Kedarnath Temple - Best Time to Visit, How to Reach, Full Guide
Do you want to visit Kedarnath Temple? You need to know how to reach Kedarnath, nearby places, things to do and all things for your perfect journey
Kedarnath is one of the most popular of the four main shrines in India. Every year lakhs of devotees come here to visit Kedarnath. Coming to Kedarnath is the dream of almost all Hindus. Being situated amidst beautiful snowy hills, very few people come to this shrine.
If you also want to visit Kedarnath then you should be fully aware of it. Today I will give you complete information about Kedarnath. So that you will know how to reach Kedarnath? Where to stay and at least how much it costs?
Peak Season: June
Off-Season: January
Famous for: 1st Shrine of India
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price: ₹10,000+
Duration: 11 Hours
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| Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand |
Kedarnath Temple - Step by Step Full Guide
Kedarnath is open for only 6 months of the year. It opens only in the summer season from May to October. Later it is closed due to heavy snowfall in winter. Kedarnath is surrounded by high mountains from all sides. The height of these mountains is more than 22 thousand feet. Also, there is a confluence of five rivers here. These include Swarnagouri, Mandakini, Madhuganga, Chiranganga, and Saraswati river.
The Kedarnath temple is 85 feet high and 187 feet wide. Its walls are 12 feet wide. The stones of this temple are connected by an interlocking system. The temple is located at an altitude of 3462 feet. The triangle stone is worshipped in the centre of the temple as a Jyotirlinga. Inside the temple, you can also see the idol of the five Pandavas, including Draupadi.
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| Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand |
Kedarnath temple is located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India. This temple is one of the Panch Kedar of India. Which includes Kedarnath, Rudranath, Kalpeshwar, Madhyeshwar, and Tungnath.
Best Places to Visit in Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand
1. Bairav Temple
There is another popular temple here. This Bhairav temple is 500 meters away from the Kedarnath temple. To reach Bhairav Temple you have to do trekking. Looking at the beautiful views, you can visit the Bhairav temple.
2. Vasuki Taal
Vasuki Tal is a beautiful lake surrounded by snowy hills. Which is 7 km away from Kedarnath Temple. If you want to do photography and videography, then Vasuki Taal will be very good for you.
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| Gandhi Sarovar - Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand |
3. Gandhi Sarovar
Gandhi Sarovar is also a very beautiful pond. This pond is surrounded by lush green mountains. This pond is at a distance of 3 km from Kedarnath temple.
Kedarnath Temple History
Many stories of the Kedarnath temple come out. These temples are considered to be thousands of years old. It is said that this temple was built by Janmjay, a descendant of the Pandavas. On the other hand, it is also said that in the tenth century, this temple was built by Raja Bhoj of Malwa on the orders of Raja Bhoj from Gwalior.
Another story is also that Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharya built this temple in the eighth century. Adi Shankaracharya, 32 years old, died at this place. His mausoleum can be seen behind the Kedarnath temple. There are two popular stories of Jyotirlinga which is located in Kedarnath Temple.
1st Story of Kedarnath Temple
According to the first story, Nar and Narayana, the two incarnations of Lord Vishnu, were doing penance on the summit of Kedarnath. Pleased with his austerity, Lord Shiva get appeared. According to the promise of Nara and Narayana, Lord Shiva decided to stay at the same place as Jyotirlinga forever.
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| Oldest Picture of Kedarnath - Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand |
2nd Story of Kedarnath Temple
According to the second story, after the war of Mahabharata, the Pandavas incurred the sin of killing family members. Lord Shiva was very angry with this sin of his. The Pandavas went to Kashi to apologize to Lord Shiva. But there they did not find Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva did not want to meet the Pandavas. And that's why they settled in Kedarnath. The Pandavas also followed him to Kedarnath.
