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Set in the scenic Himalayas, Kedarnath is the northernmost of the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas. It was established by the Pandavas after the Mahabharata War.
Kedarnath is one of the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas. It is located in the Garhwal Himalayas at a height of 4,000 meters. In the backdrop are lofty snow clad mountains, with lush grassy valleys in the front. Close by is the source of the sacred Mandakini. The unique feature about Kedarnath is that the lingam here is conical in form and not cylindrical. The hill on which the temple stands is known as Kedar, giving the Jyotirlinga its name – Kedarnath or “the Lord of Kedar”.
The Temple The temple gets covered by snow in winter and is accessible only six months a year. When the temple shuts down in the month of Kartik, an oil lamp is lit inside. The lingam is shifted to Ukhimath lower in the valley, where it is worshipped till the month of Vaishakha. In Vaishakha when the temple doors are opened, the oil lamp is still lit. The pilgrimage to Kedarnath starts from Haridwar and takes one of the two designated routes. The longer of the routes passes through Yamnotri and Gangotri, the sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga respectively. Pilgrims bring with them the sacred waters from the sources of these rivers and offer ablutions to Kedarnath with them. Now most of the road to Kedarnath is motor able. The last stretch, however, is a precipitous climb that has to be done on foot. The LegendAfter the Pandavas slew their cousins, the Kauravas, in the Mahabharata War they sought Shiva to ask for forgiveness. They followed him to Kedar, where Shiva assumed the form of a bull and dived underground. However its rump got stuck above the ground and on it a glorious light beam appeared, from which emerged Shiva. He absolved the Pandavas of the sin of killing their relatives and declared that henceforth he would reside at Kedar. It is believed that the Pandavas built the first temple at Kedarnath around the naturally formed conical lingam. Four other parts of the bull are worshipped at other sites. The arms are worshipped at Tungnath, the mouth at Rudranath, the navel at Madmaheshwar and the hair at Kalpeshwar. These five shrines collectively are known as the Panch Kedar or “Five Kedars”. The region of Kedar was not new to the Pandavas. They had come here on several occasions before. Arjun received the coveted Pashupatastra, or Shiva’s divine weapon here. The heavenly lotus Kalyan Saugandikam is ethnic to this region. During the exile of the Pandavas, Draupadi requested Bhim to bring her these flowers. It was while searching for them that Bhim met Hanuman at Kedar. There is an alternative legend about the origin of Kedarnath. Nara and Narayan had set up their ashram at Vadrikashram. There they had made a lingam out of earth and worshipped it. Once Shiva emerged from the lingam and offered to give them a boon. The great sages requested that Shiva take up permanent residence as a Jyotirlinga at Kedar. The HistoryThe spiritual leader Adi Shankaracharya is closely associated with Kedarnath. Shankaracharya traveled throughout India establishing centers for learning and devotion. His last stop was Kedarnath. He built the present temple in 8th century next to the temple originally built by the Pandavas. It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya gave up his life at the young age of 32 years just behind the Kedarnath temple in 820 AD. His samadhi still exists there and is worshipped by his devotees. Please check my course on Hindu Mythology Please check my articles on Mythology from India
The copyright of the article Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Hinduism is owned by Harsh Nevatia. Permission to republish Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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