Kedarnath Temple
केदारनाथ धाम
📍 Kedarnath, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
High in the Garhwal Himalaya at about 3,580 m, near the source of the Mandakini, Kedarnath is the loftiest of the Jyotirlingas. It is also one of Uttarakhand's Chhota Char Dham.
गढ़वाल हिमालय में लगभग 3,580 मीटर की ऊँचाई पर — सबसे ऊँचा ज्योतिर्लिंग और छोटा चार धाम।
इतिहास History
Tradition holds that the Pandavas first built a shrine here and that Adi Shankaracharya revived the present stone temple in the 8th century; his samadhi lies behind it. In winter the deity is worshipped at Ukhimath.
In the floods of June 2013 the town was devastated, but the temple stood. A great boulder, now revered as Bhim Shila, came to rest behind it and turned the water aside.
कथा The legend
After the Kurukshetra war, the Pandavas sought Shiva to atone for the bloodshed. Shiva avoided them by hiding as a bull. When Bhima recognised him, the bull dived into the earth, leaving its hump here; the other parts appeared at the shrines of the Panch Kedar.
दर्शनीय Don’t miss
- The trek of about 16 km from Gaurikund (ponies, palkis and helicopters available)
- Adi Shankaracharya's samadhi and statue
- Bhairavnath temple above the town
- Vasuki Tal and Chorabari Tal for the fit
उत्सव Festivals
मंदिर दर्शन Temple story
The secrets of Kedarnath, from our YouTube series.
▶ Watch all 18 Temple Stories on YouTube
Jyotirlinga yatra · next (12 of 12)Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga, Ellora→Photo: Shivam Kumar 766 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons