Kedareshwar Temple, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, India

Kedareshwar Temple - The 11th Jyotirling

mahadriparshve cha tate ramantam sampujyamanam satatam munindraih |
surasurairyaa mahoragadhyaih kedaramisham shivamekamide ||

Kedarnath is one of the 4 Char Dham Hindu pilgrim centers in Uttarakhand, India. The town and the temple are open from May to October only to avoid heavy snowfall in winter. Specific dates are as per the Hindu Calendar and one needs to check for specific dates for each year. One can still visit when the town is shut down but one needs to be prepared for being on own amidst heavy snow fall. Gaurikund also shuts down in winter.

Kedareshwar Temple, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

How to Reach

New Route To Kedarnath 

               New Route To Kedarnath 

With the massive destruction during the 2013 floods in Kedarnath, the old route ( 14 km ) Gaurikund - RamBara - Kedarnath was completely washed off.

The Government has decided on a few alternate routes to reach Kedarnath. One of this proposed route is from Sonprayag.

The new route is likely to follow the Sonprayag - Gaurikund - RamBara - Lincholi - Kedarnath way. This route is around 20 km in length, passing over an altitude of over 13,000 feet. The work done on this route is in progress.

The New Route is as Follows :

•  Rudraprayag - Sonprayag

• Sonprayag - Munkatia - Gaurikund - RamBara - local shuttle service by Government of Uttarakhand.

• RamBara - Lincholi - Kedarnath - 9 km Trek ( ponies and doli available ).

• Government has made facilities for stay of 500 - 500 people at one time in Lincholi and Kedarnath.

Old Route To Kedarnath ( Presently Closed After 2013 Havoc ) 

• Kedarnath (about 3400 m high) is approachable on foot from Gaurikund (about 2900m high), which is connected by road to Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Dehradun, Haridwar and other important hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon region. Daily buses/taxis from Haridwar /Rishikesh/Dehradun ply during the pilgrim season (approx May to October) take you to Gauri Kund. The road ends here. Kedarnath is a steep 14 km trek from Gaurikund (horses and palanquins are available for hire). There is even a helicopter service during peak season, which is run by Pawan Hans Helicopter service.

• From Haridwar every day morning buses start to Gaurikund. Advance bookings can be made at GMOA (Garhwal Mandal owners Association) office in front of the railway station. It takes almost one full day journey to reach Gaurikund if there are no Landslides. Bus journey is very beautiful because most of the 240 kms is ghat road journey with many mountains around and river ganga following you through out the way.

• If you choose to drive your own vehicle, make sure it has good ground clearance as there are rocks strewn all over the route. A powerful engine will make life much easier. There are two parking lots just before Gaurikund (100m, 500m before Gaurikund). Getting space for private vehicles is tough, but can be managed after polite cajoling discussions with the caretakers. 5 km below Gaurikund, there is SonPrayag. There is fatak (gate) here to make sure vehicles move in one direction only from SonPrayag to Gaurikund. It ensures minimum traffic snarls, but adds 1-1.5 hrs to journey time should you end up on the stationary side. It would be advisable to park your vehicle at SonPrayag and hitch a ride to Gaurikund.

• As soon as you reach Gauri kund, the people who own mules will start asking you if you need a mule for trek to kedarnath. Don't commit anything to them. The going rates in 2012 are INR 500-800. Make sure your mule has been adequately rested before you start (it's a very steep climb) and that it has some experience of the route (mules run on autopilot if not controlled by the guide or you).

• Porters (pittheus in local language) are also available to carry your luggage up to Kedarnath and leave you free to walk up lighter. They can deliver to your hotel directly or walk with you.

• At Gaurikund, there are some privates guest houses to stay. GMVN guest house is usually the best option and bookings can be made online as well. You can also take a dip in the holy water from a hot spring. Its a great relief to take bath in hot water. Some may find it crowded.

• Kedarnath is 14kms from Gaurikund and you can choose to walk or take a mule. Older people take the ''doli'', which is carried by 4 hired people. If you can walk half a kilometer towards kedarnath you will find the office of booking mules and dolis. There will be plenty of people on the side ways asking you, if you need a mule. Its always better to book in that office because the mules which they give are good in health and strong.

• Once you start from Gaurikund, there is a concrete road to walk on and there is a small shop for every 200 meters where you can get some tea, chocolates, biscuits, maggi noodles etc., After 7kms , you reach a place called Rambara. There are couple of guest houses here to stay including one by GMVN. Most pilgrims take a  break here and eat some food and then resume the journey towards kedarnath. 

