Kedarnath is a Hindu pilgrim place. It is also widely liked because the place is mostly covered by snow-capped mountain ranges. For travelers, there are several risk factors that they need to keep in mind when traveling.
Kedarnath is based in the Northern parts of the Country and is one of the pilgrimage sports if you are going for Char Dham Yatra. It is believed that your Char Dham may never be complete if you have not included Kedarnath in your journey.
The place has been devoted to Lord Shiva – who is also the Alpha and omega of the Hindu religion. The place is worshipped for its ancient Lord Shiva Shrine. The shrine is decorated with an ambiance of wood and natural stone. The Linga formed here is believed to be self-formed. The pilgrims can enjoy their journey through the high and low snow-capped mountain ranges.
The linga is well protected by the Snow-covered peaks. This place is sacred and holds its importance in the Hindu religion. The city of Kedarnath rests at the base of the snow-covered mountain foothills. It is believed that the place is blessed by Lord Shiva himself.
So, any pilgrim who visits Kedarnath at least once in his lifetime has achieved eternity. His soul is believed to be rested in heaven after his death.
The place is located at a height of over 11755 ft. above sea level. If you want to travel till Kedarnath, then it is certain that you may need special preparations in advance. As the pace is at a high altitude, so your health can always be a major issue.
Pilgrims will have to certify their best health condition before traveling. The very feeling of traveling to Kedarnath is what excites most travelers. If you want to enjoy your Chardham Yatra, then you should ensure that it ends at Kedarnath, as it can be your once in a lifetime journey.
The place of Kedarnath has been associated with Pandavas and the Battle of the Kurukshetra. It is believed that Pandavas had traveled to this place to take the blessings of the almighty Lord Shiva. They believed that the blood of the brothers that rests on their shoulders would be cleansed if they managed to take the blessings of Lord Shiva after the battle.
During their endeavor, Lord Shiva wanted to avoid meeting the Pandavas. In his attempt to escape from Pandavas, Bheema approached to hold Lord Shiva by the tail of the bull. Lord Shiva had by that time transformed into a bull to escape meeting Pandavas.
But as Bheema was holding the bull’s tail so the entire body of the bull managed to vanish leaving its tail as the hump in the snow. This hump is what is worshipped by the pilgrims today as one of the Avatar of Lord Shiva.
It is believed that the hump of Lord Shiva is formed every year during the snowfall season. Slowly with time and rise in temperature the hump disappears every year. the cycle has been repeating itself for many years and will last till eternal time.
Right at the place of the Hump is located the Kedarnath temple. This temple holds significant value in Hindu culture and religion.
The most important fact to keep in mind is that Kedarnath is worshipped for the snow-covered hump that is formed during the snowfall season. So, if you want to visit this place then you should try and visit it between June month onwards till Mid of September month.
The place is mainly famous because it is one of the 12 Jyoti Linga of Lord Shiva. The place is located in Uttarakhand and every year millions of pilgrims from all over the country and globe visit this place. The temple is located on the Himalayan ranges in Mount Kedar.
It has always been a place of tourist attraction as well. The place is surrounded by lush green timber woods and snow. By the temple flows the sacred Mandakini river, which is one of the river streams where pilgrims bathe before visiting the shrine.
The temple is almost 80 feet in height and is one of its kind in the country. The temple has magnificent architecture. The top pinnacle of the temple is made up of pure copper which displays like a huge dome.
Just like any other Hindu temple, the Kedarnath temple will open up in the morning by 7 am. the visitors can be a part of the twin aartis here in the morning and evening. The evening aarti is conducted by the temple authorities by around 8:30 pm
The temple authorities also conduct special pooja that will last for about an hour. Every day between 2 pm and till 3 pm special aartis are conducted. This aarti may not be open for visitors and to be a part of this aarti you may need special permission.
Visitors will be able to enter the temple back by 5 pm as during special aarti time the temple is closed for visitors. During winters the temple remains closed for the general public as most places in and around Kedarnath are covered by thick snow.
One of the most important attractions here is the Kedarnath temple. The temple holds its history since ancient times. It was designed and constructed by Adi Shankaracharya early in the 8th century. The trek to reach Kedarnath is not very smooth as it has a lot of ups and downs.
When traveling to Kedarnath you may also come across Gauri Kund. The place is located further at the elevation of 1982 m from the sea level. Here you will find the famous Parvati Mata Temple.
Vasuki Tal is one of the most visited places n Kedarnath. The place is only around 5 km from Kedarnath's main temple. From this place, you get a chance to see the Chukhamba Peaks. The place is famous for Lake that stands at least 4135 m about the sea elevation.
For people interested in trekking you can always take the Chopta treks. You will love the place as it is surrounded by a lush green valley. It has a small kund or lake in the center. You can trek the place on foot from Kedarnath.
Kedarnath is well connected from Uttarkhand and Uttarkashi. The place can be reached by air, rail and road routes.
If you want to reach Kedarnath, then you have to lad at the Jolly Grant airport. Kedarnath is located at a distance of around 150 km from this airport. You can take the route by hiring a private car. Local taxi services do operate here.
The Place can also be reached by rail route. To reach Kedarnath you will have to take the rail route till Rishikesh. From here you will have to cover around 130 km to reach Kedarnath. You can also reach Kedarnath from Kotdwara, Kothgodam, and Haridwar.
The best way to reach Kedarnath is via road route. You can reach this destination from a place in Uttarakhand. If you want to travel from Gaurikund then you have to cover around 8 km. You can hire a private car, taxi and bus service.
Hindus believe that this land belongs to Lord Shiva. It is his place and is blessed by the Lord himself. So, the place has its religious importance.
Visitors will be able to visit the Lord Shiva dome from morning 5 am till 1:30 pm. And then back from evening 5 PM till 8:30 pm.
The place does not have any fixed or cemented trek. You may have to walk, take a Palki, or Horse ride to reach the temple. The path is not easy to walk.
There are helicopter services operating n Kedarnath, but most of the time the weather conditions are not favorable to fly.