Kedarnath
Temple
is a Hindu temple dedicated
to God Shiva. It is in the Garhwal
hills near theMandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of
April (Akshaya Tritriya) to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon, usually
November).
The temple is one of the twelve
Jyotirlinga’s of Lord Shiva. It is not
directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 14 kilometres uphill
trek from Gaurikund. Pony service is available to reach
the temple. The temple was built by Pandavas and
revived by Adi Sankaracharyaand is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of
Shiva. Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath.
The temple is at an
height of 11,755 ft and 223 km from Rishikesh, is an impressive stone edifice of
unknown date. The structure is believed to have been constructed in the 8th
century AD, when Adi Shankara visited. The present structure is on a site
adjacent to where Pandavas are believed to have built the temple It has on Garbhagriha and a Mandapa
and stands on a plateau surrounded by snow clad mountain and glaciers. In front
of the temple, directly opposite to inner shrine, is a Nandi statue carved out
of rock.
It is believed that Kedarnath Dham is the
place where Lord Shiva absolved Pandavas from the sin of killing their own
cousins Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra war. There is an interesting
Story behind the Town and its temple. According to the Puranas, the Pandava
brothers did a major penance in Kedarnath to please Lord Shiva.
Earlier the temple
was built by Pandavas and Present temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya. Just
Behind the temple you will seen samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya.
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| 19th century Kedarnath temple |
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| Kedarnath ji temple at present |
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| Heavenly sight among snow peak miuntains |
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