Kedarnath Dham, Uttarakhand

The fantastic Kedarnath Dham Yatra, one of the important Chota Char Dham destinations and encompassing the religious cities of Haridwar, Guptkashi, Kedarnath, Rudraprayag, and Rishikesh, is an absolute “must” for every pious Hindu. A Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and believed to have been originally built by the Pandavas, it is one of the four Dhams and Panch Kedars, joining the 12 Jyotirlingas in the lap of the Himalayan mountains, in Uttarakhand.

The largest Shiva temple in Uttarakhand, situated at the confluence of 3 towering mountains – the 22,000ft high Kedarnath, the 21,600 ft high Khetkund, and 22,700 ft high Bharatkund – this sacred temple has been built by connecting huge rock-cut brownstones, on a platform that is 6 ft high. The temple, which is also believed to stand at the confluence of 5 rivers, Mandakini, Madhuganga, Kshirganga, Saraswati, and Swarnagouri, though all of them are not believed to exist today, yet the Mandakini, a tributary of the Alaknanda, does exist.

Kedarnath Temple Opening Date 2021

(17 May 2021), Due to extreme weather conditions, this sacred shrine is only open to the general public for six months – between the months of April (Akshaya Tritiya) and November (Kartik Purnima, the autumn full moon). During the extreme winter months, the vigraha or deity from the Kedarnath temple is reverently carried down to Ukhimath, where is worshipped for the next 6 months.

The Kedarnath temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 22km uphill trek, through immensely scenic countryside, from Gaurikund, situated at an altitude of 1,982 meters. Before commencing the trek, one can take a bath here in the hot water pond here and visit the Gauri Temple, to pay reverent obeisance and obtain the blessings of the deity for the further pilgrimage to be blessed by the powers that be and crowned with success. So surrender yourselves with confidence, yet again, to the master planners and executors of exciting and scenic treks.