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Kedarnath Yatra
KEDARNATH » The Kedarnath shrine, one of
the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the
backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range. At an altitude of 3,581 mt it is a 14
km trek from Gaurikund.
Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva, the protector
and the destroyer. Shiva is considered the embodiment of all passions -
love, hatred, fear, death and mysticism which are expressed through his various
forms.
There are more than 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in Chamoli
district itself, the most important one is Kedarnath. According to legend, the
Pandavas after having won over the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty
of having killed their own brothers and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for
redemption. He eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at
Kedarnath in the from of a bull.
On being followed he dived into the ground,
leaving his hump on the surface. The remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared
at four other places and are worshipped there as his manifestations.
The
arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar and
his locks (hair) with head at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above
mentioned shrines are treated as Panch Kedar.
How to reach :
Air : Jolly grant (Dehradun) - 239 km away from Kedarnath of which 225 km is by road and rest 14 km is
on foot.
Rail : Railhead at Rishikesh, 221 km away of which 207 km is by road and the rest 14 km is on foot.
Railhead at Kotdwara, 250 km away, of which 236 km is by road and rest 14 km is on foot.
Road : Kedarnath is approachable on foot
from Gaurikund, which is connected by road with Rishikesh, Kotdwara, Dehradun,
Haridwar and other important hill stations of Garhwal and Kumaon
Hills.
Bus : This service is available at
Rishikesh, Haridwar and Kotdwara for Gaurikund. During yatra season, some
special Yatra services are also arranged to Gaurikund.
Distance from
Rishikesh to Kedarnath 223 km, via Deoprayag 70 km, Shrinagar 35 km,
Rudraprayag 34 km, Tilwara 9 km, Agastyamuni 0 km, Kund 15 km, Guptkashi 5 km,
Fata 11 km, Rampur 9 km, Sonprayag 3 km Gaurikund 5 km, Rambara 7 km,
Garurchatti 4 km, Sri Kedarnath 3 km.
Transport : Buses, private taxies and other light
vehicles also ply between Rishikesh and Gaurikund-Badrinath and back. The
charges are not fixed.
Horses, Dandies and Ponies are available at Gaurikund
for going and carrying luggage to Kedarnath.
Sightseeing :
Kedarnath Temple : An imposing sight, standing in the middle of a wide plateau
surrounded by lofty snow covered peaks. The present temple, built in 8th
century A.D. by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an earlier
temple built by the Pandavas. 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.
Dedicate
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
grey 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.
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