Kedarnath Dham

kedarnath-dham

Kedarnath Dham is situated in a breathtaking location near the milky white Mandakini River. At an astonishing height of 3,583 meters, Kedarnath is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.

The Kedarnath Dham celebrates the greatness of Lord Shiva. Kedarnath temple is one of the 12 Jyotir Lingams and is also the most renowned temple among the Panch Kedar.

Panch Kedar is a group of 5 Shiva temples in the Garhwal Himalayas. These temples’ names are Kedarnath, Tungnath, Madhyamaheswar, Rudranath, and Kalpeswar.

About Kedarnath Dham Yatra in 2023

Some major facts and information about Kedarnath Dham.

  • Deity: Kedarnath, Lord of Kedar Khand (Shiva)
  • District: Rudraprayag
  • State: Uttarakhand (India)
  • Elevation / Height: 3,583m (11,755 ft)
  • Visitors / Year: 10 Lakh visitors in 2019 (more than 7 Lakh people visited Kedarnath in just the first 45 days.)

Kedarnath temple is one of the most spiritual locations for worshipers of Shiva. The air appears to be chanting the mantra with the name of Lord Shiva amid the mighty snowy peaks, enchanting meadows, and lush green forests of the lower mountain range of the Northern Himalayas.

It is also one of the important temples of the sacred Chota Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, raising the glory of the place to further heights.

Kedarnath Stories:

How to reach Kedarnath Dham?

kedarnath-trek
Image Source – SacredYatra.com

Accessible from major destinations of Uttarakhand. The motorable road towards Kedarnath temple reaches Gauri Kund.

After that one has to take a 14 km trek towards Kedarnath temple.

Ponies and Palakies (Doli) are easily available there. There are Helicopter Services in Kedarnath also. If there are old age people in your family then Heli Service is the best option for them. They can hire Helicopter Services during the peak season of the yatra.

The hard journey to the great shrine of Shiva is a good mix of the spiritual atmosphere and adventurous location. This beauty is created by the peaceful and loaded with devotion and splendid beauty of the region.

The glorious Kedarnath peak (6,940 meters) stands behind the temple along with other peaks, forming a perfect setting for the sacred land of the supreme deity (Mahadev).

The conical-shaped (hump of Shiva’s bull form) Shiva lingam in the Kedarnath temple is a unique feature of the temple among all Shiva Temples.

Set on the coast of the sacred Mandakini River, Kedarnath Temple is one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. In Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.

This sacred temple remains open during Kedarnath Yatra, between the Akshay Tritiya to Kartik Purnima.

Devotees pay tribute to Lord Shiva as the Lord of Kedar Khand (once the name of this region). It is said that this structure was re-constructed by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century.

Char Dham Distance from Delhi:

Legend Behind Kedarnath Dham

kedarnath-dham
Kedarnath Dham

There are so many stories and legends about Kedarnath Temple. As per the legends, after the battle of Mahabharata, Pandava and their queen Draupadi arrived at Guptkashi in the region of Kedar Khand.

The purpose of their visit is to get the blessings & forgiveness of Lord Shiva and to wash away their sins of killing their own relatives. However, Lord Shiva did not want to appear in front of them. And thus he took the form of Nandi the bull and hide in a group of cattle.

Bhima (one of the Pandav brothers) identified him. While the cattle were returning to their habitats, Bhima stood by stretching his legs over two huge rocks and made allow cattle to pass under his legs.

Lord Shiva tried to escape and started Sneak in himself into the earth. Bheema tried hard to catch the bull but Only the hump was caught, Bhima. On this, Lord Shiva became happy & impressed and appeared in front of Pandavas. Therefore, the hump of the bull is worshiped at Kedarnath.

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