The Majestic KEDARNATH

"Let the LIFE pays homage to the majestic Lord Shiva's abode KEDARNATH"

Kedarnath hosts one of the holiest temples of the Hindu and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Kedarnath is a located in Uttarakhand. The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas about 3584m above sea level near the head of river Mandakini and is flanked by breathtaking majestic look snow-capped peaks.
Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Kedar or Lord Shiva. There are more than 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in the district itself, the most important one is Kedarnath.

The age of the temple is traced to Mahabharatha period. The original structure is believed to have been built by Pandavas. Janameyjayan, son of Parikshit Maharaj, is said to have constructed the Mandap (Hall) before sanctum sanctorum. Kedarnath temple was built in the 8th century A.D., The temple at Kedarnath is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was renovated and refurbished by the religious reformer and saint, Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. Outside the temple door a large statue of Nandi the bull, stands as the guardian deity. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut gray slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs had been handled in the earlier days. The 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.

This moderately sized temple consists of a sanctum and a hall in front. Outside the temple, in the open sky, there is a majestic Nandi (Bull – vehicle of Shiva) facing Shiva. Just at the entrance, there is Vinayaka - with a human face in a posture of prayer. The mandap, houses the images of Pandavas and their wife Draupadi – original builders of the temple besides Krishna (mentor of Pandavas – a reincarnation of Vishnu) and Kunti (mother of Pandavas). While Yudhistir, eldest of the Pandavs stands symbolising Dharma , Arjun is dressed for performing penance. Others – Bhim, Nakul & Sahadev stand duly armed with their respective traditional arms.

In addition, there is also a small bull and Swami Veerbhadra inside the temple. Just before the sanctum sanctorum, an image of KedarGauri , consort of Shiva is located facing west. Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Shiva Lingam, facing South. There is also a small temple for Bhairav, to the south of main temple, who is said to guard the Kedarnath temple when it is closed for worship during winter.