vishnu rests. It is said that Badrinath Dham was established by Narayan in Satyug. The same intention has also been expressed in Koti Rudra Samhita of Shivpuran.
2. Kedarnath and Pashupatinath together form a complete Shivling:
Kedarnath Temple is located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. This is called Ardhjyotirlinga. It is completed by including the Pashupatinath Temple of Nepal. The Swayambhu Shivling located here is very ancient. The temple here was built by Janmejaya and renovated by Adishankaracharya.
3. Temple buried in snow for 400 years:
The Pandavas had first built a temple behind the present Kedareshwar temple, but due to the ravages of time, this temple disappeared. Later in the 8th century, Adishankaracharya built a new temple, which remained buried under ice for 400 years. Then this temple was built by Adishankaracharya who was born in 508 BC and died in 476 BC.
His tomb is behind this temple. Its sanctum sanctorum is relatively ancient which is believed to be around 80th century. The temple was first renovated in the 10th century by King Bhoja of Malwa and again in the 13th century.
4. The lamp does not extinguish for 6 months:
On the second day of Diwali festival, the doors of the temple are closed in winter. The lamp keeps burning inside the temple for 6 months. The priests respectfully close the curtains and take the Deity and the stick to Ukhimath under the mountain for 6 months.
The doors of Kedarnath open after 6 months in the month of May, then the journey to Uttarakhand begins. No one lives in and around the temple for 6 months.
But it is a matter of surprise that even the lamp keeps on burning for 6 months and worship is also done continuously. After opening the doors, it is also a matter of surprise that one gets the same cleanliness as they had left.
5. Stays safe even in storms and floods:
On the night of June 16, 2013, nature wreaked havoc. Due to the deluge, many big and strong buildings collapsed like cards and were swept away in the water, but nothing happened to the temple of Kedarnath.
The surprise came when a huge rock came rolling down the hill behind in the flow of water and suddenly it stopped behind the temple! Due to the stopping of that rock, the flood water was divided into two parts and the temple became much safer. About 10 thousand people had died in this holocaust.
6. The ever-changing nature:
Kedarnath Dham has about 22 thousand feet high Kedar on one side, 21 thousand 600 feet high Kharchkund on the other side and 22 thousand 700 feet high Bharatkund mountain on the third side. Not only 3 mountains but there is also a confluence of 5 rivers here - Mandakini, Madhuganga, Kshirganga, Saraswati and Swarngauri. Mandakini, a tributary of Alaknanda, is still present in these rivers.
Kedareshwar Dham is on its side. There is heavy snow in winter and tremendous water in rain. No one knows when the cloud will burst here and when there will be a flood.
7. Kedarnath and Rameshwaram temples are built on one line:
The Kedarnath temple is believed to be built in line with the Rameswaram temple. In between the above two temples are Kaleswara (Telangana), Srikalahasti Temple (Andhra), Ekambareswara Temple (Tamil Nadu), Arunachal Temple (Tamil Nadu), Thillai Nataraja Temple (Chidambaram) and Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu). These Shivlings represent the five elements.
8. Kedarnath will disappear:
According to the predictions of the Puranas, the places of pilgrimage in this entire region will disappear. It is believed that the day Nar and Narayan mountains meet, the path to Badrinath will be completely closed and devotees will not be able to visit Badrinath. According to the Puranas, the present Badrinath Dham and Kedareshwar Dham will disappear and after years a new pilgrimage named 'Bhavishya Badri' will emerge in the future.
By Air:Jolly Grant is the nearest airport to Kedarnath which is located at a distance of 238 kms. Jolly Grant Airport is well connected to Delhi with daily flights.
Gaurikund is well connected by motorable roads with Jolly Grant Airport. Taxis are easily available from Jolly Grant Airport to Gaurikund.
By Train:Rishikesh is the nearest railway station to Kedarnath. Rishikesh Railway Station is located 216 km before Kedarnath on NH58. Rishikesh is well connected by railway network with major destinations of India. Trains to Rishikesh are frequent.
Gaurikund is well connected with Rishikesh by motorable roads. Taxis and buses are easily available from Rishikesh to Gaurikund.
By Road:Gaurikund is the point where the road to Kedarnath ends and an easy trek of 14 km begins. Gaurikund is well connected by motorable roads to major destinations in Uttarakhand and northern states of India.
Buses are available from ISBT Kashmere Gate in Delhi to Rishikesh and Srinagar. Gaurikund is situated on National Highway 109 which connects Rudraprayag to Kedarnath.
What to see in Kedarnath Dham?
1. Kedarnath Temple:
The grand and impressive structure of Lord Shiva's temple is made of slate stone. The steep climb up to 14 km from Gauri Kund is full of abundant beauty of nature.
The paved and steep path gifts the pilgrims a spectacular view of snowy peaks, alpine meadows and idyllic forests. A large stone idol of Nandi the bull guards the temple, sitting right in front of it. There is a sanctum sanctorum which houses the primary idol (pyramid shaped rock) of Lord Shiva. The idols of Lord Krishna, Pandavas, Draupadi and Kunti find place in the mandapa section of the temple.
The temple has withstood natural calamities like avalanches, earthquakes and floods for thousands of years and is still as strong and grand as it must have been originally.
With the onset of winter, the temple doors are closed on the first day of Kartik (October/November) amid elaborate rituals, and a movable image of Shiva is shifted to the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath (Rudraprayag district) goes. The Shiva idol is welcomed back and the temple is reopened after 6 months in the Vaishakh (April/May) period of the Hindu calendar.
2. Bhairav Temple:
In the temple complex, on the south side, is another ancient and important temple. It is dedicated to Bhairav Nath, who is believed to guard the temple complex when the temple is closed during the winter season.
3. Shankaracharya Samadhi:
The samadhi of Adiguru Shankaracharya is situated near the Kedarnath temple. Sri Shankaracharya was a famous Hindu saint who traveled far and wide to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta. It is believed that he renovated the Kedarnath temple in the 8th century and established the four monasteries.
According to folklore, he started his journey from Jyotirmath Ashram in Badrinath and then came to Kedarnath mountains and made his last stop. According to folklore, Shankaracharya had taken samadhi at the young age of 32 after discovering the pilgrimage places of Hindus i.e. Chardham.
4. Chorabari Tal:
Chorabari Tal is a small lake with crystal clear water. Chorabari Tal is also known as Gandhi Sarovar as it is situated at the mouth of Chorabari Bamak Glacier. Gandhi Sarovar is situated at the foothills of Kedarnath and Kirti Stambh peaks at an altitude of 3,900 meters above sea level.
5. Vasuki Tal:
Vasuki Tal or Vasuki Tal is a high glacial lake located at an impressive height of 14,200 feet above sea level in Kedarnath Dham, Uttarakhand. Brahma Kamal and other Himalayan flowers can be seen blooming around the serene lake, making the aura divine.
6. Gaurikund:
Gaurikund is the starting point for the 16 kilometer trek to the holy shrine of Kedarnath. It is situated at an altitude of 1,982 meters above sea level. The place is named after Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva and a temple of Gauri is also situated here.
7. Rudra Cave:
Located at a distance of one and a half kilometers from the Kedarnath temple complex, Rudra Cave is an underground meditation cave built by the Nehru Mountaineering Institute and a part of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam's guest house chain.
The cave is built across the river Mandakini and provides facilities for a peaceful spiritual practice at the holy site of Kedarnath.
Best time to visit:
The best time to visit Kedarnath Temple is from April/May to June and from September to October/November.
(Monsoons are prone to landslides and floods while winters are prone to heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures.)
