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Kedarnath temple is one of the holiest Hindu shrines located in Kedarnath town of Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand. Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3,583m (11,755ft) above sea level near Chorabari Glacier, the source of river Mandakini. The nearest road head is at Gaurikund about 16km away.
According to a theological account, the god Shiva agreed to dwell here at the request of Nar-Narayana. In the Kurukshetra War, the Pandava brothers, came here to meet Shiva on the advice of the sage Vyasa, because they wanted to seek forgiveness for killing their kin during the war. However, Shiva did not want to forgive them, so he turned into a bull and hid among the cattle on the hill. When the Pandavas managed to trace him, he tried to disappear by sinking himself head-first into the ground.
One of the brothers, Bhima, grabbed his tail, forcing him to appear before them and forgive them. The original temple of Kedarnath is said to have been built by Pandavas. The portions of Shiva's body later appeared at four other locations; and collectively, these five places came to be known as the five Kedaras (PanchKedar) the head of the bull appeared at the location of Pashupatinath.
The Temple is built of large size rocks on a rectangular platform. The temple has a Sanctum and an assembly hall. The revered Shiva Lingam house is a temple in an unusual pyramidal form. At the entrance of the temple is the statue of Nandi, the divine vehicle of Shiva. The hall consists of figures of Pandavas, Lord Krishna, Draupadi, and Virbhadra.
When the main gate of Kedarnath is closed, you can see the art made on it and it looks very beautiful.
The Kedarnath temple remains open for only six months a year, from the end of April to the beginning of November. The temple remains closed for the next six months due to extreme winter conditions. At the beginning of winter, the deity is taken to Ukhimath and is worshipped there for the next six months till the beginning of spring.
Temple Overview :
Best time to visit: May, June, September, October, and November.
Nearest Railway Station: Rishikesh Railway Station, 225kms
Nearest Airport: Jolygrant Airport, 240kms
KEDARNATH TO GAURIKUND (18kms, 5-6hrs)
GAURIKUND TO RISHIKESH (220kms, 7-8hrs)
Kedarnath Yatra package
Duration - 3 Nights/ 4 Days
Starting Point - Haridwar
Day 1 - Haridwar to Guptakashi
All of you meet at 7 in the morning at the place set by us from where we will start the journey. Our representative will stand by for your guidance at the mentioned location and our journey will start from Haridwar. After that, we will proceed further where and have our lunch at Devprayag. Where we will have the divine darshan of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Sangam and move ahead, in the evening we will reach Guptkashi where we will spend the night. And then after waking up in the morning, we will leave for Kedarnath via Sonprayag.
Day 2 -Guptkashi - Sonprayag - Kedarnath
Waking up early in the morning, we will have breakfast first and after that, we will continue our journey and start our journey by reaching Gaurikund on foot for Kedarnath Yatra. Enjoying the beautiful and many natural views, we will move ahead and in the evening we will reach Kedarnath. On reaching where we will first keep our luggage in the hotel and proceed to the temple for the Aarti. After Aarti, we will return to the hotel, rest after dinner, and remove the tiredness of the whole day.
Day 3 - Kedarnath to Guptakashi
After waking up in the morning, first of all, we will go to the temple for darshan and then to other places around the temple. And then come back to the hotel, have dinner, and continue your journey. After walking a few km we will reach Gaurikund from where we will reach Guptkashi via Sonprayag. We will check in at the hotel and after dinner take a rest and prepare for the morning.
Day 4 - Guptakashi to Haridwar
After breakfast, we will leave for Haridwar and proceed with the darshan at Rudraprayag and Devprayag. We will drop you all at your destination and with this, our package ends here.
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