The Garhwal Himalayan Region in Uttarakhand is not just abounding with an unmatched natural beauty. There is a sacred aura in its air. This place is home to the most famous pilgrimage sites like Panch Kedar and Chardham in India. From the Gangotri Dham where Ma Ganga starts her journey to holy sites of Haridwar and Rishikesh, there is only serenity and divinity. This is the reason the other name of Uttarakhand is ‘Devbhoomi’. Here people gathered in mass for the most revered Kedarnath Yatra every year.

Pilgrimages in Uttarakhand

Thousands of visitors from every nook come to Uttarakhand to witness the Ganga Aarti in Haridwar. They return home after enlightening their soul in the divine light of thousands of Diyas. Many of them choose to embark on Chardham Yatra to thousands of ft up the hill. 

Chardham refers to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath Dhams in a combined form. While Gangotri and Yamunotri mark the origin of Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhams are abodes of Shiva Jyotirlinga and Divya Desam of Sri Vishnu.

Each of the four Dhams has a mind soothing description behind their formation. Here I have described how the Kedarnath Dham was evolved and what led to the creation of Panch Kedar.

Formation of Panch Kedar

About 4000 years ago, Arians from the Middle East settled in the bank of Sindh River. They gradually spread across this vast land. Then it was the Vedic era in India. At that time, the only religion existed was the religion of truth.

The followers of truth and those against the truth indulged in the battle of Kurukshetra. This is the reason  Kurukshetra is also known as Dharmakshetra.

Post-Kurukshetra war, Eldest Pandav Yudhisthir reigned the throne. But the Pandava brothers lost their peace of mind as they killed their own brothers and relatives in the battlefield. They decided to take shelter of Lord Shiva and reached Varanasi. But For them, it was not easy to get a glimpse of Lord Shiva that could clean their sin. Lord Shiva escaped to Gupt Kashi to avoid Pandavas. Gupt Kashi was named so because Lord Shiva hid there from Pandavas in the disguise of a bull.

The sacred place Guptkashi has a divine connection to Kedarnath. During the winter season, the priests of Kedarnath live in GuptKashi. The idol of Kedarnath passes by Guptkashi on the way to Ukhimath. Here the idol of Kedarnath is worshiped for six months.

Pandava and Panch Kedar

Pandava followed Lord Shiva to Gupt Kashi but he again escaped. This time Lord Shiva proceeded further up and reached the Kedarnath.

Following the path of Shiva, Pandavas reached Kedarnath. Here they finally got a glimpse of God Shiva. But Lord Shiva to avoid Pandavas jumped from the hill and in this action, he left his hump there. Similarly,  the other parts of his body fall at four different places. His arms fall at Tungnath, face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar and head at Kalpeshwar. Pandavas built Shiva temples at all five places. Later these sacred shrines became famous as Panch Kedar.

Location of the five Shiva Temples

Panch Kedar temples got their address in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand. All five temples are located within a distance of 170 Km.

Kedarnath

The first Kedar or Kedarnath Dham sits at a height of 3500 ft in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag of Alaknanda where the mighty river meets with Mandakini at 86 Km from Kedarnath. The spectacular backdrop of snow-clad peaks and verdant forests make Kedarnath no less than a heaven.

The 14 Km Kedarnath trekking starts at Gaurikund that is the nearest motorable place. One can also hire a Palki or Pony to reach the temple. Uttarakhand tourism bus and private taxi run between Haridwar and Gaurikund. These days pilgrims also opt for the same day trip to Kedarnath by Helicopter. 

Tungnath

At a height of 3,680 meters in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, this is the highest Shiva temple in the world. It takes about a 4 km trek from Chopta to reach Tungnath. The moderate trek rewards awe-inspiring views of charming meadows filled by rhododendron flowers and magnificent peaks of Nanda Devi, Kedarnath, Chowkhamba and Neelkanth.

Rudranath

Here God Shiva is worshiped as Neelkanth Mahadev’. The natural rock temple shines in the backdrop of fabulous peaks of Nanda Devi, Nanda Ghunti and Trishul.   Rudranath pearches at the height of 2,286 meters in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.  The alpine meadows and bushes of rhododendrons around the temple bring heavenly delight. Many sacred kunds (pools) such as Surya Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund and Mana Kund around the temple add reverence to the place. Rudranath trek starts in Gopeshwar and the 20 km long trek is comparatively difficult.

Madhyamaheswar

The fourth Kedar Madhyamaheswar is resting in the green valley of Mansoona village in Ukhimath, Uttarakhand. The peaks of Kedarnath, Chaukhamba, and Neelkantha surround the sacred temple at a height of about 3289 meters. The base camp for trekking to Madhyamaheswar is Uniana at 18 km from Ukhimath. The 19 Km trek rewards with absolute serenity and divine beauty.

Kalpeshwar

As the long hair of God Shiva dropped at this place, here the name of Mahadev is Jatadhari or Jateshwar. Kalpeshwar is located in the Urgam, a scenic and tranquil valley in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. An easy trek of 2 Km amid apple orchards and potato plantations takes the pilgrims to Kalpeshwar perched at a height of 2200 meters.

Conclusion – Panch Kedar in Uttarakhand is a collection of five Shiva Temples. These are the most revered Hindu pilgrimage sites in India In this article; the formation, location, and other interesting facts about Panch Kear have been nicely described.