• The air gets thinner after Rambara and many people experience breathing trouble between Rambara and Kedarnath. This is particularly acute for people walking up. The ascent flattens out about a KM before Kedarnath. Thus, one climbs up about 1500 m in the 13 KM between Gaurikund and this point.

• The view is fantastic while moving towards temple but the dung of mules make you feel uncomfortable because of so many mules. Even though there are some people, who constantly clean the path, it still smells little bad. A good pair of binoculars would make the journey even more breath-taking.

Places To See 

The Temple itself is quite an exquisite example of stone work. Houses the lingam, a symbol of the Hindu God Shiva. The temple is located among astonishing mountain landscape surrounded by peaks that are over 6000 m in elevation.

 Behind the shrine lies Adi Shankaracharya's samadhi, where he is believed to have taken rest after establishing the four dhams at an early age of 32 years. At a visible distance from the shrine also lies an ancient Bhairav Temple, beyond which one comes out to green glades and tiny streams, fed by the surrounding (and approachable) glaciers.

Treks leading out from Kedarnath are strenuous. If one arrives here early in the season, glaciers blocking these routes would be a common occurrence - and quite risky since one can never tell the thickness of the ice.

Gandhi Sarovar (lake)   and the Chorabari Glacier that feeds the lake - lie the closest, at a distance of 3.5km, which makes for atleast an hour of trek. Gandhi Sarovar is named after Mahatma Gandhi as his ashes were immersed here. There is a very nice waterfall on the way. The glacier retreats by the end of the season whereas there is snow/ice all over the route early in the season.

Vasuki Tal  which is famous for its blue waters - is at 8km, and involves very difficult climb and crossing glaciers. It generally takes one 4-5 hours to reach there, so set out early.

Do

• Puja and aarti at the temple if you are a Hindu. Treks to the adjacent valleys will take you through untouched forests and desolate paths. Some pilgrims even take a dip in the icy waters of Mandakini.

Accommodation

• Many ashrams and dharamshalas provide cheap accommodation. There are also many private hotels and restaurants although most have only basic facilities. Also beware that Kedarnath can be extremely crowded during peak pilgrim season. In 2011, the going rates for private guest hotel rooms are in the range of INR 600-1000 for one day stay, with additional charges (INR 20-40) for each bucket of hot water. The state-run guest house is generally booked throughout, so arrive early if you want options. Its fairly empty in Sept - Oct and charges Rs 960 (in 2012) per night. It has provision for central heating and running hot water but neither really work.

Eat 

• Kedarnath is a strictly vegetarian place. There are a couple of restaurants (dhabas in local parlance), on the path leading straight up to the holy temple, which run from 4 AM to midnight and serve basic Indian food. Do not expect express standards of service or hygiene. Always choose cooked food, prefer boiled. An average meal costs around INR 100, though cheaper options are available.

Temple Timings and Rules

• The temple is closed from 3 PM to 5 PM so plan to be at temple before 3 PM. Before 3 PM, visitors can touch the idol and do ''Abhishek'' with Ghee. After 5 PM, no one can touch the idol but can get ''Darshan'' from a distance. At this time, the idol is in an Emperor's costume. If you get late beyond 5 PM, don't try to get back to Gaurikund on the same day. The path is very risky and many a times, light system fails. Weather also changes frequently. There are many dharmshalas to stay at night. After that, you can attend the morning Aarti,  participate in ''Abhishek'' and then start the descend.

Story of The Legend 

Among the twelve JyotirLingas of Bhagwan Shankara, the one at Kedarnath is located in the snow-covered area of the Himalayas. This JyotirLinga can be visited only during six months in a year. From the month of Vaisakha to Ashwin (Ashwiyaja) is the time when pilgrims can make the journey to this. The rest of the year it is too cold and the Himalayas are covered in snow. Therefore, the Kedarnath temple remains closed for pilgrims.

During the month of Karthik, due to snowfall, Sri Kedareshwar idol is brought out of the temple after lighting a ghee lamp, “Nanda Deepa”. Then the temple is closed for the winter. From the month of Karthik to Chaitra Sri Kedareshwar’s abode is shifted to the Urvi Math, which is in the valley. In the month of Vaishakh, when the temple doors are opened the lamp “Nanda Deepa” still keeps burning. People come to see this glorious lamp and the Shiva devotees consider themselves blessed.

Hardwar is considered to be the gateway to heaven, the magic city or Mayapur. Ahead of Haridwar, there are holy places like Rishikesh, Devprayag, Sonprayag and Triyugi Narayan, Gaurikund. To Kedarnath one has to pass through these places. Some part of the journey is motorable and the rest has to be walked upon. This part of the way through the Himalaya is very difficult. But devotees go through all this with dedication and determination. They overcome all the difficulties with perseverance.

