 Pilgrims traditionally first visit Yamunotri
and Gangotri and bring with them the holy waters from the
sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga and offer abhishekams
to Kedareshwara. The traditional pilgrim route is Haridwar
- Rishikesh - Devaprayag - Tehri - Dharasu - Yamunotri - Uttar
Kashi - Gangotri - Triyugnarayan - Gowrikund and Kedarnath.
Alternatively, the route to Kedar from Rishikesh is via Devprayag,
Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath. Near Kedarnath is the
source of the river Mandakini. Mandakini joins Alakananda
at Rudraprayag. Kedarnath is situated set amidst in the stunning
mountainscape of the Gharwal Himalayas at the head of the
Mandakini River,of Uttar Kashi district of the northern state
of Uttaranchal. Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimages
for the devout Hindu. Kedarnath is a shrine, dedicated to
Lord Shiva, the protector & the destroyer, situated 92
kms from Rudraprayag, at an altitude of 3,581 m above sea
level. The shrine of Kedarnath is one of the 12 jyotirlingas
of Lord Shiva and also is one of the 4 sacred dhams of Uttaranchal.
It is a scenic spot set against a backdrop of the Kedarnath
range of mountains. The temple is more than 1000 years old.
Architecture
Situated at an elevation of 3,580 m (11,750 ft), this celebrated
Hindu pilgrimage spot in the high Himalayas is dedicated to
Shiva.An imposing sight standing in the middle of a wide plateau
surrounded by snow covered peaks. The temple faces south,
which is an unique feature, as most temples face east. This
temple is very solidly built. The Kedarnath Temple is believed
to have been built by the Pandavas and is almost 1000 years
old. The present temple built in 18th century A.D. by Adi
Guru Shankaracharya lies adjacent to the site of an ancient
temple built by Pandavas. The inner walls of the assembly
hall are decorated with fixtures of various deities and scenes
from mythology. Built of extremely large heavy and evenly
cut gray Slavs of stones. It evokes wonder as to how these
heavy Slavs had been handled in the earlier days.The enternce
of the temple has a Conical lingam- the main idol, a statue
of Nandi - the celestial bull of Shiva, a 'Garbha Griha' for
worship and a mandap for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors.
A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as
lord Shiva in his sadashiva form. Inside the temple there
is an irregular three-faced linga, representing the hump of
Lord Siva when he took the form of a bull. It is about 9 ft
long, 3 feet wide, and 4 feet high. Pilgrims are allowed to
touch the linga, perform worship, abhishika (bath), and massage
the linga with ghee. There are deities of goddess Parvati
and Ganesh in front of the main altar door. Outside the second
door are Lord Krishna, the five Pandavas, their wife Draupadi,
and their mother, Kunti. In the temple is a Laksmi-Narayana
Deity which was installed by Adi Sankaracarya. Outside the
temple door a large statue of the Nandi bull stands as guard.
The interiors of the Kedarnath temple are exquisitely carved
with image. It was at Kedarnath, narrates the epic Mahabharat,
that Yudhishthir, the eldest of the Pandav brothers, departed
to Heaven. Another legend has it that the Pandavas of the
Mahabharat epic underwent severe penance's here to atone the
killings of their kith and kin in the great battle of Kurukshetra
and so established this shrine. The present temple is credited
to Sri Shankaracharya while the remains of an earlier structure,
believed to belong to the Pandava age, are seen behind this
temple. The temple of Sri Kedarnath is visited by hundreds
of devotes every year. According to a belief, Shankaracharya,
the great philosopher, died here in about 820. Despite the
antiquity of the site, the Kedareshvara temple here is of
recent date. The sanctuary is contained within an unadorned
curved tower with shallow projections and a timber roof at
the summit. The projecting mandapa is gabled; its facade displays
bands of curved ornamentation and decorated niches. Along
with Badrinath, it is famous among the Hindus as one of their
four prime pilgrimage centers. The structure of the temple
is much like other temples in Uttaranchal. There is a large
Nandi facing the main entrance. Inside the temple is a rectangular
space with railings around it. All along the wall there are
niches in which there are idols of the Pancha Pandavas, Parvati,
Lakshmi & Narada. A small archway and a short flight of
stairs lead to the deity. The method of worshipping is also
unique. One is supposed to try to grab the large conical stone
with both hands and embrace it. It is cold and damp in the
confined space and during darshan time there is a fervent
rush to embrace this Ashutosh linga. Outside at the north-east
corner is a small temple of Ishaneshwar Mahadev.
