Kedarnath Temple, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand - Jyotirlinga, Shiva Temple
Kedarnath temple is one of the most significant Hindu shrines located in the Gharwal region of the Himalayas at an altitude of 3584 meters. The temple is believed to be constructed by Shankaracharya. It is famous for one of the twelve jyotirlingas along with one of Panch Kedar. The residing deity of the temple is Lord Shiva who by its several forms embodies love,hatred, fear and death. According to a popular belief, the temple was built by the Pandavas in order to attain redemption from Lord Shiva after the great war of Mahabharata. At the entrance of the temple, there is the statue of Nandi, the bull of Lord Shiva.The walls inside the temple are intricately carved with different beautiful images of Gods and Goddesses. According to the mythology the idol placed in the temple is identical to the hump of a bull. It is said that Lord Shiva disguised himself to escape recognition from the Pandavas, when found by the Pandavas Lord Shiva dived in the ground leaving behind hump on the surface and the hump is still worshiped by the devotees.The statue of Lord Shiva is shifted from Gharwal to Ukimath as soon as the winters set in that is from the month of November and is shifted back to the temple in the month of May.
