Kedarnath

Kedarnath is on the bank of the Mandakini River between Gangotri and Badrinath. As
the crow flies Kedarnath is only 42km from Badrinath. Over 100,000 pilgrims come
here each year. It is believed that Sankaracharya passed away here about 820 AD.
Kedareswar Siva is the presiding deity. Behind the Kedarnath temple is an impressive
mountain range, with the beautiful Kedarnath Mountain (6,970m).

Kedarnath Temple
This Lord Siva temple at Kedarnath is said to have been built by the Pandavas to
atone for their sins procured during the Kurukshetra war. It is believed that this
temple was originally constructed by the Pandavas, and the present temple was
reconstructed by
Sankaracharya in the 8th
century. One of the 12
Siva-Jyotirlingas is in
this temple. The temple
is dedicated to Lord
Sada Siva and is
considered to be one of
the major Siva temples
in India.
Inside the temple there
is an irregular, three-
faced linga, representing
the hump of Lord Siva
when he took the form
of a bull. It is about 3m
(9 ft) long, 1m (3 ft) wide, and 1.3m (4 ft) high. Pilgrims are allowed to touch the
linga, perform worship, abhishek (bathe), and massage the linga with ghee. There are
deities of goddess Parvati and Ganesh in front of the main altar door. Outside the
second door are Lord Krishna, the five Pandavas, their wife, Draupadi, and their
mother, Kunti. In the temple is a Lakshmi-Narayana Deity, which was installed by
Adi Sankaracharya.
The temple faces south, which is a unique feature, as most temples face east. This
temple is very solidly built. The temple opens the first week of May and closes either
the last week of October or the first week of November. May/June is the busiest time
of the year. Worship of Sri Kedarnath is continued in the village of Okhimath in the
winter by the priest from the Kedarnath Temple.
The waiting time to enter the temple in the afternoon is about 15 minutes, otherwise if
you go at 7 am the waiting time may be two hours or more. The main pujas are at six
am and six pm.

Temple Story
The story of the temple is that the Pandavas felt contaminated by sinful reactions from
killing so many people during the Kurukshetra war. They decided to ask Lord Siva for
his blessings to relieve them from these sinful reactions. The Pandavas first went to
Kashi (Varanasi) to get Lord Siva’s blessings, but the Lord fled to Uttarakhand
(Guptakashi) and lived there incognito. Eventually the Pandavas found him there, and
Lord Siva turned himself into a bull to hide. Bhima recognized his disguise and
grabbed the bull by the tail. The bull slowly sank into the ground, and Lord Siva then
appeared before them on account of their great determination. Lord Siva instructed
them to worship the remaining hump of the bull (pinda form).
A temple was then constructed and worship has been going on here ever since. Other
parts of Lord Siva’s body appeared in other places in the area. It is said that the
Pandavas also built temples at these places. They are known as the Panch Kedars:
Kedarnath, hump (pinda); Tungnath, arm (bahu); Rudranath, face (mukh); Kalpeswar,
hair (jata); and Madhyamaheswar, navel (nabhi).
Other Places
There is a marble staff behind the temple
that commemorates Sankaracharya. It is
believed that Sri Sankara passed away in
Kedarnath. There is another school of
thought that says he passed away in
Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
Just behind the Kedarnath Temple is the
Mahapanth Trail (Gate of Heaven). It is
said that from this place there is a path that
goes north up to Swarga-rohini (path to
heaven). It is said that the five Pandavas
took this path after performing a huge yajna
(sacrifice). Other people said that the
Pandavas ascended from Badrinath.
A path to the east of the village, to the right
of the temple, leads to the Bhairava temple.
Bhairava is the furious form of Lord Siva. It
is a 20-minute walk.
Before you cross the bridge that crosses to
the town you come to a path that leads to a glacier, 4km away. The path here can also
be reached by crossing the river over the bridge that is behind the temple and
climbing up the hill. Chorabari Tal lake, an emerald green lake, is next to the glacier.
It is also known as Gandhi Sarovar, because some of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were
throw here. It takes 1½ to 2 hours to walk here from Kedarnath. About a km from the
lake is the source of the Mandakini River.
Vasuki Tal (4320m) is a tough 9km trek from Kedarnath. The path begins near the
Tourist Bungalow. Past Vasuki Tal is the Khatling Glacier via the Painya Tal and
Maser Tal lakes. For this trek you need a good guide and proper equipment.

