Kedarnath temple

Kedarnath temple is located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state of India. Kedarnath Temple is also one of the Char Dham and Panch Kedar with the inclusion of twelve Jyotirlingas in the lap of the Himalayan Mountains in Uttarakhand. Due to the unfavorable climate of this place, this temple opens for darshan between April to November. It is said about this temple made of stones from Katyuri style that it was built by Janmejaya of Pandava dynasty. The Swayambhu Shivling located here is very ancient. Adi Shankaracharya got this temple renovated.

Kedarnath temple history

Kedarnath has great glory. Badrinath and Kedarnath are the two main pilgrimages in Uttarakhand state, both of which have great significance in their views. It is written in relation to Kedarnath that the person who travels to Badrinath without seeing Kedarnath, his journey fails and the philosophy of Nara-Narayana-murti including Kedarnapath has been shown to achieve the salvation of all sins. There is no historical evidence about the age of this temple, but Kedarnath has been an important pilgrimage for over a thousand years. According to Rahul Sankrityayan, it is from the 12th-13th century. According to a King Bhoj Stuti from Gwalior, they were built during the period 108-9. The present temple is believed to have been built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, next to the earlier temple built by the Pandavas in Dwapara period. The worship of the temple is considered to be one of the Shiva Kedarnath Dwadash Jyotirligas. In the morning, Shiva-Pind is given a natural bath and ghee is applied on it. After that the aarti is lit by lighting incense and lamps. At this time, Yatra-gana can enter the temple and worship, but in the evening, the Lord is done. They are decorated in a variety of enthralling ways. Devotees can only see it from a distance.

Kedarnath temple flood

Kedarnath remained the most affected area due to flash floods and landslides in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in India during June 2013. The walls of the temple fell and flowed in the flood. The main part of this historic temple and the centuries-old dome were preserved, but the entrance to the temple and the area around it was completely destroyed.

Kedarnath Yatra

Yatra to Kedarnath Dham is one of the important four temples of the sacred Chota Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand. The Chota Char Dham Yatra is conducted every year. Other than the Kedarnath Yatra, the other temples are Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. The date of opening of the Madir is fixed every year to join the Kedarnath Yatra. The opening date of the temple is decided by the priests of the Omkareshwar temple located in Ukhimath after counting the Hindu almanac. The opening date of the Kedarnath temple is declared every year on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya and Maha Shivaratri. And the closing date of Kedarnath Temple is around Bhai Dooj on the day of Diwali festival around November every year. After this, the gates of the temple are closed for the winter.

How old is Kedarnath Temple?

May to June and September to October are considered the best months to visit Kedarnath. The path leading to the temple gets highly dangerous during peak monsoons as landslides and floods are very common during this time of the year. The temple of Kedarnath ji opens at 6:00 am for general visitors. Special poojas take place from three to five in the afternoon and after that the temple is closed for rest. Again the temple is opened for public viewing at 5 pm. The regular Aarti is performed from 7:30 am to 8:30 pm, with the five-faced Lord Shiva's statue duly adorned. The temple of Kedareshwar Jyotirlinga is closed at 8:30 pm. In winter, Kedarghati is covered with snow. In such a situation, the Panchmukhi statue of Kedarnath is brought to Ukhimath. Rawal ji worships this statue here too. In Kedarnath, the public receives the receipt after depositing the fee and according to that, he performs the temple worship or aarti or accepts the Bhog-Prasad.