The
Celestial Jyotirlingam Amidst the dramatic mountainscapes of the
majestic Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve 'Jyotirlingas' of Kedar or
Lord Shiva. Lying at an altitude of 3584 mts. on the head of river
Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for
the Hindus.
Kedarnath
is a majestic sight, standing in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded by
lofty snow covered peaks. The present temple, built in the 8th century by
Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built
by the Pandavas. The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with
figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple
door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard.
Dedicated
to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architectured Kedarnath temple is said to be
more than a 1000 years old. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut
gray slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs were
handled in the earlier days. The temple has a " Garbha Griha" for
worship and a Mandap apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical
rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his
Sadashiva form.
Location Kedarnath is situated in the
Uttar Kashi district of the northern state of Uttaranchal. Very close to the
Indo-Chinese border, it is the source of the Mandakini River. It is couched
in the scenic locales of the Garhwal Himalayas at 3583 meters above sea
level. It is very cold in the winters with the ground being covered with
snow. In the summers, the mercury barely crosses the 20°C mark. The
place experiences about 150 cm of rainfall during the monsoons and so the
best time to visit is between May 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 come
to seek penitence for having killed their kin in the battle of Kurukshetra.
He took refuge in Kedarnath in the form of a bull. Bhima, one of the Pandava
brothers, found Shiva amongst a herd of cattle. Having identified the
meanest and most arrogant of the herd as Shiva, Bhima is said to have
grabbed him by the hindquarters. What remains at the shrine in Kedarnath is
the rear end of the bull, with the rest of its body scattered throughout the
Garhwal. Shiva dived into the ground leaving behind him a hump on the
surface. This conical protrusion is worshipped as the idol. It is the main
site of the Panch Kedar temples.
