Kedarnath Yatra

Kedarnath is one of the uppermost of the Jyotirlingas, and due to this high elevation, it is reachable only half of the year. The winters are harsh and the temple becomes unreachable. The stunning temple structure, built with vast white stones, is supposed to have been built approximately a thousand years ago. It houses, along with the main deity Lord Shiva, the idols of Nandi (Shiva’s mode of transportation) and Virbhadra, lord Shiva’s guard. There are also idols of the Pandava brothers in the temple, telling the tale of Mahabharata and their connection with this temple as well as lord Shiva. Shiva, the major divinity of the temple is worshipped as the Shiva Linga, his Sada Shiva form. The linga is situated in the middle of the temple, under the conical shaped dome of the structure. One of the twelve Jyotrilingas dedicated to the Sadashiva form of lord Shiva and the third shrine in Char dham , Kedarnath is a magnificent temple situated at a height of 3581m. In the temple a huge statue of Nandi stands. There are a number of hot water springs called as Kunds in Kedarnath. Among which Shiv Kund is the most important and Rudhir Kund is famous for its red colored water. The whole valley of Kedarnath is surrounded by snow covered peaks from three sides with Madakini and Gandhi Glaciers on the fourth side only a few kilometers away. Among the chardham , Kedarnath is situated at the highest altitude. It is reached after a 14 km trek from Gaurikund. It is believed that Kedarnath shrine was built by the Pandavas afte the battle of Mahabharat. Kedarnath also is the main shrine among the Panch Kedar devoted to Lord shiva. The other four are Tungnath, Rudranath, Mad Maheshwar, Kalpeshwar. These temples are worshipped by hindu devotees during their chardham pilgrimage.