Where to Stay
The Nigam Tourist Bungalow h(27210) as rooms for Rs 500, but it should be booked
in advance. There are also dharamshalas and the Birla Guest House. The Bharat Seva
Ashram, a large red building located left of the temple, is a nice, clean place with
rooms for Rs 200. There are also a number of private no-name lodges. Rooms are
typically Rs 400 or Rs 600 a night for a decent room. Rooms are expensive for what
you get.
There are basic places to stay at Rambara, at the halfway point walking up to
Kedarnath. Food in Kedarnath is basic and expensive, as it all has to be brought up by
horseback.

Travel
The road to Kedarnath ends at a town named Gaurikund (1,981m). A bus from
Haridwar or Rishikesh (295km) takes all day to reach Gaurikund. It is best to catch
the early morning bus at 6 am. If you get a later bus you will definitely have to stop
for the night on the way. The bus from Gangotri to Gaurikund (334km) takes a day
and a half. From Gaurikund the bus usually takes a full day to get to Joshimath (Rs
100), which is 44km south of Badrinath; but you could reach Badrinath the same day
if you get the 6 am bus and nothing goes wrong. Otherwise, from Joshimath the same
bus goes the next morning to Badrinath.
From Gaurikund you should make sure you reserve early morning buses the night
before. Even if you are told you can get a ticket the next morning, do not believe it.
You have to walk 14km, at least 4 hours, up a steep incline to get to Kedarnath from
Gaurikund. The trek along the Mandakini River to Kedarnath is slow and tiresome. If
the sky is clear, at the 10km stone you can view the Kedarnath mountain peak at
6,640m (22,770 ft). As the walk is very tough, it is advised to carry as little as
possible up the hill. Even the smallest load can feel like a lead weight after a few km.
If you cannot walk, you can rent a horse for about Rs 250 one way. To be carried by
four people up the hill costs Rs 900 one way. You should be prepared to stay the night
at Kedarnath, as it is difficult to go both up and down in the same day.
Some people stop for the night halfway up at Rambara (7km), which has several
simple eating places and some basic rest houses.

Gaurikund
Gaurikund is said to be the place where Gaurimata (Parvati) took birth and did
austerities for hundreds of years, in order to marry Lord Siva. It is 210km from
Rishikesh and 334km from Gangotri. Gaurikund is the last bus stop on the way to
Kedarnath.
There is a hot sulfur water spring here named Gaurikund (Tapta Kund), where you
can bathe. It is said to mark the place where Parvati did austerities. It is a great place
to bathe after returning from your walk to Kedarnath. Next to the spring is the Gauri
Devi Temple, dedicated to Parvati.
There is a temple called Sirkata Ganesh, the beheaded Ganesh, about half a km from
Gaurikund. The Skanda Purana says this was the place where Lord Siva beheaded his
son Ganesh and then gave him an elephant head. The story says that Ganesh was
guarding his mother, Parvati, who was bathing in Gaurikund. When Siva, who had
been traveling for a long time came, Ganesh stopped him. Siva, not recognizing his
own son, then became angry and cut off the head of Ganesh. When Parvati found out
this had happened, she requested Siva to bring him back to life and give him another
head. Siva said he would give him the head of the first creature that came by, which
happened to be an elephant. So he gave Ganesh the head of an elephant.

Where to Stay and Eat

In Gaurikund there are many private guest houses. For what you get most of them are
way overpriced, usually they are at least Rs 350 for a dirty, run-down double room.
There are many other places to choose from, but do not expect any bargains.
Bharat Seva Ashram and Punjab Sindh are basic places and some of the rooms have
bathrooms.Shivlok, next to Gaurikund and the Mandakini River is a decent place with
double rooms for Rs 350. It is decently clean.The best place in town is the well-
located GMVN Tourist Centre. This place should be booked at least a week in
advance at the GMVN office in Rishikesh. It has double rooms for Rs 550 and dorm
beds for Rs 125.Hotel Pavan Hansh Restaurant, next to Gaurikund, is a well-managed,
good vegetarian place.Gauri’s Grand restaurant is a good place with an extensive
menu.You can leave your extra luggage at a cloakroom to your left, just after going
up the steps from where the buses park.
There is a Nigam Tourist Lodge with rooms for Rs 400 in Sonprayag, which is six km
south of Gaurikund. Sonprayag is much more laid-back than Gaurikund, but you need
your own transportation to stay there.
Kedarnath being one of the 12 Jyotirlingam
is a famous pilgrim site for Hindus in India. Located at a height of 3590 meters of
Garhwal Himalayas, the huge temple made of granite stone with mighty Kedar range
of Himalayas in the background will make you spellbound at first sight.
Inside the temple, a stone looking like hump of an ox is Mahadev, Kedarnath. Many
other idols of God are engraved on the wall of the temple inside. In front of the main
gate of the temple a black statue of Nandi, the ox of Mahadev is guarding the temple.
Best time to visit Kedarnath: Plan your trip between May and October, otherwise you
cannot reach, it will be a snow covered.

