Kedarnath - Char Dham Yatra, Uttarakhand

Kedarnath Temple

The magnificent temple of Kedarnath (3581 m) one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is dedicated to Sadashiva, a form of Lord Shiva, is situated in Garhwal Himalayas (Rudraprayag district). While huge statue of Nandi stands in the court yard, the images of Pandavas and Droupadi are skillfully carved on the wall of the temple. There are number of 'Kund' in Kedarnath Peeth. Shiv Kund is the prominent one. Rudhir Kund is known because of water being of red colour. 'Purandar Parvat' divides the area around Kedamath temple which are known as 'Narayan Kshetra' and 'Sakambhari Kshetra'. Some other places of pilgrimage are Tungnath, Rudranath and Kalpnath. The whole Kedamath valley (2 km x 1/2 km) is surrounded by snow covered peaks from three sides and it lends a unique setting to this divine place. Mandakini glaciers and Gandhi Sarovars are only few kilometers away from Kedamath.

According to legends, the shrine of Kedamath was built by Pandavas after Mahabharat war. The present temple was built in 8th century AD by Adi Shankaracharya. It is believed that Sadashiv escaped from the clutches of Pandavas and took refuge here in the from of buffalo and finding himself hard pressed dived into the ground and left certain parts of his body at four other places along the Himalayan ranges i.e. the arms (Bahu) at Tungnath, the face (Mukh) at Rudranath, the belly (Nabhi) at Mad Maheshwar and the hair (lata) and head at Kalpeshwar. Together with Kedamath all these temples are called 'Panchkedar' and are worshipped by Hindu devotees during their pilgrimage.

Yamunotri | Gangotri | Kedarnath | Badrinath