Uttarakhand Information Centre

The five temples designated in the strict pecking order to be followed for pilgrimage for worship are the Kedarnath (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ) at an altitude of 3,583 meters (11,755.2 feet), the Tungnath (तुंगनाथ)(3,680 meters (12,073.5 feet) ), Rudranath (रुद्रनाथ) (2,286 meters (7,500 feet)), Madhyamaheshwar (मध्यमहेश्वर) or Madmaheshwar (3,490 meters (11,450  feet)) and Kalpeshwar (कल्पेश्वर) (2,200 m (7,217.8 ft)). The Kedarnath is the main temple, which is part of the four famous Char Dhams (chhota) (literally ‘the small four abodes/seats’) or pilgrimage centers of the Garhwal Himalayas; the other three dhams are the Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Kedarnath is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Furthermore there is the all-India Char Dham yatra to Dwarka, Rameshwaram, Puri and Badrinath.

The Garhwal region is also called  Kedarhhand after Kedar – the local name for Lord Shiva. The region abounds in emblems and iconic forms of the Saivite sect of Lord Shiva, much more than the Vaishnava sect. The western part of this region in particular, which constitutes half of Chamoli district being known as Kedar-Kshetra or Kedar mandala, encompasses in its ambit all the five temples constituting the Panch Kedar.

Visitors to Kedarnath shrine, the first of the Panch Kedar temples for which records are available, was an impressive 5,57,923 in 2007 as against 87,629 in 1987, which is a quantum jump in 20 years, and certsinly due to the creation of roads during the Sino-Indian conflicts in the 1960′s,  and the Hindu revival in the past few decades.

Contents 1 History 2 Legends 3 Geography 4 Access by trekking 5 Worship during winter season 6 References 7 External links

History

It is said that the Panch Kedar Yatra (pilgrimage) could be directly related to the Gorakhnath cult (recognized for their pilgrim traditions) of Nepal. As a proof, it is stated that the culmination of the pilgrimage was at Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, rightly where Lord Shiva’s head is worshipped and not at Kedarnath where the hump is venerated. A further supporting fact mentioned in this regard is that the emblem used in Kedarnath temple dome is the same as displayed in the Pashupathinath temple dome in Kathmandu.

Historical fact is that during the medieval period Nepali rulers held sway over the cultural and religious ethos of Garhwal, particularly of the tantric culture. But in the early nineteenth century, Uttrakhand came under the control of the Gurkhas for a time, followed by the Maharajas of Tehri Garhwal, till the British took the region under their control under the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 after the Anglo-Nepal war of 1814-1816. Under the treaty, about one-third of Nepalese territory was lost, including Sikkim (whose Chogyals supported United Kingdom in the Anglo-Nepalese War); territory to west of the Kali River like Kumaon (present Indian state of Uttarakhand), Garhwal (present Indian state of Uttarakhand); some territories to the west of the Sutlej River like Kangra (present day Himachal Pradesh); and much of the Terai Region. After the British took control of the region and management of the temples was withdrawn from the Maharajas of Tehri Garhwal, many of the tantric practices were discontinued.

Legends

Many folk legends related to the Garhwal region, god Shiva and the creation of the Panch Kedar temples are narrated.

The most famous folk legend about Panch Kedar relates to the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The Pandavas defeated and killed their cousins – the Kauravas in the epic Kurukshetra war. They wished to atone for the sins of committing fratricide (gotra hatya) and Brāhmanahatya (killing of Brahmins – the priest class) during the war. Thus, they handed over the reigns of their kingdom to their kin and left in search of the god Shiva and to seek his blessings. First, they went to the holy city of Varanasi (Kashi), believed to Shiva’s favourite city and famous for its Shiva temple. But, Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war and was, therefore, insensitive to Pandavas’ prayers. Therefore, he assumed the form of a bull (Nandi) and hid in the Garhwal region.

Not finding Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to Garhwal Himalayas. Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, then standing astride two mountains started to look for Shiva. He saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi (“hidden Kashi” – the name derived from the hiding act of Shiva). Bhima immediately recognized the bull to be Shiva. Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs. But the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground to later reappear in parts, with the hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tunganath, the nabhi (navel) and stomach surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar, the face showing up at Rudranath and the hair and the head appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavas pleased with this reappearance in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Shiva. The Pandavas were thus freed from their sins. It is also believed that the fore portions of Shiva appeared at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu – the capital of Nepal.

A variant of the tale credits Bhima of not only catching the bull, but also stopping it from disappearing. Consequently, the bull was torn asunder into five parts and appeared at five locations in the Kedar Khand of Garhwal region of the Himalayas. After building the Panch Kedar temples, the Pandavas mediated at Kedarnath for salvation, performed yagna (fire sacrifice) and then through the heavenly path called the Mahapanth (also called Swargarohini), attained heaven or salvation.

After completing the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva’s darshan at the Panch Kedar temples, it is an unwritten relgious rite to visit Lord Vishnu at the Badrinath Temple, as a final affirmatory proof by the devotee that he has sought blessings of Lord Shiva.

