Kedarnath is a town and pilgrimage destination in Uttarakhand region.
Kedarnath is one of the four Char Dham (चार धाम यात्रा) Hindu pilgrim centers. The town and the temple are open from May to October, as there will be heavy snowfall in winter. Specific dates are always announced prior to the Yatra (Journey) as per the Hindu Calendar, and one needs to check for specific dates for each year. You can still visit when the town is shut down, but be prepared for heavy snowfall. Gaurikund, which is around 4 km above from the Sonprayag base camp, also shuts down in winter.
It feels like you are just a few km away from heaven while on the trek to Kedarnath temple. You will need to trek 16 km for one side to explore this holiest Hindu pilgrimage site known as Kedarnath. Kedarnath Temple is one of the holiest places of India and very popular across the Indian nation. Kedarnath temple is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state of India.
The word Kedar stands for Mercy and Nath stands for lord so the Kedarnath together can be referred to as The Lord of Mercy "Kedarnath". The Kedarnath temple is referred to Lord Shiva, every year millions of pilgrims reach Kedarnath Temple with the hope of positive happenings, cure, peace, and other motives.
The temple itself is quite an exquisite example of stone work. It houses the lingam, a symbol of the Hindu God Shiva. The temple is located among an astonishing mountain landscape, surrounded by peaks that are over 6,000 m in elevation. Behind the shrine lies Adi Shankaracharya's samadhi, where he is believed to have taken rest after establishing the four dhams at an early age of 32 years. At a visible distance from the shrine also lies an ancient Bhairav Temple, beyond which one comes out to green glades and tiny streams, fed by the surrounding (and approachable) glaciers.
Treks leading out from Kedarnath are strenuous. If one arrives here early in the season, glaciers blocking these routes would be a common occurrence - and quite risky since one can never tell the thickness of the ice.
The temple is closed from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm, so plan to be there before 3 pm. Before 3 pm visitors can touch the idol and do Abhishek with ghee. After 5 PM no one can touch the idol but can get Darshan from a distance. At this time the idol is in Emperor costume. But if you arrive later than 5 PM, don't try to go back on the same day. The path is very risky and as of 2011, the light systems often failed. The weather can be changeable. There are many dharmshalas to stay the night (see "Sleep"). After that you can attend Morning Aarti and participate in Abhishek.
Gandhi Sarovar (lake) - and the Chorabari Glacier that feeds the lake - lie the closest, at a distance of 3.5km, which makes for a trek of at least an hour. Gandhi Sarovar is named after Mahatma Gandhi as his ashes were immersed here. There is a very nice waterfall on the way. The glacier retreats by the end of the season whereas there is snow/ice all over the route early in the season. However the boundaries of this lake burst due to heavy rain in 2013 and added to the problems of the Kedarnath valley which was experiencing 2 days of continuous rain.
Vasuki Tal - which is famous for its blue waters - is at 8km, and involves a very difficult climb and crossing glaciers. It generally takes one 4-5 hours to reach there, so set out early.
Puja and aarti at the temple if you are a Hindu. Treks to the adjacent valleys will take you through untouched forests and desolate paths. Some pilgrims even take a dip in the icy waters of Mandakini.
- Visit Gandhi Sarovar (Around 3900 m high)
- Visit Vasuki Tal
- Enjoy the greens beyond the small Bhairav Temple on the hill to the right of Kedarnath
- Bathe in the icy waters of River Mandakini
- Visit Tungnath, second among the Panch Kedar Temples which is in the vicinity (the other four being Kedarnath, Rudranath, Kalpeshwar and Madhyamaheshwar).
- Visit Triyuginarayan Temple, famous for being the temple where Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati are said to have gotten married. Gandhi Sarovar: Around 3.5 km from the Kedarnath. It's better to start early in the morning because you move close to Kedar Hills and there would be no clouds. As the day progresses, clouds may spoil the view. There is a beautiful waterfall on the way. In July 2009, there was no water in Gandhi Sarovar, but you won't be disappointed because of its location. It's a nice place to roam around and take photos. There is a paved cement road to reach the Sarovar; do not take any short routes, stick to the paved road.