Travel To Kedarnath Temple in 2024 Full Details | Jyotirlinga | History
Kedarnath is one of the holiest pilgrimages of north India, Uttarakhand. It is said about this temple that it was built by Janmejaya of Pandava dynasty and the temple was renovated by Adishankaracharya. That is, this temple was already built before the era of the Ice Age.
It is said that Adi Shankaracharya took samadhi here at the age of 32 years. After seeing this temple, he here had taken samadhi This tomb is visible.
Age of Kedarnath temple
Scientists of the Wadia Institute have also done the dating of the Kedarnath area.By mixing algae and fungi they tried to estimate the age. By this technique, the construction of glacier in the area of Kedarnath started in the middle of the 14th century and the formation of glacier in this valley continued till 1748 AD i.e. about 400 years.
According to some scientists the temple is very strong. Its walls are covered with thick rocks and its roof is made of a single stone.
Construction of the temple
Kedarnath temple is 85 feet high, 187 feet long and 80 feet wide. Its walls are 12 feet thick and made of extremely strong stones. The temple stands on a 6 foot high platform. It is surprising how the temple would have been carved by bringing such heavy stones at such a height.
Experts believe that interlocking technology may have been used to connect the stones to each other. It is this strength and technology that have managed to keep the temple standing in the middle of the river.
Kedar Valley:
Kedanath Dham and the temple are surrounded by mountains on three sides. On one side there is about 22 thousand feet high Kedarnath and on the other side there is 21 thousand 600 feet high Khetkund and on the third side is 22 thousand 700 feet high Bharatkund.
Not only three mountains, but also a confluence of five rivers are here. Mandakini, Madhuganga, Kshirganga, Saraswati and Swarnagouri. Some of these rivers are considered imaginary. Mandakini is clearly visible in this area. In winter snowfall is heavy and in if it rains, then there is tremendous water.
Kedarnath is a favorite place of devotees who are very close to the nature. Kedarnath is a religious place more than a tourist place. Kedarnath Temple is also one of the Char Dham with twelve Jyotirlingas included.
People mostly come here with devotion in their mind rather than roaming around and having fun. This is pure land.
Some things must be known before coming here to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva. This shrine remains closed for six months of winter. These six months Lord Kedarnath lives in Ukhimath (Its a Hindu pilgrimage site in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, India). When the doors of Kedarnath are closed, God is brought here from the palanquin.
If you have a plan for Kedarnath trip, then know this first.
How to reach Kedarnath and where to stay?
From these two places Haridwar or Rishikesh you can travel to Kedardham. From Kedardham it takes two days to reach Gaurikund. Take a night's rest in Srinagar (Garhwal) or Rudraprayag and go to Gaurikund the next day. If you go to Gaurikund in one day, then you will be very tired on this hill path and the next day you will feel very difficult to climb from Gaurikund to Kedarnath.
After reaching Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, you can book a bus, car or jeep to Kedarnath. Direct bus service is available from Delhi to Rishikesh and Haridwar every half an hour. By bus you can reach Haridwar from Delhi in 6 to 7 hours. Jollygrant is the nearest airport in Dehradun.
When to start the trek from Gaurikund to Kedarnath?
Start climbing from Gaurikund by 8 am. Reach Kedarnath by evening and stay at Kedarnath at night. One more thing, after 11 o'clock on the way from Gaurikund to Kedarnath, the weather gets bad and this happens every day. The path from Gourkund to Kedarnath is on foot or on horse.
Why Badrinath Darshan is important ?
It is written in relation to Kedarnath that the person who travels to Badrinath without seeing Kedarnath, his journey is not considered successful. Therefore, people believe that the philosophy of Badrinath and Kedarnath is necessary for the destruction of all sins.
May to October is considered the most ideal time to visit Kedarnath. Accommodation Arrangements Apart from the guesthouse of GMVN, there are many clean Dharamshalas here. Tents are also available for stay. Before traveling, you can also check your health here for free.
The Darshan time and Aarti
Temple opens for visitors from 6.00 am. In the afternoon, 3 to 4 special pages take place and then the temple is closed. The temple reopens at 5 p.m. for public viewing. The priests of the temple adorn the five-faced statue of Lord Shiva, then in the evening there are 7 to 8 regular Aarti.
