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Panch Kedar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Panch Kedar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Panch Kedar
Location

30320N79200E, Madhyamaheshwar

303813N 791258E andKalpeshwar

303437.35N792522.49E

Architecture and culture

History

Panch Kedar (Sanskrit:

) refers to five Hindu

temples or holy places of the Shaivite sect dedicated to

Panch Kedar

god Shiva. They are located in

theGarhwal Himalayan region inUttarakhand, India. They
are the subject of many legends that directly link their
creation to Pandavas, the heroes of
the Hindu epicMahabharata.[1]
The five temples designated in the strict pecking order to
be followed for pilgrimage for worship are
theKedarnath (Sanskrit:
) at an altitude of

Kedarnath

3,583 m (11,755 ft), theTungnath (

)(3,680 m or
12,070 ft), Rudranath (

) (2,286 m or

7,500 ft),Madhyamaheshwar ( ) or
Madmaheshwar (3,490 m or 11,450 ft)
and Kalpeshwar ( ) (2,200 m or 7,200 ft). The
Kedarnath is the main temple, which is part of the four

TungnathRudranath

famous Chota Char Dhams (literally 'the small four

abodes/seats') or pilgrimage centers of the Garhwal
Himalayas; the other three dhams are
theBadrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Kedarnath is also
one of the twelveJyotirlingas.[2][3]
The Garhwal region is also called the Kedar-Khanda after

MadhyamaheshwarKalpeshwar
This box: viewtalkedit

Kedar the local name for Lord Shiva. The region

Map all coordinates from Google

[show]

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abounds in emblems and aniconic forms of Shiva sect of

Map up to 200 coordinates from Bing

Lord Shiva, much more than theVaishnava sect. The

western part of this region in particular, which constitutes half of Chamoli districtbeing known as KedarKshetra or Kedar mandala, encompasses in its ambit all the five temples constituting the Panch Kedar.[4]
Visitors to Kedarnath shrine, the first of the Panch Kedar temples for which records are available, was
an impressive 557,923 in 2007 as against 87,629 in 1987, a quantum jump in 20 years.[5]
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Legends
3 Geography
4 Access by trekking
5 Worship during winter season
6 References
7 External links

History

[edit]

It is said that the Panch Kedar Yatra (pilgrimage) could be directly related to theGorakhnath 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 Shivas 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.[6]

Legends

[edit]

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) andBrhmanahatya (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 Shivaand to seek his blessings. First, they

Overview of Pashupatinath
templecomplex in Kathmandu, Nepal

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
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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

Badrinath Temple

their sins. It is also believed that the fore portions of Shiva

appeared at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu the capital
of Nepal.[2][7][8]
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.[7] 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.[citation needed]
After completing the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's darshan at the

Ukhimath Temple, near where the

Kedarnath and
the Madhyamaheshwardeities are kept
during the winter months

Panch Kedar temples, it is an unwritten religious 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.[9]
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 Keralaofficiate as chief priests 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.
Kedarnath Teerth Purohit all Kedarnath Teerth Purohit (Panda) are the ancient brahmin of this
himalaya region of Kedarkhand, these are there from the end of treta yug and start of kaliyug, when
pandava came to himalaya for finding moksh, and then went to mahapanth, after their journey to
mahapanth, their grandson King Janmejay came to Kedarnth and gave the right of worshiping of
Kedarnath temple to these brahmins. These lives near Guptakashi. At the start the total no of these
brahmins were 360 numbers.[10]

Geography

[edit]

The five temples lie ensconced in the region of the Upper Himalayas with the high snow covered hill
ranges of theNanda Devi, Chaukhamba, Kedarnath andNeelkanth peaks forming their back drop.
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Kedarnath is located in the Mandakini River valley while the

other shrines are situated in the highlands between the
Mandakini valley and the Alakanandagorge. 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 throughout the
year by a short trek of about 3 km (2 mi) from the nearest road

Chaukhamba peak

head. (See External links for schematic maps of the locations of

Panch Kedar).[2]
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

Trishul peak

temple are four sacred ponds called Retah, Udak, Rudra and
Rishi.[2] Tunganath has an impressive backdrop of the peaks of
Panchulli, Nanda Devi, Dunagiri, Kedarnath and Bandar Poonch.
The Vaitarani stream flows near Rudranath.[8] 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.[11]

Access by trekking

Nanda Devi Peak

[edit]

The Panch Kedar temples are accessible by 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 or 25,646 ft), Trishul (7,120 m or 23,360 ft) and Chaukhamba (7,138 m or 23,419 ft). Garhwal
region is where the most worshipped Ganga River and its many tributaries originate adding to the
reverence of the Panch Kedar temples.[11]
The total trek length to cover all the five temples of Panch Kedar is about 170 km (110 mi) (including
road travel up to 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.[11] 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.[7]
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 (140 mi). The road from Rishikesh leads to
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the Gaurikhund on theRudraprayagKedarnath road from where the trekking would start to Kedarnath
temple. The trek to Kedarnath is of 14 km (8.7 mi), each way. After Kedarnath, road travel to Guptakashi
and further to Jagasu covers a distance of 30 km (19 mi). From Jagasu, the trek to Madhaymaheshwar
temple via Gaundhar is over a distance of24 km (15 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 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
(knownCherapunji 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 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 (145 mi).[11][12]
The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun (258 km or 160 mi). The nearest railway station
is Rishikesh (241 km or 150 mi).[13]

Worship during winter season

[edit]

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.[2][7]

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