Kedarnath

“Om Namah Shivay” 

Lord Shiva is considered the embodiment of all passions – love, hatred, fear, death and mysticism which are expressed through his various forms. Kedar meaning is another name of Lord Shiva the protector and destroyer. 

Kedarnath Dham is one of the most paramount locations for worshipers of Lord Shiva. It is the highest among all Jyotir Lingams in Indian subcontinent dedicated to God of Gods, Lord Shiva. The air appears to be reverberating with the name of Lord Shiva amid the mighty snow-clad peaks enchanting meadows and forests of the lower mountain range of Himalayas. Situated in a breathtaking location near the source of River Mnadakini and the height of 3,584 meters above sea level, Kedarnath Dham celebrates the greatness of Lord Shiva. Kedarnath temple is one of the the 12 Jyotir Lingams and also the most important among the Panch Kedars (5 temples of Lord Shiva in Garhwal Himalyas). It is located in Rudraprayag distric of Uttarakhand State (India). It is believed that Lord Shiva is substantiated in the figure of Jyotilingam which is also called as the cosmic light.

Legend behind Kedarnath: At the time Mahabharata, Pandavas fought battle fought battle with Kaurvas that led to death of many soldiers, animals and destruction of families. Burdened with the guilt of killing blood relatives and other humans, Pandavas sought Lord Shiva to absolve themselves of their sins. Lord Shiva didn’t want to appear in front of them easily, and disguised himself as a bull to roam in Garhwal Himalayas. On being discovered by Pandavas, Lord Shiva dived into the ground. Bhim (one of the strongest muscular brother among Panadava) tried to catch him and could only get hold of the hump. Other body parts of Lord Shiva (in the form of bull), came up at different places. Hump of the bukk was found in Kedarnath, navel emerged at Madhya Maheshwar, two forelegs appeared at Tungnath, face appeared at Rudranath and hair came up at Kalpeshwar. Together these five sacred places are called Panch Kedar. It is believed that originally Pandavas built the temple of Kedarnath. The present temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya who restored and revived the glory of shrine.

How to reach: Back in the days people only used to walk all the way from their region. Today, the temple can be reached by travelling 18 km approximate uphill from Guarikund, another religious site. One can take the help pre-arranged horses and ponies to get there too. Today, one can even take helicopter charters to this place. As per the national highway, you can travel by road till Somprayag where you have to go through registration and receive guidance from local authorities.

 Kedarnath Temple is replate with a quaint and divine atmosphere that will surely leave you in awe when you will visit it. This has been one of the rewered temples of Hindus and followers of Lord Shiva and is a part of the divine Char Dham pilgrimage and thats all makes it so special to explore. So, when you are experiencing the bliss amidst the temple, make sure that you lose yourself in the serenity that it has and let yourself carried away by the heavenly aura this temple has.