Kedarnath-The Lord shiva's Shrine.

Kedarnath shrine is a Hindu temple devoted to the Lord Shiva. It is on the Rudraprayag District of Garhwal region near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India . on the height of 3584mts above sea level, Kedarnath offers the visitors with the spectacular view of the snow capped mountains and alpine forests. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region.

The kedarnath Dham is most important part of the Chardham Yatra. . Owing to the historical avatar of Kedar Khand, Kedarnath is an important part of Panch Kedar and stands among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva dispersed all over the country.

Due to challenging weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritriya) to November (Kartik Purnima - the autumn full moon).

During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath in Omkareshwar Temple an another temple of Lord Shva and worshipped here for six months.

The Kedarnth temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 18 kilometres uphill trek from Gaurikund. Pony and Horse, Doli service is available to reach the Kedarnath temple. Kedarnath temple was built by Pandavas and revived by Adi Sankaracharya and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva.

Temples en-route Kedarnath Yatra

NachiKeta Tal Temple

Agastyamuni Temple

Bhairavnath Temple

Om Kareshwar Temple

Tungnath Temple

Kalimath Temple

Legendary History of The Kedarnath

Legend 1: The historical legend of the Kedarnath Shrine takes you to several renowned stories that lead to the establishment of this famous and sacred Shrine. One such story beholds the penance offered by the two incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Nar and Narayan.

According to the sources, both Nar and Narayan performed the penance in front of a Shivlingam that emerged out of Earth in Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand.

Seeing their devoted penance, Lord Shiva appeared in front of them and asks for the boon. They requested the Lord to take up a permanent abode in the form of Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath to free the upcoming devotees from all their sins and miseries. As a boon, Lord Shiva granted them their will and took the abode at Kedarnath.

The Jyotirlingam of Kedarnath is positioned at the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingams. Unlike carrying the usual form, this lingam is pyramidal in shape.

Legend 2: Another story unveiled that After the epic war Mahabharat, the Pandavas on the advice of the god Krishna and other sages, pandavas needed to get rid of their sins and washes away their sins because of killing their own brothers in war. They neeeded to worship lord shiva for his blessings and meet him to get salvation. But Shiva was reluctant to meet them since he was annoyed with them for the unjust events of the war.

while Pandavas are looking forward for Lord Shiva’s blessings as forgiveness against their endeavors of killing their cousins, Lord Shiva on account of avoiding the Pandavas left Kashi and formed Guptkashi. But Pandavas pursued him to Guptakashi and recognized him in the disguised form of Nandi.

When Bhima, the second Pandava brother tried to hold the bull by its tail and hind legs, Nandi vanished from Guptakashi,into the ground (into a cave for hiding), but reappeared later as Shiva in five different forms namely, hump at Kedarnath Though, the place got detected by Pandavas lead to the popularity in future.

A historical embodiment of Kedar temple takes you to the story wherein Goddess Parvati worshipped the Lord Kedareshwar to ask for the boon of uniting with Shiva as Ardhanareeshwar.

The famous Bahiron temple also holds the historical significance in Kedarnath. This temple is dedicated to Bhaironathji and is worshipped on the occasion of opening and closing of Kedarnath temple. It is believed that when Kedarnath temple remains closed for a certain period, it is bhaironathji temple that takes care of the surrounding areas from the evil.

Weather in Kedarnath

Kedarnath Temple is one of the sacred destinations in the country among the visitors and pilgrims to enjoy the outstanding view of the snow covered mountains and nearby surroundings in the summer season. In summers, the weather of the region is friendly and offers the memorable time to enjoy your visit to Kedarnath and Kedarnath temple.

Summers: Summer season from May & June is the ideal time to enjoy the sightseeing around the available attractions in Kedarnath and Kedarnath temple. The weather during this season is friendly with cool climate and average temperature hold by 20 to 15 degree Celsius.

Monsoons: Monsoon season from End of July to Early September is the time when the area alongside the Kedarnath Shrine is prone to face landslides. Tourists are advised to avoid this season as the area turned into a dangerous spot for holidaying.

Winters: Winter season from November to April is the time for snowfall in the region of the Kedarnath Shrine. During this season, the area experience heavy snowfall that pose great difficulty for the tourists. Even the doors of the Kedarnath temple remain closed for the darshan. This phase is also avoided by the tourists. It is the same period, during which the idol of Kedarnath get shifted to a new location called Ukhimath that is located near Guptkashi. Once the season is over, the doors of the temple are reopened for the pilgrims in the month of May.

Hotels en-route Kedarnath Yatra

Hotels in Haridwar

Hotels in Srinagar

Hotels in Guptkashi

Hotels in Sitapur

Hotels in Rampur

Hotels in Rishikesh

Best Time to Visit Kedarnath

kedarnath Shrine experiences a cold climate throughout the year. The best time to visit Kedarnath or best time to pay regards to Kedarnath Temple is in the months of May, June, September and October.

Rainy season is strictly avoided for visiting Kedarnath as the region comes under the risk chambers of facing landslides. Even the chilly winter season is avoided due to heavy snowfall.

Activities to Do in Kedarnath

Trekking: A trip to kedarnath offers the tourists with the wide exposure to trekking to various destinations. One can entail the trek to Kedarnath from Gaurikund. Apart from these, adventure freaks can find a great deal of trekking choice through Vasuki Tal, Chorabari and Bhairon Temple.

Pilgrimage: Kedarnath offers the best and most revered pilgrimage location through its vast coverage of temples. Kedarnath temple is one such example which receives a large number of devotes every year.

Kedarnath Temple Daily Opening and Closing Timing

The Kedarnath temple premises opens up for the devotees around 7-8 am in the morning. However, Badrinath temple opening timing is 4:30 am when the morning rituals begin After that, darshan hours continue till 1 pm. A short recess sort of period is maintained between 1 pm and 4 pm. After that, darshan hours resume again. The Kedarnath temple closing timings is 9 pm.