Worship rights

The priests and pundits who worship in the Panch Kedar temples are from South India, except in Tungnath. Namboodiri brahmins hailing from Malabar, in Kerala officiate as chief priests at Kedarnath temple and also at Badrinath temple and they are known by the name Rawals. Jangamas who are pure Lingayatisms from Chitrakal in Mysore are the chief priests at the Madhyamaheswar temple. Dasnami Gosains founded by Adi Shankaracharya are the chief priests in Rudranath and Kalpeshwar temples. The Tunganath temple is served by the Khasi Brahmins. In the case of Tungnath, it is also said that the local brahmins from Mokumath officiate as priests.

Geography

The five temples lie ensconced in the region of the Upper Himalayas with the high snow covered hill ranges of the Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba, Kedarnath and Neelkanth peaks forming their back drop. Kedarnath is located in the Mandakini River valley while the other shrines are situated in the highlands between the Mandakini valley and the Alakananda gorge. They are so remotely located that except Rudranath, the other four are still not accessible by motorable roads but reached by strenuous trekking, starting from late April or early May till early October. For the rest of year (the winter season), the shrines are closed due to heavy snowfall. Rudranath is accessible through out the year by a short trek of about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the nearest road head. (See External links for schematic maps of the locations of Panch Kedar)

The village of Kedarnath is on the edge of Kedarnath mountain slope in a remote northern part of the Garhwal Himalayas. Kedarnath ranges drain into the Mandakini River that emerges from the steady edge of the Churabre glacier and forms the picturesque Mandakini valley. The Dudhganga, Madhuganga, Swargaduari and Saraswathi are the streams that flow in the valley behind the Kedarnath temple. Also seen close to the temple are four sacred ponds called Retah, Udak, Rudra and Rishi. Tunganath has an impressive backdrop of the peaks of Panchulli, Nanda Devi, Dunagiri, Kedarnath and Bandar Poonch. The Vaitarani stream flows near Rudranath.Kalpeshwar is located in the Urgam valley in a dense forest area. Urgam Valley has apple orchards, terraced fields where potato is grown extensively. Kalp Ganga river, a tributary of the Alaknanda, flows through the valley.

Access by trekking

The Panch Kedar temples are accessible by trekking only from the nearest road heads but in different directions, lengths and scale of difficulty (ruggedness, steepness and snow cover). The trek routes located in the Garhwal region provide a dazzling and enchanting display of the high snow peaks of Nanda Devi (7,817 m (25,646.3 ft)), Trishul (7,120 m (23,359.6 ft)) and Chaukhamba (7,138 m (23,418.6 ft)). Garhwal region is where the most worshipped Ganga River and its many tributaries originate adding to the reverence of the Panch Kedar temples.

The total trek length to cover all the five temples of Panch Kedar is about 170 km (105.6 mi) (including road travel upto Gaurikund), involving 16 days of strenuous and rewarding effort. The trek starts from Gauri Kund, one of the picturesque spots, providing spectacular views of the Himalayan range of hills in the entire Garhwal region, comparable to the Alps. The trekking is undertaken during two seasons; three months during summer and two months after the monsoon season, as during the rest of the period, except Rudranath, the other four Panch Kedar temples are inaccessible due to snow
cover.

The road from Rishikesh is the first entry point to Garhwal from the plains of Uttarakhand. Rishikesh is approachable from Delhi by road over a distance of 230 km (142.9 mi). The road from Rishikesh leads to the Gaurikhund on the Rudraprayag – Kedarnath road from where the trekking would start to Kedarnath temple. The trek to Kedarnath is of14 km (8.7 mi), each way. After Kedarnath, road travel to Guptakashi and further to Jagasu covers a distance of30 km (18.6 mi). From Jagasu, the trek to Madhaymaheshwar temple via Gaundhar is over a distance of24 km (14.9 mi). This trek  provides spectacular views of the Chaukhamba, the Kedarnath and the Neelkanth peaks. Returning from Madhyamaheshwar the road drive to Chopta via Jagasu is of 45 km (28.0 mi). From Chopta, the trek is to the Tunganath temple over a distance of about 4 km (2.5 mi). After the Tunganath trek, the drive along the road up to Mandal (known Cherapunji of Garhwal due to heavy rainfall) is for a distance of8 km (5.0 mi). From Mandal, the trek to Rudranath temple is of 20 km (12.4 mi). After visiting Rudranath temple the return journey is to Mandal and the drive down by road to Helang. From Helang, the trek to Kalpeshwar temple is for 11 km (6.8 mi) via Urgam village and is considered strenuous due to the steepness of the route. After completing the pilgrimage trek of Kalpeswar temple, the last of the Panch Kedar temples, the return road drive from Helong to Riishikesh via Pipalkothi is a distance of 233 km (144.8 mi).

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun (258 km (160.3 mi)). The nearest railway station is Rishikesh (241 km (149.8 mi)).

Worship during winter season

During the winter period when the temples are inaccessible due to snowfall, the sanctified symbolic Shiva idol of Kedarnath is worshipped at the Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath, the representational idol of Tunganath is worshipped at Mokumath, the Rudranath symbolic image is brought to Gopeshwar, and the Madhyamaheshwar symbolic idol is venerated at Ukhimath.

References

External links

• Locations of Panch Kedar – Schematic sketch