Kedarnath Temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India. Kedarnath is one of the most revered and sacred Hindu temples in India. The temple is the tallest of the 12 Jyotirling’s, situated at an altitude of 3,583 meters and is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva. Kedarnath Temple is situated amidst the snow-capped and high mountains that flow in front of the Mandakini River. It is visited by lakhs of devotees every year due to its religious importance and purity.
Temple opening hours:
With the onset of winter, the temple doors are closed on the first day of Kartik (October/November) amid elaborate rituals, and a movable idol of Shiva is transferred to the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath (Rudraprayag district). The idol of Shiva is welcomed back and the temple is reopened after 6 months in the Vaishakh (April/May) period of the Hindu calendar. The date of opening of the doors of Kedarnath Dham will be decided on the occasion of Shivratri in Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath, while the doors of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham traditionally open on Akshaya Tritiya.
The authenticity and serenity of this place is incomparable.
Other places of interest:
Gaurikund
It is the starting point of the trek towards Kedarnath temple. According to a legend, Goddess Parvati meditated here to marry Bhagwan Shiva. It consists of natural hot springs and offers a bath to the pilgrims before commencing the holy darshan of Kedareshwar (Kedar, Bhagwan of Shiva).
There is also an ancient Gauri Devi temple here. There is a temple of Sirkata (headless) Ganesha at a distance of half a kilometer from Gauri Kund. According to the Skanda Purana, this was the place where Shiva beheaded Ganesha and then applied the head of an elephant to the headless body.
Bhairav Temple
There is another ancient and important temple on the south side of the temple complex. It is dedicated to Bhairav Nath, who is believed to guard the temple premises when the temple is closed during the winter season.
During winters from November to May, the Bhagwan is shifted from Kedarnath temple to Ukhimath and is worshiped there. Kedar is another name for Bhagwan Shiva, the protector and destroyer, and it is believed that a visit to Kedarnath confers salvation.
The present Kedarnath temple is believed to have been rebuilt by Adi Shankaracharya, initially built by the Pandavas thousands of years ago out of huge stone on a large rectangular platform.
There is a sanctum sanctorum which houses the primary idol (pyramid-shaped rock) of Bhagwan Shiva. The idols of Bhagwan Krishna, Pandavas, Draupadi and Kunti find a place in the mandap 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 elegant as it was originally supposed to be.
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