Kedarnath temple

 

Kedarnath, a popular Hindu temple, tucked away in the lap of Garhwal Himalayas, some 221 km from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples of Lord Shiva. Lying against the backdrop of the magnificent Kedarnath Mandir Range, at an altitude of 3580 meters, the splendid Kedarnath Dham is where the devotees come seeking the blessings of Lord Shiva. Kedarnath Mandir is said to have been constructed by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century A.D. The nearby flowing Mandakini River, mesmerizing vistas and splendid sceneries in the form of the snow-clad mountains, rhododendron forests, and salubrious environment make Kedarnath Dham Yatra, a tranquil and picturesque place to be at.The opening date and time of Kedarnath Temple is depends on auspicious day of Akshay Tritya and declared on the Maha Shiva Ratri. The date of opening of Kedarnath shrine is decided by priests in Ukhimath’s Omkareshwar Temple after calculation of Panchang. According to the calculations, the doors of the holy temple was opened on 06 May 2022 in the morning with special Pooja in the temple. Opening Date of Kedarnath Dham for 2022 was declared on Mahashivratri.

Kedarnath

Kedarnath is famous shrine for Lord Shiva devotees. As per mythology and legends, there are various stories associated with Kedarnath Temple.

Legend 1: Legend goes that Nara and Narayana – two incarnations of Vishnu performed severe penance in Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand, in front of a Shivalingam fashioned out of earth. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva appeared in front of them and said that they may ask for a boon. Nar and Narayan requested Shiva to take up a permanent abode as a Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath so that all people who worship Shiva shall be freed from their miseries.

Kedarnath Temple Miniature 3D model

 

Legend 2: According to another legend, the place came into being during the period when the five Pandavas brothers were asked to seek Shiva’s blessings purging them of the sin of killing their cousins. Lord Shiva unwilling to give darshans to the Pandavas filed Kashi to live incognito in Guptkashi, where eventually he was detected by the Pandavas. Besides, yet another popular legend related to Kedar Temple, Goddess Parvati worshipped Kedareshwar to unite with Shiva as Ardhanareeswarar.

Bhairon Temple: A little away from Kedarnath is a temple dedicated to Bhaironathji who is ceremoniously worshipped at the opening & closing of Kedarnath Temple. The belief is that Bhairavnathji protects this land from evil during the time when temple of Kedarnath is closed.

Kedarnath (Famous Jyotirling)

The lingam at Kedarnath, unlike its usual form, is pyramidal and is regarded as one of the 12 Jyotirlings. Lord Shiva manifested in the form of Jyotirlingam or the cosmic light. Kedarnath is highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas. This ancient and magnificient 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.

Kedarnath Temple is the most revered shrine of Hindu deity Lord Shiva. The present Kedarnath Mandir was built in 8th century A.D. by Adi Shankaracharya and it is adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. Adi Shankaracharya built and restored the glory of Kedarnath Temple as one of 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The Kedarnath Temple is dated more than 1200 years old.

Kedarnath Temple Miniature 3D model

Kedarnath Temple – A Wonder Architecture

The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door, a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architectured Kedarnath temple is considered to be more than 1000 years old.

Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut gray slabs of stones, the temple of Kedarnath evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs had been handled in the earlier days. The Kedar temple has a “Garbha Griha” for worship and a Mandap, apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form.

Kedarnath Temple Holistic Rehabilitation

After the Kedarnath Flood in 2013, Kedarnath Temple complex is holistically constructed and rehabilitated in a beautiful way. Although main Kedarnath temple structure is stable, Kedarnath redevelopment includes broader pathways for pilgrims, new guest houses, housing for Pujaris and pilgrims, Bathing Ghats construction, Helipads etc.

Pooja Performed in Kedarnath Temple

The head priest of Kedarnath Temple is known as Rawal, belongs to Veerashaiva community from Karnataka. All the rituals and Pujas perform by Pujaris at Kedarnath on the directions given by Rawal. Devotees can perform special pujas at Kedarnath Temple (online too). Some of Pujas need presence of devotees and some pujas could be book online and no physical presence of devotees needed.

Besides its affiliation with Shiva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Shankaracharya’s samadhi (achievement of beatified afterlife).

Aarti Timings in Kedarnath : The daily pooja rituals at the Kedarnath temple start early morning, around 4.00 am with Maha Abhishek and end at around 7.00 pm with the Shyan aarti. The temple opens for darshan for the general public around 6 am and there is an afternoon recess between 3-5 pm. The public timing for darshan at Kedarnath temple ends at 7.00 pm.

Kedarnath Temple Opening and Closing Timings

Kedarnath Temple darshan timings is schedule as Rawal and other committee members decides. Temple is closed from 3 pm to 5 pm so plan to be at temple before 3 pm. Before 3 pm visitors can touch idle and do Abhishek with Ghee. After 5 PM no one can touch idle but can get Darshan with a distance. At this time idle is in Emperor costume.

The temple at Kedarnath enshrining the Jyotirlingam of Shiva opens only six months of a year (April-November) when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries and it is closed when the sun enters Scorpio.

Management of Kedarnath Temple

Earlier, under The Uttar Pradesh Act No. 30/1948 the administration of Kedarnath was included in the Badrinath Temple Act no. 16, 1939 and it came to be called Shri Badrinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. The same Mandir Samiti (committee) governed both the temples. Further amended in 2002 after the formation of the 27th state of union of India, the act provides provisions of increasing the number of members, one vice chairman and adding Government officials to the committee. Now Uttarakahand Char Dham Devasthanam Board formed on 15 January 2020 governed all temples including Kedarnath & Badrinath.

Uttarakahand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board