The temple is closed again after 8.30 pm. According to scientists, the Kedarnath temple has been under snow for 400 years, yet nothing has happened to this temple. There are some marks found outside of the temple.
This marks happened due to the friction between the glaciers. The glacier constantly moves and they also carry some big rocks with them. It's a miracle that even after 400 years after constant rubbing of glaciers, nothing happened to this temple. According to scientists even inside the temple you can see the same marks.
Prediction of Puranas
According to the prophecy of Puranas, the pilgrimages of this entire region will disappear. It is believed that on the day when the Nar and Narayan mountains merge, the road to Badrinath will be completely closed.
Devotees will not be able to see Badrinath. The natural disaster in Uttarakhand indicates this. According to the Puranas, in the coming years, the present Badrinath Dham and Kedareshwar Dham will disappear and after years, a new pilgrimage named Bhavidabhadri will arise in future.
History of establishment of Jyotirlinga of Kedarnath temple
On the Kedar Mountains of the Himalayas, the great sage and incarnation of Lord Vishnu performed penance. Pleased with his worship, Lord Shankar appeared and according to his request provided the bride to live forever as a Jyotirlinga.
Story of Panchkedar (Kedarnath)
It is believed that the Pandavas wanted to get rid of the sin of fratricide, that is, (the killing of family members) when they were victorious in the war of Mahabharata. For this he wanted to get the blessings of Lord Shankar. But Lord Shankar was angry with Pandavas. The Pandavas went to Kashi to see Lord Shankar, but Lord Shankar did not meet the Pandavas there. They came to the Himalayas looking for them. Lord Shankar They did not want to see the Pandavas, so they migrated from there and settled in Kedar.
On the other hand, the Pandavas was also determined, they followed them to Kedar. On the other hand, the Pandavas had also pledged to get blessings from Shiva, they followed him to Kedarkhand.
He took the form of a bull and he joined other animals. The Pandavas became suspicious. Mahabali Bhima took a huge form and spread his foot over two mountains. All cows and bulls came out from the bottom, but Shiva as bull Unable to go under the feet. Even then Bhima pounced on Shiva in the form of a bull, but the bull began to penetrate the land. Then Bhima held the triangular part of the bull's back. Devotion and determination of Lord Shankar Pandavas Pleased to see and he appeared to the Pandavas and cleared the blame. Since then Lord Shiva is worshiped at Sri Kedarnath.
Uttarakhand is counted among the important religious areas of Hindus due to the Kedarnath temple of Lord Shiva and many sacred temples.That is why the Uttarakhand state is called Dev Bhoomi. Kedarnath is as holy and a sightseeing place as Badrinath. The shape of this Shivling is completely different from other Shivling.
Legend of Kedarnath
The legend of Kedarnath Jyotirlinga is described in the Shiva Purana. According to this legend, there were two brothers named Nar and Narayan who were engaged in worshiping and meditating on the idol of Lord Shiva. Pleased with the austerity of these two brothers, Lord Shiva appeared to them one day. When Lord Shiva asked him to ask for a boon, both the brothers asked for a boon from Mahadev in the spirit of public welfare.
He should always reside in this area for public welfare. Accepting his prayers, Lord Shankar became established in this area as Jyotirlinga. It is said that King Kedar ruled the region at that time. And he was also a great devotee of Bholenath. On request by the king, Lord Shiva accepted to be the protector of Kedarkhand and from then onwards Lord Shiva began to be called Kedarnath.
Vasuki
Located at a distance of 8 km from Kedarnath, this is a popular religious place. This lake is surrounded by the Himalayan hills, which adds to its beauty. To reach Vasuki Taal, one has to cross the Chaturangi and Vasuki glaciers, whose paths are difficult, but the devotees also cross these difficult paths to reach here.
Gaurikund
Gaurikund is a major attraction of Kedarnath. There is an ancient temple, here which is dedicated to Goddess Parvati. According to folk tales, it is here that Goddess Parvati did penance to get Lord Shiva as her husband.
In Gaurikund there is a hot water fountain whose water not only has medicinal properties but it also frees people from their sins.