Gopinath temple is a famous shrine situated in Gopeshwar in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is visited by large number of devotees and pilgrims.
Know more about Gopinath Temple in Gopeshwar
The temple was erected somewhere around 9th and 11th century by the affluent Katyuri kings. The inscriptions present on the divine trident placed in the temple dates back to the 12th century. After Panch Kedar shrines, this is the most famous and revered Shiva temple in Uttarakhand.
Architecture of Gopinath temple resembles that of other Shiva temples in Uttarakhand such as Kedarnath and Tungnath. The temple architecture consists of a large central dome which constitutes sanctum sanctorum. Sayambhu Shivling, which is known as Gopinath, is placed inside the sanctum sanctorum and has 24 doors. The famous Shiva’s trident 5m long is placed in the temple’s courtyard. One can also find partially damaged idols in temple premises.
According to the legend, the trident in the temple courtyard belongs to Lord Shiva. Shiva hurled his trident in order to kill Kamadeva (God of Love) when the latter tried to disrupt Lord Shiva’s meditation. The trident got fixed in that spot and has been there ever since. It is believed that only a slightest touch of a true devotee can shake the trident which otherwise remains unmoved even with brute force.
Another belief is that when Lord Shiva turned Kamadeva into ashes, his wife Rati did penance at Gopeshwar. Pleased with her devotion, Lord Shiva assured her that her husband would come back to life.
For six months, Gopinath temple becomes the winter shrine of Rudranath ji.
Gopinath Temple is located in In Gopeshwar ( near GMVN guest house and Kund Colony).
Gopinath temple in Gopeshwar is located between Badrinath - Kedarnath route, just 10 kms from the Chamoli town. Gopeshwar is well connected via roads with major cities in Uttarakhand such as Rishikesh , Dehradun and Haridwar. One can also hire taxis and cabs to reach Gopeshwar. Nearest railway station is located at Rishikesh some, 220 kms away. Jolly Grant in Dehradun, is the nearest airport which is 258 kms away from the Gopeshwar.
Gopinath Temple is popular place for following activities/ interests - Religious, Shiva Temples, Temples.
