Kedarnath Temple Rudra Himalaya Range
Kedarnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river . Kēdārnāth temple is one of the 12 jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, the holiest of holy shrines of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva manifested in the form of Jyotirlingam or the cosmic light. This ancient and magnificient Kedarnath temple is located in the Rudra Himalaya range. This temple, over a thousand years old is built of massive stone slabs over a large rectangular platform.Ascending through the large gray steps leading to the holy sanctums we find inscriptions in Pali on the steps.Kedarnath forms one of the four sites of the Chota Char Dham Pilgrimage.
The Present Kēdārnāth temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya.The inner walls of the temple sanctum are adorned with figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form. The temple, believed to be very ancient, has been continually renovated over the centuries. It is situated at an altitude of 3,581 mt. it is a 14 km trek from gaurikund.
At the approach of winters in the month of November, the holy statue of Lord Shiva, is carried down from Garhwal (Kedarkhand) to Ukhimath, and is reinstated at Kedarnath, in the first week of May. It is at this time, that the doors of the temple are thrown open to pilgrims, who flock from all parts of India, for a holy pilgrimage. The shrine closes on the first day of Kartik (Oct-Nov) and reopens in Vaishakh (Apr-May) every year. During its closure the shrine is submerged in snow and worship is performed at Ukhimath.
The shrine of Kedarnath is very scenically placed, and is surrounded by lofty, snow - covered mountains, and grassy meadows covering the valleys. Immediately behind the temple, is the high Keadardome peak, which can be sighted from great distances. The sight of the temple and the peak with its perpetual snows is simply an enthralling .
