Kedarnath THE CELESTIAL JYOTIRLINGAM

Tourist Points: Almora, Chamoli,Dhanaulti, Kausani, Mussoorie, Nainital & Ranikhet.
Wild Life :  Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, Govind Wildlife
Sanctuary & National Park.
Pilgrimage:   Haridwar,Rishikesh,Yamunotri,Gangotri,Kedarnath,Badrinath and Hemkund Saheb.
Nature Lovers:   Valley of Flowers.
Adventures Seekers: Skiing & Auli , Water Sports and Trekking.

KEDARNATH:  

Kedarnath is the seat of Lord Shiva. It is one of the twelve "Jyotirilingas" of Lord Shiva. Lying at an altitude of 3584 m on the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus. It is no wonder that Adiguru Shankaracharya- a great scholar & saint chose to enshrine Lord Shiva in this land, where the unholy becomes the holy and holy become holier. It is the place where Lord Shiva absolved Pandavas from the sin of killing their own cousins- Kauravas in the battle of Kurushetra. Lord Shiva eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being followed, HE dived into the ground, leaving behind HIS hump on the surface. This conical protrusion is worshipped as the idol in the shrine. The remaining portions of Lord Shiva are worshipped at four places-the arms (bahu) at Tungnath, mouth (mukha) at Rudranath, naval(nabhi) at Madmaheshwar and hair (jata) at Kalpeshwar. Together with kedarnath , these places are known as

The lingam at Kedarnath is pyramidal, unlike its usual form. A statue of Nandi-the celestial bull stands at the entrance of the temple and exquisitely carved images adorn the interiors of the temple. During the winters, the shrine is submerged in snow and hence is closed. The ideal time to visit is between May to October. At Kedarnath there are several Kunds (pools, tanks) that are known for their religious significance- Shivkund, Retkund, Hanskund, Udakkund, Rudhir Kund are the most important.

Sight Seeing: 

Kedarnath Temple: An imposing sight, standing in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded by lofty snow covered peaks. The present temple , built in 18^th century A.D. by Adi Guru Shankaracharya lies adjacent to the site of an ancient temple built by Pandava. It is constructed on a rectangular platform. The inner walls are embellished with figures of deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. The temple has a Garba Griha(inner sanctum where the idol is actually located) and a Mandap (area apt for assembly of pilgrims and visitors). In the centre of Garbha Griha there is a conical rock formation, encircled by a narrow pradakshina path, which is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form. Puja timings are in the morning & evening. Morning puja is called nirvana darshan, when the Shiva pinda(conical rock) is worshipped in the natural form. Ghee and water are the main offerings. Evening puja is called sri

Shankaracharya Samadhi: The final resting place of Adi Guru Shankaracharya is located at the back of the Kedarnath temple. The Adi Guru set up four Dhams in four corners of India to revive the Hinduism which has suffered a setback during the regime of emperor Ashoka who had propated Buddhism. It is believed , after establishing the four dham in India, he went into his samadhi at an early age of 32 years.

There are many other places near Gangotri to visit like

*Gandhi Sarovar-Chorebari- A small lake from where Yudhisthir the eldest of the five Pandavas is believed to have departed to heaven.

*Vasukital- Vasukital ia a pearl set in an unrivalled natural setting. The lake is surrounded by high mountains and offers an excellent view of the Chaukhamba peaks.

*Gaurikund- The exotic trek to kedarnath starts from here. As per religious texts, Goddess Parvati(another name Gauri) meditated here for a long time to win a consort in Lord Shiva. The Lord agreed and the cosmic couple were wed at Triyuginarayan.

*Sonprayag- This is the place of confluence of Mandakini and the Sone Ganga. The Mandakini flows from Kedarnath & the Sone Ganga comes from Basuki Lake.

*Guptkashi- The town is known to be place of hiding of Lord Shiva during the period when Shiva was unwilling to grant darshan to five Pandavas, who wanted emancipation from the curse of killing their own kinsmen in the epic battle of Mahabharata.

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