Kedarnath temple history

Kedarnath temple history

Kedarnath Temple is a major pilgrimage center for Hindus located in Uttarakhand. It is situated in the lap of the beautiful Himalayas in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Every year lakhs of devotees come here to visit Bhole Baba. Kedarnath temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga and Panch Kedar. Kedarnath Temple is situated at an elevation of 3584 meters above sea level. The beautiful Mandakini River flows next to the temple. The tranquil atmosphere of the Kedar valley makes you devotional.

Kedarnath Temple glory and history

According to an old belief, the present temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. Some also believe that it was built in the second century by King Bhoj of the Malwa region. This temple was first built behind the existing temple by the Pandavas, later the temple disappeared due to Himalayan weather. Later in the 8th century, Adi Shankaracharya built a new temple.

The mythology of Kedarnath Temple

According to mythology, there are many stories related to the Kedarnath temple, some of them are as follows.

According to another legend, when the five Pandava brothers were asked by Shiva to seek blessings so that they would be cleansed of the sin of killing their cousins. This is why Lord Shiva became angry with the Pandavas and they were not ready to see the Pandavas. Lord Shiva leaves Kashi and starts living in a place called Guptkashi. They live there as Nandi (bull). The Pandavas went to Kashi to see Lord Shankar, but Shiva was not found there. At the behest of Narada Muni, he came to The Himalayas in search of him.

Also, another popular legend related to the Kedar temple is that Goddess Parvati worshiped Kedareshwar to unite with Shiva as Ardhanreshwar.

Temple opening day

Every year around the first week of the month of April is opened for devotees, and the temple remains open till the next day of Deepawali. After that, the temple is closed for 6 months.