To climb the steep path, some use mules, some use Dolis (swing like carriages) and some others use walking sticks. There are arrangements for acquiring these here. There are chowltries and resting places in between for the tired yatris. At Gaurikund, the pilgrims get to have a bath in the hot springs there. After this, they take a Darshan of the head-less Ganesha. It is here in Gaurikund, that Lord Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head with the trident and later replaced with the head of an elephant.

A little farther from Gaurikund, near the snow-clad mountains, on the banks of River Mandakini, the Kedarnath temple of the glorious JyotirLinga of Lord Shankar becomes visible. This is where Lord Shankar had made His abode. The shivalinga here is self-manifest and not installed by anyone. It is said that this is the hind part of Mahisha (he-buffalo).

Purana of Kedarnath

During the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas, their own kith and kin got killed. In order to absolve themselves of this sin, the Pandavas went for a pilgrimage. But Lord Vishweshwara was away in Kailasa in the Himalayas. On learning this, the Pandavas, left Kashi. They reached the Himalayas via Hardwar. They saw Lord Shankar from a distance. But Lord Shankara hid from them. Then Dharmaraj said: “Oh, Lord, You have hidden yourself from our sight because we have sinned. But, we will seek You out somehow. Only after we take your Darshan would our sins be washed away. This place, where You have hidden Yourself will be known as Guptkashi and become a famous shrine.”

From Guptakashi (Rudraprayag), the Pandavas went ahead they reached Gaurikund in the Himalayas valleys. They wandered there in search of Lord Shankara. While doing so Nakul and Sahadev found a he-buffalo. It was unique to look at.

Then! Bheema went after the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo was clever and Bheema could not catch it. But Bheema managed to hit the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo had its face hidden in a crevice-in the earth. Bheema started to pull it by its tail. In this tug-of war, the face of the buffalo went straight to Nepal, leaving its hind part in Kedar. The face of the buffalo is known as Pashupatinath in Nepal.

On this hind part of Mahesha, a glorious JyotirLinga appeared. Lord Shankara appeared from this great light. He appeared before the pandavas. By getting a Darshan of Lord Shankar, the pandavas were absolved of their sins. The Lord told the Pandavas, “From now on, I will remain here as a triangular shaped JyotirLinga. By taking a Darshan of Kedarnath, devotees would attain piety”. Near Kedarnath, there are many symbols of the Pandavas Raja Pandu died here, when he tried to make love to Madri. This place is famous as Pandukeshwar. The tribals here perform a dance called “Pandav Nritya”. The mountain top where the Pandavas went to Swarga, is known as “Swargarohini”. When Dharmaraja leaving for Swarga, one of his fingers fell on the earth. At that palce, Dharmaraj installed a Shiva Linga, which is the size of the thumb.

To gain Mashisharupa, Shankara and Bheema fought with maces. Bheema was struck with remorse. He started to massage Lord Shankara’s body with ghee. In memory of this event, even today, this triangular Shiva JyotirLinga is massaged with ghee. Shankara is worshipped here in this manner. Water and Bel leaves are used for worship.

When Nar-narayan went to Badrika village and started the worship of Parthiva, Shiva appeared before them. A few days later, a pleased Shiva granted them some boons. Nar-narayan wished that for the welfare of the humanity, Shiva should remain there in his original form. Granting their wish, in the snow-clad Himalayas, in a place called Kedar, Mahesha himself stayed there as a Jyoti. Here, He is known as Kedareshwara.

By visiting Kedareshwar, sorrows do not come even in dreams. By worshipping Shambara (Kedareshwar) Pandavas were rid of all their sorrows. Badri-Keshwar’s darshan rids one of the material ties. Whoever gives Dan (alms) at Kedareshwar, just gets assimilated into Shivroop.

Around the main Kedarnath temples, there are many holy places. At the back, there is the Samadhi of Shankaracharya. A little further up, there is dangerous cliff called Bhariguptan (Bhairav Udan). One has to pass through dreadful, and life threatening circumstances. But what one gets is not Mrityu (Death) but Moksha (Salvation). On all the eight sides of the temple, there are eight shrines.

In short, it is to say that in order to visit Kedarnath, JyotirLing, one has to go through a treacherous route. But when people are determined and dedicated, they never get tired. Every one keeps chanting Jay Kedarnath! Jay Kedarnath!!

Key Words : List of Jyotirlingas in India, History of Jyotirlingam, Poem of Jyotirlingam, Meaning of Jyotirlingam Poem