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Kedarnath
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.
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