Kedarnath
Location
Kedarnath is located in Uttarkashi district of Uttaranchal.
The Pilgrimage
Kedarnath Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas (Holiest Shiva Temples),
has been one of the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus. The shrine of
Kedarnath is located amidst the dramatic mountainscapes of the majestic
Kedarnath range. The temple is at an altitude of 3584 mts on the head of
river Mandakini. To reach the temple, one has to climb 14 Km high
Kedarnath Mountain. Theres no other way of reaching the temple. The
exquisitely architectured Kedarnath temple is considered to be more than
1000 years old. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut grey
slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs had been
handled in the earlier days. The temple is in typical Hindu style,
containing a "Garbha Griha" (Sanctum Sanctorum), a Mandap, and
the idol of Shiva. The best time to visit the place is during summers
(April to September), as for rest of the year the temple shrine is
covered in snow.
History and Myths
The temple finds its mention from the times of Mahabharata. It is said
that after the historic war between Pandavas and Kauravas got over, the
Pandavas felt guilty of killing there brothers. They decided to seek
blessings from lord Shiva. But Shiva was not in a mood to meet them. He
sat on his bull and took refuge on the mountain. On being followed, he
dived into the ground, leaving behind his hump on the surface. His body
got divided into parts, which fell at different places. At Kedarnath,
his hump was left and is worshipped as the idol in the shrine. The
remaining portions of Lord Shiva are worshipped at four other places -
the arms (bahu) at Tungnath, mouth (mukh) at Rudranath, navel (nabhi) at
Madmaheshwar and hair (jata) at Kalpeshwar. Together with Kedarnath,
these places are known as the Panch Kedar.
Religious Associations
The temple of Kedarnath is one of the most sacred temples of Hindus. It
was here, when Shankaracharya, after estabilishing Char Dhams in India,
came to Kedarnath and took Samadhi, at an early age of 32. The original
temple is supposed to be constructed by Pandavas, during pre-historic
times. Some of the major festivals celebrated here are Makar Sankranti
(Jan.), Basant Panchmi (Feb.), Shivaratri (Feb.), Nandasthmi (Mar.),
Mata Murti (Sept.), Lekhpal (Sept.), Dusshera (Oct.) and Deepawali
(Nov.). The temple has a very unique feature. It is said that one will
not be blessed completely by Shiva, untill the pilgrim goes to the
Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. At the time his body got
defragmented, a major portion of his body fell at the site of
Pashupatinath Temple, which is why it becomes mandatory for the pilgrims
to pay homage at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.
Access
The temple of Kedarnath can be reached only by trekking the mountain of
14 Km height. Horses are available to take the pilgrims. Nearest airport
is the Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, at 251 Km. The nearest major
railheads are Rishikesh (234 Km) and Kotdwar (260 Km). From these
points, one can take taxis or buses to reach Gaurikund, the base of
Kedarnath Temple. Some important distances are: Sonprayag 20 km,
Guptkashi 49 km, Rudraprayag 92 km, Ukhimath 59 km, Chopta 89 km, Mandal
117 km and Chamoli 138 km.
Accommodations
Small hotels, motels and ashrams at Gaurikund are available to provide
comfortable stay. Near the temple, there are some private hotels and
guest houses. The food served here is pure vegetarian and consumption of
non-vegetarian food and alcohol is strictly prohibited.
