Kedarnath is situated at an altitude of 11,746 feet above sea level. It is near the origin of Mandakini river. Jalabhishek on the Jyotirlinga of Kedarnath from Yamunotri is considered sacred in Hindu religion. According to Vayupuran, Lord Vishnu came to reside on earth for the welfare of mankind. He took his first step in Badrinath. Earlier, Lord Shiva resided at this place. But he left this place for Narayan and started living in Kedarnath. Therefore Kedarnath has an important place in the Panch Kedar Yatra. Kedarnath also reflects the spirit of sacrifice.

This is the same place where Adi Shankaracharya attained samadhi at the age of 32. Before this he had appointed Veer Shaiva as the Rawal (Chief Priest) of Kedarnath. Presently the Kedarnath temple is being run by the 337th Rawal from Ukhimath, where Lord Shiva is taken during winters. Apart from this, the Pandits living around Guptkashi also look after the functioning of this temple. From the point of view of administration, this place has been divided into different parts among these pundits. So that no problem arises.

Kedarnath temple is different from other temples not only from the spiritual point of view but also from the architectural point of view. This temple is built in Katyuri style. It is situated on the top of the hill. Large brown stones have been used in abundance in its construction. Its roof is made of wood on which a gold urn is placed on its peak. There is a huge statue of Nandi as a guard at the outer gate of the temple. The third major Dham in Chardham Yatra is Kedarnath Dham. Kedarnath Dham is in the list of 12 Jyotirlingas and is the most important temple in Panch-Kedar. This Dham is situated in the lap of Himalayas and near the banks of Mandakini River which is built by Adi-Shankaracharya in 8th AD. According to legends, after the great battle of Kurukshetra, the Pandavas wanted to be freed from the sin of fratricide, and to be freed from these sins they started searching for Shiva. But Lord Shankar did not want to give darshan to the Pandavas, so he retired from there and settled in Kedar. Searching for them they reached the Himalayas. To hide from the Pandavas, Shiva transformed himself into a bull and disappeared on the ground. But Bhima recognized that the bull was none other than Shiva and he immediately caught hold of the bull’s back. Fearing being caught, the bull disappears into the ground and reappears at five different places – It is believed that when Lord Shankar disappeared in the form of a bull, the upper part of his torso appeared in Kathmandu. At Hua (which is today famous as Pashupatinath temple), Shiva’s arms appeared in Tunganath, face in Rudranath, navel in Madmaheshwar and hair in Kalpeshwar. Therefore Shri Kedarnath including these four places is called Panchkedar. After Diwali, the doors of the temple are closed in winter and the idol of Shiva is taken to Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath and remains in Ukhimath for the next six months. Altitude – 11,755 ft. Best Time – May-June and September-November Darshan Timings – Closed from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and open during rest of the hours. Places to Visit – Bhairav Nath Temple, Vasuki Tal (8 km trek), Trijugi Narayan, etc. How to Reach – Gaurikund is the last stop where any transport vehicle can go. And to reach Kedarnath from Gaurikund you will have to trek 16 km. If you want to avoid trekking then one option you have is that you can take helicopter flight from Guptkashi/Fata/Gaurikund etc. (Chardham Yatra by Helicopter) Travel Route – Rudraprayag – Guptkashi – Fata – Rampur – Sitapur – Sonprayag – Gaurikund – Kedarnath (16 km trek)

Badrinath

Badrinath is situated between the Nar and Narayan mountains, at an altitude of 10,276 feet (3,133 m) above sea level. Alaknanda River adds to the beauty of this temple. It is believed that Lord Vishnu remains in meditation at this place. To provide shade to Lakshminarayan, Goddess Lakshmi took the form of a banyan (Badri) tree. But at present the Bair tree is seen in very less quantity but Badrinarayan still remains as it is. Narad, who is an ardent devotee of both of them, is also worshiped here.

The temple which has been built over time was built by the Garhwal king exactly two centuries ago. This temple is built in conical style. Its height is about 15 meters. On the top of which there is a dome. There are 15 idols in this temple. In the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, Nara and Narayana are seated in meditative position along with Vishnu. It is believed that this temple was built in the Vedic period, which was later renovated by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. Apart from Nar and Narayan, this temple also has the idols of Lakshmi, Shiva-Parvati and Ganesha.

The fourth and last Dham of Chardham Yatra is Badrinath Dham. Badrinath Dham is the most sacred and visited Dham in the sub-continent. More than 10 lakh devotees visit Badrinath temple every year. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu which is situated between Nar and Narayan mountains on the banks of Alaknanda River. This is the only Dham which is a part of both Chardham and Chhota Chardham. Inside the Badrinath temple, there is a 1 meter tall black stone idol of Lord Vishnu surrounded by other deities. It is believed that the idol of Lord Vishnu located here is one of the 8 Swayambhu or self-manifested Kshetra Murti, established by Adi Shankaracharya.

According to the story – Once Lord Vishnu searched for a quiet place for meditation and reached this place. Here Lord Vishnu became so engrossed in his meditation that he did not even realize the extremely cold weather. Hence, to protect herself from this weather, Goddess Lakshmi transformed herself into a Badri tree (also known as Jujube). Impressed by the devotion of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu named this place as “Badrikaashram”. Like other Dhams, Badrinath Dham is also open only for six months, from mid-April to early November. During winter, the idol of Lord Vishnu is shifted to the Narasimha temple in Joshimath and remains there for the next six months.

Height – 10,170 ft. Best Time – May-June and September-November Darshan Timings – 4:30 am to 1:00 am and 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Places to visit – Tapt Kund, Charan Paduka, Vyas Gufa (Cave), Ganesh Cave, Bhim Bridge, Maina Gaon, Vasudhara Falls etc. How to reach – You can go to Badrinath by road or by helicopter from Kedarnath. Travel Route – Kedarnath – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Birhi – Pipalkoti – Joshimath – Badrinath.

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