Panch Kedar Temples

These five of the most significant Shiva temples are associated with myriad legends and stories about their origin and their significance. Among them the most popular comes from the Hindu epic Mahabharat. In this legend, Pandavas, the five sons of king Pandu, fought a war known as the "Kurukshetra War" with their cousin brothers Kauravas for their share of land in the common Kingdom. In the war, Pandavas had to shed the blood of their own teachers, friends, and close relatives.

Completing the Panch Kedar Yatra is considered highly praiseworthy. As worshipping Lord Shiva is believed to lead the way to Moksha (Liberation), many pilgrims visit the five temples every year while they are open. Also, a visit to the temples fulfills the desires and grants immense blessings to the devotees. Moreover, the trek is also considered an embodiment of a spiritual pilgrimage. The challenging Panch Kedar trek signifies the obstacles in one's life, and overcoming them resembles the attainment of victory over worldly and mundane problems. Also, the sacred atmosphere while visiting Panch Kedar leads the connection to get deeper with nature and the divinity, thus is a highly preferred journey for self-reflection and self-realization.

Located amid the over-extravagant beauty of Himalayas on an elevation of 3583 m, Kedarnath Temple is the first temple in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit. Kedarnath temple symbolises the hump or the back of Lord Shiva, who took the form of a bull to avoid Pandavas. It represents the strength and power of the divine. The temple has an unclear history of establishment but it was revived by the prodigy Adi Shakaracharya in the 8th century CE. Kedarnath Temple is also part of the Char Dham circuit of Uttarakhand. The temple has two major parts, a Mandap and a Shikhara.

Tungnath Mahadev temple is the world's highest-located temple of Lord Shiva. At a height of 3680 m, Tungnath is set amid the majestic beauty of the Garhwal Himalayas and an amazing experience of trekking. It requires a short trek of only four kilometres, yet is more elevated than other temples of Panch Kedar. Tungnath temple is the third temple in the Panch Kedar Trek and represents the shoulders and forearms of lord shiva from the legend of Mahabharat. North Indian architecture has a similar build to Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar temple. Tungnath temple's beauty lies in its simplicity. It has a strong build of gray stones and various surrounding structures dedicated to other deities.

The fifth temple in the circuit of Panch Kedar Yatra, Rudranath is the place where the hair locks (jata) of Lord Shiva are worshipped. Inside the temple flows a small stream of water resembling the holy Ganga believed to originate from lord shiva's hair. Rudranath is the easiest temple to reach in all of the five temples of Panch Kedar. The temple is located at an altitude of 2,200 m and requires only about two kilometres of an on-foot trek from the nearest motor-accessible Urgum Valley. One can reach the Rudranath temple from Helang located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. This is the only temple open throughout the year. It is set amid dense forest, various waterfalls, and green fields. One can also witness the confluence of Kalpganga and Alaknanda en route to Rudranath temple.