Kedarnath Temple is one of the eminent pilgrimage destinations of India. This is another important holy town of Uttaranchal drawing thousands and thousands of pilgrims every year. At a height of 3,584 mts, Kedarnath is abode to one of the twelve major jyotirlings of Kedar or Lord Shiva in the country. The present temple of Kedarnath was built by Adi Guru Shankaracharya in 8th century adjacent to the site where Pandavas had built a temple. Kedarnath is also the derivation of River Mandakini. Kerdarnath is among the Chardhams, or the four pilgrimages which every Hindu must take to attain salvation. Kedarnath falls in the Rudraprayag district of Uttaranchal, the adjoining Chamoli district has more then 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva but Kedarnath, among them is the most revered.
The temple's the past dates back to the times of Mahabharata. The legend has it that Pandavas, after killing their brothers in the fight of Kurukshetra, wanted to seek blessings of Lord Shiva to atone their sins. However, Lord Shiva continually kept eluding them and kept fleeing from one place to another. During this time, he took the form of a bull and stayed in Kedarnath. While Pandavas followed him there, he made a dive towards the ground and left his hump there. This conical protrusion is worshipped as the idol. His other parts are worshipped at other places, arms at Tungnath, mouth at Rudranath, naval at Madmaheshwar and hair at Kalpeshwar. Together with Kedarnath these shrines are called Panch Kedar.
It is a mighty structure standing in the middle of a plateau with snow covered peaks on the periphery. The temple is supposed to be more then 1000 years old. The structural design of the temple is exquisite, the walls are overstated with scenes from mythological stories and images of deities. The temple also has a 'Garbha Griha' for assemblies and a 'Mandap' for gatherings. Large slabs of grey stones form the temple; it is a matter of surprise that such a structure was built so many years ago without any technology. Amidst the mountains capes of the majestic Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve ' Jyotirlingas' of Kedar or Lord shiva. Lying at an altitude of 3.581 mts. Above sea level on the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus.
May to October. The Rest Six Months it is Closed Due to Extreme Weather Conditions.
Shankaracharya: Just behind the temple of Kedarnath rest Adi Guru Shankaracharya, his samadhi. People believe that Adi Guru Shankaracharya took samadhi at an early age of 32 after establishing the four pilgrimages or the Chardhams.
Vasuki Tal: This is a beautiful lake 6 kms from Kedarnath. Set in a picturesque setting, the clear waters of the lake are surrounded by lofty hills from all sides.
Gaurikund: The village has a temple dedicated to Gauri and hot water springs, it is the base for a trek to Kedarnath and serves as road head. The trekking to Kedarnath begins from Gaurikund.
Soneprayag: This is the meeting place of two important Himalayan rivers, river Son Ganga and river Mandakini.
Triyuginarayan: Mythology has it that the wedding of Shiva and Sati was solemnized here in the attendance of Lord Vishnu. Of special interest is an eternal fire, which never extinguishes. It is located at a distance of 4 kms on foot from Auli.
Guptkashi: Is well-known for the temples of Ardhnarishwar and Vishwanath, where the two streams of Ganga and Yamuna meet are the main attractions. Guptkashi, where Lord Shiva proposed to Parvati. Guptkashi has a great significance quite like that of Kashi.
By Air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, 251 kms from Kedarnath.
By Rail: The nearest railheads from Badrinath are at Rishikesh 221 kms and Kotadar 327 kms.
By Road: Rishikesh to kedarnath 223 kms, via Deoprayag: 70 kms, Rudraprayag: 34 kms, Shrinagar: 35 kms, Tilwara: 9 kms, Agastyamuni: 10 kms, Sonprayag: 3 kms, Kund: 15 kms, Gaurikund: 5 kms, Sri Kedarnath: 3 kms, Garurchatti: 4 kms and Rambara: 7 kms.
We provide you exclusively designed and prepared tour packages for the almost all tourists cities of India with best possible combination with different cities, towns and states of India. You are also free to make your own itinerary, just let us know your preference of destination, nos of days for travel, travel period; preference of hotel category and no. of persons and mail to us, our professional team will work out most ideal tour packages for a scintillating and memorable tour plan for you with detailed services. To select your tour, please check the option of various tours, please visit at: http://www.india- tourism.net/itineraries.htm and to justify our credibility please check experience of our guests who toured to India with our services: http://www.india-tourism.net/testimonials.htm
Design your tour with our expertise Plan My Trip
