Panch Kedar :

Panch Kedar refers to five Hindu temples or holy places of the Shaivite sect dedicated to god Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India. They are the subject of many legends that directly link their creation to Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

The five temples designated in the strict pecking order to be followed for pilgrimage for worship are the Kedarnath at an altitude of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), the Tungnath (3,680 m or 12,070 ft),  (2,286 m or 7,500 ft), Madhyamaheshwar or Madmaheshwar (3,490 m or 11,450 ft) and Kalpeshwar  (2,200 m or 7,200 ft). The Kedarnath is the main temple, which is part of four Chota Char Dhams (literally 'the small four abodes/seats') or pilgrimage centers of the Garhwal Himalayas; the other three dhams are the Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Kedarnath is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

The Garhwal region is also called the Kedar-Khanda after Kedar — the local name for Lord Shiva. The region abounds in emblems and aniconic forms of Shiva sect of Lord Shiva, much more than the Vaishnava sect. The western part of this region in particular, which constitutes half of Chamoli district being known as Kedar-Kshetra or Kedar mandala, encompasses in its ambit all the five temples constituting the Panch Kedar.

History :

It is said that the Panch Kedar Yatra (pilgrimage) could be directly related to the Gorakhnath Sampradaya (recognized for their pilgrim traditions) of Nepal. As a proof, it is stated that the culmination of the pilgrimage was at Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, rightly where Lord Shiva's head is worshipped and not at Kedarnath where the hump is venerated. A further supporting fact mentioned in this regard is that the emblem used in Kedarnath temple dome is the same as displayed in the Pashupathinath temple dome in Kathmandu.

1. Kedarnath :

Located at a height of 3,584 metres, Kedarnath temple is set in a spectacular background of snow-clad peaks and forests. It is in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand and occupies a prominent position among the Panch Kedar temples. The temple houses a conical shaped Shiva lingam which is considered to be the hump of Shiva. Present temple, built with grey stone slaps, is said to be established by Adi Shankaracharya in 8/9th century A.D. Nearest motorable road towards Kedarnath is Gaurikund. After which a trekked path of 14 km is taken to reach the shrine. The trek, though mainly steep, takes one through wonderful landscapes, keeping the spirits of pilgrims soaring at all times.

2. Tungnath :

At a height of 3,680 meters lies the highest temple of Shiva in the world. In the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, Tungnath can be reached by indulging in 4 km (approx.) trek from Chopta. It is here that Shiva's arms have said to appear. A moderate trek, walking on the paved path towards Tungnath will provide vistas of splendid peaks such as Nanda Devi, Kedarnath, Chowkhamba and Neelkanth.

3. Rudranath :

It is the place where Shiva's face came up the ground. A natural rock temple, situated at the height of 2,286 meters amid alpine meadows and thick forests of rhododendrons, is where Shiva is worshipped as 'Neelkanth Mahadev'. Many sacred kunds (pools) such as Surya Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund and Mana Kund exists around the temple. Fabulous peaks of Nanda Devi, Nanda Ghunti and Trishul form an amazing backdrop. The trek involved is considered harder to reach as compared to other Panch Kedar temples. Most of the treks leading to Rudranath start from various points in Gopeshwar (in Chamoli district) and can stretch up to 20 km.

4. Madhyamaheswar :

At the height of about 3,289 meters, Madhyamaheswar is the place where, it is believed, the middle or navel part of Shiva emerged. The temple lies in a beautiful green valley in the Mansoona village of Garhwal Himalayas and is encircled by spectacular snow-covered peaks of Kedarnath, Chaukhamba and Neelkantha. Bantoli is the place where Madhyamaheswar Ganga merges with Martyenda Ganga. The verdant forest; the beautiful wildlife, including the endangered Himalayan monal pheasant and Himalayan musk deer; waterfalls; and surrounding peaks makes this trek a truly memorable one.

5. Kalpeshwar :

In the Kalpeshwar temple, Lord Shiva's hairs (jatas) appeared, as per the legend. Because of the long and tangled locks of Shiva, he is also called Jatadhari or Jateshwar. The temple of Kalpeshwar is located in the tranquil and scenic Urgam valley in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, at an elevation of 2,200 metres. Urgam valley, mainly covered in dense forest, proffers interesting vistas of apple orchards and potato plantations on terraced fields.

Legends :

Many folk legends related to the Garhwal region, lord Shiva and the creation of the Panch Kedar temples are narrated.

A folk legend about Panch Kedar relates to the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The Pandavas defeated and killed their cousins — the Kauravas in the epic Kurukshetra war. They wished to atone for the sins of committing fratricide(gotra hatya) and Brahmanahatya (killing of Brahmins — the priest class) during the war. Thus, they handed over the reins of their kingdom to their kin and left in search of lord Shiva and to seek his blessings. First, they went to the holy city of Varanasi(Kashi), believed to Shiva's favourite city and known for its Shiva temple. But, Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war and was, therefore, insensitive to Pandavas' prayers. Therefore, he assumed the form of a bull (Nandi) and hid in the Garhwal region.

Not finding Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to Garhwal Himalayas. Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, then standing astride two mountains started to look for Shiva. He saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi (“hidden Kashi” — the name derived from the hiding act of Shiva). Bhima immediately recognized the bull to be Shiva. Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs. But the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground to later reappear in parts, with the hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tunganath, the nabhi (navel) and stomach surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar, the face showing up at Rudranath and the hair and the head appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavas pleased with this reappearance in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Shiva. The Pandavas were thus freed from their sins. It is also believed that the fore portions of Shiva appeared at Doleshwor Mahadeva Temple, Bhaktapur district Nepal.

A variant of the tale credits Bhima of not only catching the bull, but also stopping it from disappearing. Consequently, the bull was torn asunder into five parts and appeared at five locations in the Kedar Khand of Garhwal region of the Himalayas. After building the Panch Kedar temples, the Pandavas meditated at Kedarnath for salvation, performed yagna (fire sacrifice) and then through the heavenly path called the Mahapanth (also called Swargarohini), attained heaven or salvation.

After completing the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's darshan at the Panch Kedar temples, it is an unwritten religious rite to visit Lord Vishnu at the Badrinath Temple, as a final affirmatory proof by the devotee that he has sought blessings of Lord Shiva.

Worship rights :

The priests and pundits who worship in the Panch Kedar temples are from South India, except in Tungnath. Namboodiri brahmins hailing from Malabar, in Kerala officiate as chief priests at Badrinath temple and they are known by the name Rawals. Jangamas who are pure Veerashaiva Lingayats from Chitrakal in Mysore are the chief priests at the Madhyamaheswar temple. Dasnami Gosainsfounded by Adi Shankaracharya are the chief priests in Rudranath and Kalpeshwar temples. The Tunganath temple is served by the Khasi Brahmins. In the case of Tungnath, it is also said that the local brahmins from Mokumath officiate as priests.

Kedarnath Teerth Purohit all Kedarnath Teerth Purohit (Panda) are the ancient brahmin of this himalaya region of Kedarkhand, these are there from the end of treta yug and start of kaliyug, when pandava came to himalaya for finding moksh, and then went to mahapanth, after their journey to mahapanth, their grandson King Janmejay came to Kedarnth and gave the right of worshiping of Kedarnath temple to these brahmins.These lives near Guptakashi. At the start the total no. of these brahmins were 360.

                            Undertaking Panch Kedar Yatra will take pilgrims on a long magnificent journey to remember for a life time. Attached with the element of sacredness, the meadows, mountains, snow-covered peaks, wildlife and streams - all attain a more special significance. The Panch Kedar pilgrimage normally takes 15/16 days to complete.