The Celestial Jyotirlingam-Amidst the remarkable mountain capes with the majestic Kedarnath variety stands one from the twelve 'Jyotirlingas' of Kedar or Lord Shiva. Lying at an altitude of 3,584 meters. on the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath temple is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for your Hindus.

Kedarnath Yatra is a majestic sight, standing inside the middle of a broad plateau surrounded by lofty snow-covered peaks. The current temple, built in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the website of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The interior walls of the assembly hall are adorned with figures of several deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the Kedarnath temple door, a significant statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisite architecture of Kedarnath temple is said to be a lot more than one thousand years outdated. Built of incredibly huge, heavy, and evenly reduce grey slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs were dealt with in the previous days. The Kedarnath temple features a "Garbha Griha" for worship along with a Mandap apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation within the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva kind.

Location

Kedarnath is located in the Uttarkashi district in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Quite close to the Indo-Chinese border, it's the source of the Mandakini River. It is couched within the scenic locales with the Garhwal Himalayas at 3583 meters above sea level. It is very chilly inside in the winter with the floor being coated with snow. Within the summers, the mercury barely crosses the 20°C mark.

The location encounters about 150 cm of rainfall for the duration of the monsoons and so the best time for you to go is between Might and October. Kedarnath is near to Rishikesh (234 km) and Dehradun (250 km).

History

According to legend, Lord Shiva wished to elude the Pandavas, who had arrived to look for penitence for possessing killed their kin in the battle of Kurukshetra. He took refuge in Kedarnath in the form of a bull. Bhima, 1 of the Pandava brothers, found Shiva among a herd of cattle. Having discovered the meanest and most arrogant in the herd Shiva, Bhima is said to possess grabbed him with the hindquarters. What remains in the shrine in Kedarnath is the rear finish of the bull, using the relaxation of its body scattered throughout the Garhwal. Shiva dived into the ground leaving at the rear a hump on the surface at. This conical protrusion is worshipped as the idol. It's the major site of the Panch Kedar temples.

There are 4 Other Kedar

• Madhyamaheshwar
• Tungnath
• Kalpeshwar
• Rudranath

3 of these (barring Kalpeshwar) are in mountain meadows at higher altitudes than Kedarnath.