kedarnath jyotirlinga temple

KEDARNATH  JYOTIRLINGA TEMPLE

Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus. It is set amidst the stunning mountainscape of the Garhwal Himalayas at the head of the Mandakini River. Kedar is another name of lord Shiva, the protector & the destroyer. Shiva is considered the embodiment of all passions - love, hatred, fear, death & mysticism which are expressed through his various forms.   Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas, of Lord Shiva, and one of the Panch Kedars. Mythology identifies the deity at Kedarnath temple, with the rump of a bull, a form assumed by Lord Shiva, when eluding the Pandavas, who had come for repentance for killing their kith and kin, in the great battle of Kurukshetra. When the Pandavas followed him to the site, he dived into the ground leaving behind a hump on the surface. This conical projection is worshipped as the idol in the shrine.

. It is believed that the temple of Kedarnath, was constructed by the Pandavas. At the entrance of the temple, is the statue of Nandi, the divine bull of Shiva. The wall inside the temple, is exquisitely carved with images, and the temple houses a shiva lingam, which unlike its usual form, is pyramidal.