Shree Kedarnath Dham

Kedarnath is another name for Mahadev Shiv, or as many locals say, “Baba Barphani of Garhwal Himalayas”.

There are many tales about how this temple came into existence, but the two most popular ones are that the Kedarnath Temple was re-developed by Adi Shankaracharya, who is the most famous Hindu Saint of the 8th Century AD

It is also said that he was the first yatri of Char Dham Yatra.

His samadhi is also set up at the Kedarnath Dham area in 2021 by the Indian Prime Minister.

It is said that Adi Shankaracharya re-developed the Kedarnath temple, which was originally built by the Pandavas of the Mahabharata era. More on this later.

Adi Shankaracharya also set up the “Shri Shankaracharya Math” in the Joshimath region, which is visited by a large number of travelers on Char Dham Yatra.

The temple of Kedarnath is open only for 6 months in a year (in future it will be open whole year), from the date of Akshaya Tritiya (around late April) till Kartik Purnima (around early November). This year its 14 May 2024.

In the latter month, the weather is so cold that the temple gates are closed for all, and even the vigraha of the temple is brought down to Ukhimath temple, which is near Guptkashi

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As we know, the Kedarnath Temple was redeveloped in the 8th Century, making it almost 1200 years old. However, it was redeveloped back then.

The origin of the temple is much older, perhaps more than 5000 years.

It is said that the Pandavas, who were the winners of the Mahabharata war, where they had to kill their brothers, relatives, and Brahmins, wanted to seek forgiveness for these killings from Mahadev Shiv.

Hence, they went to Kashi, the city of Mahadev. However, Shivji was in no mood to see the Pandavas, and thus, he disappeared from Kashi.

Later, the Pandavas were able to find Mahadev, who had taken the form of a bull and was roaming in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas.

The Pandavas went there but couldn’t locate Mahadev among the many bulls, making it impossible to find him.

So, the Pandavas devised a plan where Bhim, the 2nd Pandav, increased his body size (a vardan which he had) and stretched his legs, thereby creating the valley where the Kedarnath Temple and all dharamshalas are situated.

The Pandavas then forced all the bulls to pass under Bhim’s legs, and it was Bhim who noticed that one particular bull did not come to him. He realized that this bull must be Mahadev himself.

Bhim grabbed that bull from the back, and as soon as he did, the bull disappeared.

Origin of Kedarnath Temple

When the bull disappeared, all 5 body parts of the bull came out of the ground, similar to how the Panch Kedar of the Bull emerged in the Kedarnath area. It is said that the Kedarnath temple was built around the Bull Hemp.

Similarly, the arms of the bull appeared near Chopta, where Tungnath Temple is located. The face of the bull emerged in Rudra Nath, leading to the creation of Rudranath Temple. The navel and the stomach appeared in Gaundar & Urgam Valley, resulting in the creation of Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar Temples.

All these 5 temples are also known as Panch Kedar. The Yatra of Panch Kedar is more difficult than Char Dham, and only Kedarnath Temple is a part of Char Dham Yatra, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams.

Today, the Kedarnath Temple is situated in the Kedarnath Valley, which is at a glacier, next to the Mandakini river.

The first sight of the valley where the temple is located is so beautiful that all the travelers who start the Kedarnath Yatra from Gaurikund simply forget their 18-20 km trek and get lost in the atmosphere.

Kedarnath Temple is open from April to November, with exact dates decided based on two particular dates of the Hindu Calendar: Akshaya Tritiya and Kartik Purnima.

In 2024, the exact dates for the Kedarnath Temple are May 14, 2024.

To reach the temple, we suggest starting your journey from Haridwar or Dehradun.

Haridwar is well-connected with both road and train stations, while Dehradun also has an airport (Jolly Grant)

From Haridwar you first need to reach Sonprayag, and then Gaurikund.

From here you can either trek/ walk for 18-20 km, take a horse ride, palki and there is also an Helicopter service from Guptkashi to Kedarnath.

The best time to visit Kedarnath is from April to mid-July, and then from September & October.

The best place to stay for Kedarnath Dham Yatra is Guptkashi and Kedarnath Dham area, where you will find many Dharamshala, camps by GMVN.

You need to give minimum 4 days to plan a Kedarnath Yatra. At Rajputana Cabs Haridwar, we have Kedarnath tour package where our starting fare of Rs 15,000 for 4-5 days Cab fare, and you can also book star at Rs 1250 per person inclusive of breakfast & dinner. View all details.

A trip of Do Dham Yatra is a trip of Kedarnath along with Badrinath. This is a 5 days Yatra where day 1 to 4 is for kedarnath and day 4 & 5 for Badrinath. Fare starts from Rs 3200 per day cab fare & Rs 1250 per person hotel stay at MAP plan. Call me for more details by clicking below.

We offer all inclusive Char dham Yatra Packages from Haridwar, from Delhi, from Jaipur, and also Char Dham Yatra package by Bus. From Haridwar, Char Dham Yatra is for 9-10 days and we also have all inclusive package starting from Rs 17,000. View all details.