Kedarnath is located in the Uttaranchal/Uttarakhand state of India . It is a Hindu holy town. In a scenic spot, at an altitude of 3,584 m and at the origin of the river Mandakini , the temple of Kedarnath is amongst the most venerated by Hindu pilgrims .
Kedarnath is accessible after a steep 13 km trek over a paved path from Gaurikund . Untrained persons are likely to take all day for the walk, and spend lunch halfway. There are places en route like Janglechatti, Rambara and Garurchatti where you can rest a while or spend the night. Just one kilometer before Rambara is a high and beautiful cascading waterfall.
Gaurikund is connected by road from Rishikesh , Haridwar , Dehradun and other important hill stations of the Garhwal andKumaon Uttaranchal / Uttarakhand .
Kedar is yet another name for Lord Shiva, and also the name given to a stone (presented as a lingam ) rounded by years long travel in Ganga .
There are more than 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in Chamoli district, the most important being Kedarnath. Kedarnath is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva .
As one approaches from Garurchatti, the magnificent Sri Kedarnath temple is visible on reach barely half a kilometer.
With the stunning background of towering white Kedarnath dome mantled with snow, the temple presents an enchanting sight. All around it is an aura of peace and purity. Here, the unholy are said to become holy and the holy, holier still. (but there also is a need to mention the consequent irresponsible disposal of rubbish and sewer into the waters and meadows just outside the village borders.)
The temple is magnificent in its style and architecture. It is built on a morainic ridge jutting out at right angles from the snowy range. The present temple, most likely built in 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya , stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. No specific family of pujaris supervises rituals at Kedarnath, which focus around veneration of the stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple.
Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut Grey slabs of stones, one wonders as to how these heavy slabs had been handled in the earlier days. The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with figure of various deities and scenes from mythology.
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