Legend
According to one such legend Goddess Parvati worshipped Kedareswar
to unite with Lord Shiva as Ardhanareshwar. Another such legend
has it that Nar and Narayan, the two incarnations of Lord
Vishnu practised severe penances at Badrikashram in front
of a Shivalingam. When Lord shiva gave them the divine appearance,
they requested him to make Kedareshwar his permanent abode.
Lord Shiva thus manifessted himself in the form of Jyotirlingam.
Myths and legends coupled with the enehanting beauty of the
Rudra Himalaya range gives this place a pristine beauty. It
is believed that Arjuna, one of the Panch Pandavas worshipped
Lord Shiva to attain the divine weapon, Pasupataastra. After
winning the Kurukshetra war, The pandavas after having won
over the kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having
killed their own brothers & sought the blessings of Lord
Shiva for redemption. In order to seek salvation from the
sins of war, they sought the advice of their mentor, Krishna.
Krishna advised them to worship Shiva. Pandavas searched for
Lord Shiva in the Shivalik mountains in the Tehri - Garhwal
region.
Shiva led them to this site and here, assumed the form of
Bull and started grazing amongst the cattle. The Pandavas
devised a ruse, to seek Shiva, who had hidden himself amidst
a flock of cattle. At dusk, when the cattle were taken back
to their shelters, Bhim – gigantic in stature , strongest
and courageous of Pandavas stretched his legs across the mountains
so that cattle could pass through his legs. As suspected,
Shiva, in bull form refused to do so and instead sank himself
into the earth. Realising quickly that this was the play of
Shiva, Bhim bent downwards and could catch hold of the hump
(back portion of the bull). Shiva, pleased with the determination
of Pandavas, blessed them and granted them salvation from
their sins. The hump, in conical form, is worshipped as Shiva
(in the form of a Shivalingam).
Kedarnath including these four shrines is treated as Panch
Kedar :
Kedarnath : The hump or the hinder
part of the bull which was held by Bhim is worshipped as Lord
Shiva.
Maddhyamaheshvra : Nabhi or the middle-part of the bull is
worshipped as Lord Shiva. This is located at 21 kms from Ukhimath
– the abode for Lord Kedarnath during winter.
Tungnath : The Bahu or hand of
the bull is worshipped here as Lord Shiva. It is located enroute
to Badrinath and is 37 kms from Ukhimath, on a mountain in
between Chamouli and Ukkhimath.
Rudranath: The Mukh or the mouth
of the bull is worshipped as Lord Shiva here. It is about
19 kms from Mandal Chatti.
Kalpeshwar : The Jata or the hair
of the head of bull is worshipped as Lord Shiva. This place
is located about 8.7 kms from Helang, on the other side of
the river Alaknanda.
Places to see
Shankaracharya Samadhi
Located behind the Kedarnath Temple is the Samadhi or the
final resting place where the saint gave up his life.
Gaurikund (14 kms.)
The trekking base to Kedarnath. A temple dedicated to Gauri
and thermal springs of medicinal value are noteworthy.
Gandhi Sarovar
Gandhi Sarobar is a lake 1 kms from Kedarnath. The lake has
crystal clear water with ice floating on its surface. Vasuki
Tal is another lake situated at an altitude of 4,150 m, offering
an excellent view of the Chaukhamba peaks and other peaks
nearby.
The Bhairavnath temple
Situated to the south of the main temple of Kedarnath, is
dedicated to Lord Bhairav, the deity who guards the main temple
in winter when it is closed. The trekking base to Kedarnath
is at a distance of 15 km and is named Gauri Kund, where there
is temple dedicated to Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva. One
can also find thermal springs of medicinal value here. At
the confluence of the Son Ganga and Mandakani rivers is Son
Prayag, at a distance of 20 km from Kedarnath. During the
winters, the statue is carried to Ukhimath, and is reinstated
in Kedarnath in the month of May. The breathtaking view of
the Kedardome peak behind the temple is a major attraction.
Main Attraction
Held in the month of June, nothing could be a perfect manifestation
of Hindu religion and culture. The Badri Kedar festival is
held in the sacred shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath in the
month of June. The festivities go on for a stretch of eight
days. The festival makes an attempt to bring under one platform,
the greatest artists of the country.
Best Season
It is very cold in the winters with the ground being covered
with snow. During the winters, the shrine is submerged in
snow and hence is closed. The temple opens the first week
of May and closes either the last week of October. May-June
is the busiest time of the year. Worship of Sri Kedarnath
is continued at Okhimath in the winter by the priest from
the Kardarnath Temple. |
