Kedarnath Temple (Uttarakhand)
The interiors of the Kedarnath temple are
exquisitely carved with image. It was at
Kedarnath, narrates the epic Mahabharat,
that Yudhishthir, the eldest of the Pandav
brothers, departed to Heaven.
Kedarnath Temple (Uttarakhand) Hindu Temples
Pilgrims traditionally first visit
Yamunotri and Gangotri and bring with them the holy waters from
the sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga and offer abhishekams
to Kedareshwara. The traditional pilgrim route is Haridwar - Rishikesh
- Devaprayag - Tehri - Dharasu - Yamunotri - Uttar Kashi - Gangotri
- Triyugnarayan - Gowrikund and Kedarnath. Alternatively, the route
to Kedar from Rishikesh is via Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag
and Ukhimath. Near Kedarnath is the source of the river Mandakini.
Mandakini joins Alakananda at Rudraprayag. Kedarnath is situated
set amidst in the stunning mountainscape of the Gharwal Himalayas
at the head of the Mandakini River,of Uttar Kashi district of the
northern state of Uttaranchal. Kedarnath is amongst the holiest
pilgrimages for the devout Hindu. Kedarnath is a shrine, dedicated
to Lord Shiva, the protector & the destroyer, situated 92 kms
from Rudraprayag, at an altitude of 3,581 m above sea level. The
shrine of Kedarnath is one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva
and also is one of the 4 sacred dhams of Uttaranchal. It is a scenic
spot set against a backdrop of the Kedarnath range of mountains.
The temple is more than 1000 years old.
Architecture
Situated at an elevation of 3,580 m (11,750 ft), this celebrated
Hindu pilgrimage spot in the high Himalayas is dedicated to Shiva.
An imposing sight standing in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded
by snow covered peaks. The temple faces south, which is an unique
feature, as most temples face east. This temple is very solidly
built. The Kedarnath Temple is believed to have been built by the
Pandavas and is almost 1000 years old. The present temple built
in 18th century A.D. by Adi Guru Shankaracharya lies adjacent to
the site of an ancient temple built by Pandavas. The inner walls
of the assembly hall are decorated with fixtures of various deities
and scenes from mythology. Built of extremely large heavy and evenly
cut gray Slavs of stones. It evokes wonder as to how these heavy
Slavs had been handled in the earlier days. The enternce of the
temple has a Conical lingam- the main idol, a statue of Nandi -
the celestial bull of Shiva, a 'Garbha Griha' for worship and a
mandap for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation
inside the temple is worshipped as lord Shiva in his sadashiva form.
Inside the temple there is an irregular three-faced linga, representing
the hump of Lord Siva when he took the form of a bull. It is about
9 ft long, 3 feet wide, and 4 feet high. Pilgrims are allowed to
touch the linga, perform worship, abhishika (bath), and massage
the linga with ghee. There are deities of goddess Parvati and Ganesh
in front of the main altar door. Outside the second door are Lord
Krishna, the five Pandavas, their wife Draupadi, and their mother,
Kunti. In the temple is a Laksmi-Narayana Deity which was installed
by Adi Sankaracarya. Outside the temple door a large statue of the
Nandi bull stands as guard.
The interiors of the Kedarnath temple are exquisitely carved with
image. It was at Kedarnath, narrates the epic Mahabharat, that Yudhishthir,
the eldest of the Pandav brothers, departed to Heaven. Another legend
has it that the Pandavas of the Mahabharat epic underwent severe
penance's here to atone the killings of their kith and kin in the
great battle of Kurukshetra and so established this shrine. The
present temple is credited to Sri Shankaracharya while the remains
of an earlier structure, believed to belong to the Pandava age,
are seen behind this temple. The temple of Sri Kedarnath is visited
by hundreds of devotes every year. According to a belief, Shankaracharya,
the great philosopher, died here in about 820. Despite the antiquity
of the site, the Kedareshvara temple here is of recent date. The
sanctuary is contained within an unadorned curved tower with shallow
projections and a timber roof at the summit. The projecting mandapa
is gabled; its facade displays bands of curved ornamentation and
decorated niches. Along with Badrinath, it is famous among the Hindus
as one of their four prime pilgrimage centers. The structure of
the temple is much like other temples in Uttaranchal. There is a
large Nandi facing the main entrance. Inside the temple is a rectangular
space with railings around it. All along the wall there are niches
in which there are idols of the Pancha Pandavas, Parvati, Lakshmi
& Narada. A small archway and a short flight of stairs lead
to the deity. The method of worshipping is also unique. One is supposed
to try to grab the large conical stone with both hands and embrace
it. It is cold and damp in the confined space and during darshan
time there is a fervent rush to embrace this Ashutosh linga. Outside
at the north-east corner is a small temple of Ishaneshwar Mahadev.
Legend
According to one such legend Goddess Parvati worshipped Kedareswar
to unite with Lord Shiva as Ardhanareshwar. Another such legend
has it that Nar and Narayan, the two incarnations of Lord Vishnu
practised severe penances at Badrikashram in front of a Shivalingam.
When Lord shiva gave them the divine appearance, they requested
him to make Kedareshwar his permanent abode. Lord Shiva thus manifessted
himself in the form of Jyotirlingam. Myths and legends coupled with
the enehanting beauty of the Rudra Himalaya range gives this place
a pristine beauty. It is believed that Arjuna, one of the Panch
Pandavas worshipped Lord Shiva to attain the divine weapon, Pasupataastra.
After winning the Kurukshetra war, The pandavas after having won
over the kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having
killed their own brothers & sought the blessings of Lord Shiva
for redemption. In order to seek salvation from the sins of war,
they sought the advice of their mentor, Krishna. Krishna advised
them to worship Shiva. Pandavas searched for Lord Shiva in the Shivalik
mountains in the Tehri - Garhwal region.
Shiva led them to this site and here, assumed the form of Bull and
started grazing amongst the cattle. The Pandavas devised a ruse,
to seek Shiva, who had hidden himself amidst a flock of cattle.
At dusk, when the cattle were taken back to their shelters, Bhim
gigantic in stature , strongest and courageous of Pandavas stretched
his legs across the mountains so that cattle could pass through
his legs. As suspected, Shiva, in bull form refused to do so and
instead sank himself into the earth. Realising quickly that this
was the play of Shiva, Bhim bent downwards and could catch hold
of the hump (back portion of the bull). Shiva, pleased with the
determination of Pandavas, blessed them and granted them salvation
from their sins. The hump, in conical form, is worshipped as Shiva
(in the form of a Shivalingam).
How To Reach
Airport : Jolly Grant, Dehradun ( 246 kms.)
Rail head : Rishikesh (229 kms.) Kotdwar (260 kms.)
Road : Approachable on foot (14 kms.) from gaurikund, which is connected by road to Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Dehradun, Haridwar and other important hill stations of Garhwal and kumaon region
Other links
Hindu Temples in India
temples
Uttarakhand