Reaching Kedarnath:
Apart from the temple itself, reaching Kedarnath is an adventure. Throughout your
journey to the temple you will be amazed frequently by the natural beauty of the
nature.
You have to reach Gourikund, the last motor able road before Kedarnath. Gourikund
is 233 km from Haridwar and 200 km from Rishikesh. It will take 10 – 11 hours to
reach Gourikund from these places, so You have to start your journey very early in
the morning. It is very tiring too. So it is better to halt somewhere in between. The
place I will suggest is Rudraprayag or, Chandrapuri.
Stay at Gourikund:
You have to stay in Gourikund for a night before starting your journey to the temple.
There are many cheap hotels in Gourikund. The best option is GMVN Tourist Rest
House Ph: +91 1364 269202 DB @ INR 500 – 700 and dormitory @ INR 100 per
bed.

From Gourikund it is a continuous uphill trek of 14 km to Kedarnath. The scenic

beauty throughout your trek is mind-blowing. Mandakini River throughout the
journey will accompany you sometimes jumping from a cliff and sometimes hiding in
a gorge. The natural beauty will alleviate all your exhaustion of climbing. Walk
slowly and take rest in between. Buy a walking stick and polythene sheet to cover you
in case of drizzle, which is quite common. Take care of your camera and don't forget
a polythene bag for it exclusively. You can buy these on the route of your trek. Stalls
for snack and tea are also available at few places on the route, where you can rest a
while. If you don't want to walk at a stretch there is a option to halt at Ramwara for a
night at either at Kalikamli Dharmashala or GMVN rest house.
Though nature can be enjoyed most if you walk, it may not be possible for everyone
to trek due to physical reasons. Pony, dandi or, doli (a chair carried by four persons),
Pithhu ( a basket carried by single person mainly for kids, light weight people, and
goods) are available for them. The rate depend on the weight of the person but
whatever they take, I think it is less for the kind of labor they give! Please don't
bargain with them. They are extremely poor and earn for few months with their hard
labor and run their family throughout the year.

By the way don't throw away your walking stick while coming down, the mistake
done by me! The stick is more required while coming down.
Reach Kedarnath by helicopter:
Pawan Hans conduct a helicopter service from Agyastamuni helipad 17 km from
Rudraprayag

5 passengers are carried at a time. The flight starts at 6.30 am , 8.10 am, 9.40 am, and
11.10 am. It takes 20 minutes to reach Kedarnath. Time allotted to visit temple is 1 ½
hour. The fare for round trip per person at present @ INR 8500 and one way fly to
Kedarnath @INR 5000 and return from there @ INR 4000. Round trip cost include
the temple visit fee. Children below 2 years are charged 10% of the fare, while age
over 2 has to pay the full fare.

Contact:
* Agastyamuni Helipad Ph: +91 1364 256825
* Delhi Office at Safdarjang Airport Ph: +91 11 24651248, 24632273, 24610465
* Monal Resort Rudraprayag Ph: +91 1364 233901/ 02
* GMVN Dehradun Ph: +91 135 2746817
* GMVN Haridwar Ph: +91 1334 224240
* GMVN Rishikesh
Ph: +91 135 2435174

Where to stay at Kedarnath:

GMVN Tourist Rest House Ph: +91 1364 263218/ 263228 DB @ INR 350 – 1000.
Dormitory @ INR 100 per bed.
Dharmashala of Kedarnath Temple Committee: +91 1364 263231
Other Dharmashalas of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Madras Bhawan, Gujarat Bhawan
etc.
Trekking from Kedarnath:
For the enthusiasts, there are something more in store at Kedarnath. A astonishing
short trek to Chorabalital (Gandhi Sarovar) at 4275 meters is 4 km uphill trek from
Kedarnath. En route you will see Mandakini Glacier, from where Mandakini river
originated. More enthusiasts should walk 4 km more up to Basuki tal (4328 meters) If
you plan to go up to Basuki tal carry food and take the help of a guide.
Triyugi Narayan from Gourikund:
While coming back from Gourikund either to Haridwar or, Badrinath you can visit
Triyugi Narayan Temple 12 km from Gourikund. It is said that the wedding of Shiva
and Parvati was held here.