Panch Kedar, Uttarakhand - Panch Kedar Temples

Panch kedar is a set of 5 sacred shrines; Kedarnath, Madhya-Maheshwar, Rudranath, Tungnath and Kalpeshwar devoted to loed Shiva. Panch kedar temples are situated in Uttarakhand's Garhwal region a heavenly part on earth. Story of origin of these each Kedar temples are mostly linked to Pandavas of Mahabharata. The each Kedar temple is nestled at most serene and tranquil places of Indian Himalayan range. Not any motor cars and other vehicles goes straight to the temple, every temple of Panch Kedar requires some amount of trekking journey.

There are several stories about the formation of Panch Kedar but the most believed mythology is, when the Mahabharata was over, Pandavas came to lord Shiva to rinse their sins, Lord Shiva evaded them and hid in the Guptkashi in a form of bull, but Pandavas reached there and they recognized him (Shiva) Bhim ran towards him to hold but Shiva dives in the ground and vanished and he (Shiva) reappeared in parts at different places of Garhwal region; Hump appeared at Kedarnth, Navel at Madhya-Maheshwar, Face at Rudranath, arms at Tungnath and heirs emerged at Kalpeshwar and for that, these temples formed and named Panch Kedar.

Kedarnath: Kedarnath is a part of Panch kedar of Uttarakhand. It is a sanctified and holy temple of lord Shiva situated in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand's Garhwal region. This temple is perched at an altitude of 3583 mts above sea level. The calm and salubrious nature makes it more glorious and mesmerizing to visit, the enthusiastic trekking site attracts adventure lovers and the stable and delightful weather makes it a perfect place for Meditation. The temple holds a cone-shaped Shiv ling which is considered to be the hump of lord Shiva. According to ancient legends, Kedarnath temple was built by Indian monk and Philosopher Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century. Kedarnath temple is a Dham of Uttarakhand's Chardham Yatra and one the most visited religious destinations of Uttarakhand. It has 14 km of trekking site.

Madhya-Maheshwar: Madhya-Maheshwar is a holy shrine dedicated to lord Shiva lies in the lovely village of Monssona and encircled by the sky-kissing snowcapped Kedarnath, Neelkanth and Chaukhamba peaks. It is placed between the beautiful and lusty green valley of Garhwal region. It is believed that the navel part of Shiva was appeared here. This temple requires approx. 19 km trek to reach out at the temple.

Rudranath: Rudranath is the place where shiva's face came up. This natural rock temple is situated in Uttarakhand's Garhwal region. It is nestled at an altitude of 2286 mts above sea level and enclosed by amid alpine meadows and forests of rhododendrons. Here lord Shiva worshiped as "Neelkanth Mahadev'. This place is surrounded by several pious Kunds (pool) such as; Surya kund, Chandra kund, Tara kund and Mana Kunds and the sky-kissing and fabulous peaks of Nanda devi, trishul and Nanda ghunti. The trek to Rudranath is quite hard compare to other Panch kedar temples. Trek to Rudranath starts from Gopeshwar.

Tungnath: this temple is popularly known as the Highest Shiva temple in the world. It lies in the laps of Himalayan region in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. It has 4 km of difficult trekking site which makes it more enthusiastic to visit. En-route to Tunganth one can watch the splendid view of Nanda devi, Chaukhamba, Neelkantha and Kedarnath peaks and not just peaks, one can watch the lusty green valley and lovely meadows, delightful and charming flowers and rhododendron forests which makes journey to Tungnath marvelous and unforgettable.

Kalpeshwar: The Kalpeshwar temple is situated in the serene and scenic place of Ugram valley in Chamoli district. The hairs of lord Shiva was appeared here. Shiva has long and tangled hairs and because of it he is called "Jatadhari". This sacred shrine is nestled at 2200 mts above sea level and encircled by the dense forests and apple orchards. The beautiful meadow and the tranquil environment make it more glorious.