Then Lord Shiva took the form of a bull and merged into the herd of oxen. The Pandavas came to know about the new form by Lord Shiva. Then Bhima took his huge form and put his big foot on the mountains. Seeing the huge form of Bhima, all the bulls ran away from under the feet. But Lord Shiva could not do this. Still, Bhima caught the bull with full force. But that bull started penetrating under the earth.
In the end, Bhima stopped the hump of the bull from getting into the ground. And today, the hump of the bull, which has come out of the ground a little, has become a stone. This stone is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. And this Jyotirlinga is worshipped today.
When Lord Shiva was penetrating the earth in the form of a bull, part of his body appeared in Kathmandu. Where today is the temple of Pashupatinath. Similarly, his arms appeared in Tungnath, Mukh in Dudranath, Navel in Madhyeshwar, and hair in Kalpeshwar.
In this way, a total of five Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva were made. And temples of Lord Shiva were built at these five places
How to reach Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand?
There are many ways to reach Kedarnath Temple. The easiest way is to first come to Haridwar or Dehradun. After this, you have to reach Sonprayag from Haridwar or Dehradun. From Sonprayag, you can reach Kedarnath Temple easily. You will get full details of the route here.
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| Camps - Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand (Source) |
Where to stay in Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand?
You have to stay at Sonprayag or Gaurikund before reaching the Kedarnath temple. Hotels in both these places are very expensive. Which price is more than 3 thousand per day. In the peak season, their price also doubles. Apart from this, there are also many halls, dormitories, and camps are available. In which you can spend the night at minimum price.
The best means to stay at Kedarnath is tents of GMVN. These tents are provided by the Uttarakhand Government. For this, you can pay 400 rupees a day. Which does not include food. If we talk about food then food is very expensive here.
Best Time to Visit Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand
The Kedarnath temple opens in the month of the summer season. You can visit the Kedarnath temple in the months of April to November. In the early days, Kedarnath is very crowded. It is the month of April to May. In which the number of tourists becomes very high. In such a situation, Hotels and Meals also become very expensive.
If you go in the month of October to November, then the crowd will get less and the cost of hotel, miles, and fare will also be reduced. But the weather of this month becomes very cold, so you should take warm clothes with you.
You should not go in the months of July and September. Because these days there are landslides due to heavy rain. Which becomes quite dangerous. In such a way, all roads are closed. To go inside the temple during peak season, you will have to stand in a line longer than 2 hours. And off-season, you have to stand in less than a 1-hour long line.
The temple's door is open from 6 am to 5 pm. Aarti is performed twice in the Kedarnath temple. The first aarti is performed at 6 in the morning and the second aarti is performed at 6 in the evening. People are not allowed inside the temple during both aartis.
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| Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand (Credit) |
How does it cost to visit Kedarnath Temple?
According to the journey, you will have to stay in the hotel in three places. It will also include your meals. If you start your journey by bus and complete the rest of the journey by tracking, then you will incur a total cost of 10 thousand rupees. This cost is calculated according to two people.
If you want to travel by taxi. And also if you want to ride a helicopter, then it will cost 10 thousand more. If you are single or have two people. You can also rent a bike from Haridwar. This will reduce your expenses. The bike rent charge is 1000 rupees for a day.
FAQ
Q. Where is Kedarnath Temple?
Kedarnath temple is located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India.
Q. Who built Kedarnath Temple?
It is not clear who built the Kedarnath temple. Somewhere in history, it is said that Raja Bhoj of Malwa was built. Elsewhere it has been written that Adi Shankaracharya has made it.
Q. Is photography and videography allowed in Kedarnath Temple?
Yes, you can take photos and videos easily at Kedarnath. But you can not click pictures and videos inside the temple of Kedarnath.
Q. Is bags are allowed in Kedarnath Temple?
Yes, you can bring your bag with you. It would be better to keep your luggage in the hotel.
Q. Can tourists go to Kedarnath temple when the temple closing period date?
Yes, tourists can go to Kedarnath but tourists can not go inside of the temple.