Volume 14 : April 2008

Kedarnath Yatra Dham

Kedarnath temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Lord Shiva, The lingam at Kedarnath, unlike its usual form, is pyramidal in shape.. This ancient and magnificent temple is located in the Rudra Himalaya range in Uttarakhand state of India. Kedarnath is accessible only after a steep 14 km trek through a paved path from Gaurikund, which is connected by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other important hill stations of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions in Uttarakhand. Kedarnath is located on a ridge which juts out at right angles from below the 23000 feet high snowy peak of Mahapanth. Kedarnath is located on the Rudra Himalaya range.

The present temple, built in 8th century A.D. by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls of the temple sanctum are adorned with figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architectured Kedarnath temple is considered to be more than 1000 years old. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut grey slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs had been handled in the earlier days. The temple has a Garbha Griha for worship and a Mandap, apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form. The temple, very ancient and has been continually renovated over the centuries.

At the approach of winters in the month of November, the holy statue of Lord Shiva, is carried down from Garhwal (Kedarkhand) to Ukhimath, and is reinstated at Kedarnath, in the first week of May. It is at this time, that the doors of the temple are thrown open to pilgrims, who flock from all parts of India, for a holy pilgrimage. The shrine closes on the first day of Kartik (Oct-Nov) and reopens in Vaishakh (Apr-May) every year. During its closure the shrine is submerged in snow and worship is performed at Ukhimath.

The Rudra Himalaya range is also known as the Pancha Parvata; its five peaks are Rudra Himalaya, Vishnupuri, Bhramapuri, Udgari-Kanth and Swargarohini. It is believed that four of the Pandavas died on the last of these peaks. Immediately behind the temple, is the high Keadardome peak that can be sighted from great distances, The sight of the temple and the peak with its perpetual snows is simply an enthralling experience.

The Pandva’s story

During the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas, their own kith and kin got killed. In order to absolve themselves of this sin, the Pandavas went for a pilgrimage. But Lord Vishweshwara was away in Kailasa in the Himalayas. On learning this, the Pandavas, left Kashi. They reached the Himalayas via Hardwar. They saw Lord Shankar from a distance. But Lord Shankara hid from them. Then Dharmaraj said: “Oh, Lord, You have hidden yourself from our sight because we have sinned. But, we will seek you out somehow. Only after we take your Darshan would our sins be washed away. This place, where You have hidden Yourself will be known as Guptkashi and become a famous shrine.”

From Guptakashi (Rudraprayag), the Pandavas went ahead they reached Gaurikund in the Himalayas valleys. They wandered there in search of Lord Shankara. While doing so Nakul and Sahadev found a he-buffalo. It was unique to look at. Then Bhemma went after the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo was clever and Bheema could not catch it. But Bheema managed to hit the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo had its face hidden in a crevice-in the earth. Bheema started to pull it by its tail. In this tug-of war, the face of the buffalo went straight to Nepal, leaving its hind part in Kedar. The face of the buffalo is known as Pashupatinath in Nepal.

On this hind part of Mahesha, a glorious JyotirLinga appeared. Lord Shankara appeared from this great light. He appeared before the pandavas. By getting a Darshan of Lord Shankar, the pandavas were absolved of their sins. The Lord told the Pandavas, “From now on, I will remain here as a triangular shaped JyotirLinga. By taking a Darshan of Kedarnath, devotees would attain piety”. Near Kedarnath, there are many symbols of the Pandavas Raja Pandu died here, when he tried to make love to Madri. This place is famous as Pandukeshwar. The tribals here perform a dance called “Pandav Nritya”. The mountain top where the Pandavas went to Swarga, is known as “Swargarohini”. When Darmaraja was leaving for Swarga, one of his fingers fell on the earth. At that palce, Dharmaraj installed a Shiva Linga, which is the size of the thumb.

To gain Mashisharupa, Shankara and Bheema fought with maces. Bheema was struck with remorse. He started to massage Lord Shankara’s body with ghee. In memory of this event, even today, this triangular Shiva JyotirLinga is massaged with ghee. Shankara is worshipped here in this manner. Water and Bel leaves are used for worship.

When Nar-narayan went to Badrika village and started the worship of Parthiva, Shiva appeared before them. A few days later, a pleased Shiva granted them some boons. Nar-narayan wished that for the welfare of the humanity, Shiva should remain there in his original form. Granting their wish, in the snow-clad Himalayas, in a place called Kedar, Mahesha himself stayed there as a Jyoti. Here, He is known as Kedareshwara.

By visiting Kedareshwar, sorrows do not come even in dreams. By worshipping Shambara (Kedareshwar) Pandavas were rid of all theor sorrows. Badri-Keshwar’s darshan rids one of the material ties. Whoever gives Dan (alms) at Kedareshwar, just gets assimilated into Shivaroopa.

As suspected, Shiva, in bull form refused to do so and instead sank himself into the earth. Realising quickly that this was the play of Shiva, Bhim bent downwards and could catch hold of the hump (back portion of the bull).   Shiva, pleased with the determination of Pandavas, blessed them and granted them salvation from their sins. The hump, in conical form, is worshipped as Shiva (in the form of a Shivalingam).The remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four places and are worshiped there as his manifestations. The arms appeared at Tunganath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar & his locks at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath including these four shrines is treated as Panch Kedar.

Pilgrimage

Pilgrims traditionally first visit Yamunotri and Gangotri and bring with them the holy waters from the sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga and offer abhishekams to Kedareshwara. The traditional pilgrim route is Haridwar - Rishikesh - Devaprayag - Tehri - Dharasu - Yamunotri - Uttar Kashi - Gangotri - Triyugnarayan - Gowrikund and Kedarnath. Alternatively, the route to Kedar from Rishikesh is via Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath. Near Kedarnath is the source of the river Mandakini. Mandakini joins Alakananda at Rudraprayag.

On the background to this temple is Chaugambika Hills (called as Velliangiri in Tamil) – fully snow clad peaks. These range of mountains are believed to be the beginning of Himalayas, where Mount Kailash is situated. It is also believed to be the path towards Swarg (Heaven). Pandavas are believed to have attempted to go to Heaven through this route.  Legend has it that while all died enroute, only Yudhistir – representing the symbol of Dharma and his dog managed  to reach Heaven in the human form.

Legends

Myths and legends coupled with the enchanting beauty of the Rudra Himalaya range gives this place a pristine beauty.

According to one such legend Goddess Parvati worshipped Kedareswar to unite with Lord Shiva as Ardhanareshwar. Kedara Munivar is also said to have established this shrine visited by the Pancha Pandavas. TRIYUGINARAYAN is a mythological venue, at a distance of 25 kms from Kedar and at a short trek of 5 kms from Sonprayag. It is believed that the wedding of Shiva with   Parvathi was solemnised here. An eternal flame, said to be a witness for the above wedding, burns in front of the temple even today.

Another such legend has it that Nar and Narayan, the two incarnations of Lord Vishnu practiced severe penances at Badrikashram in front of a Shivalingam. When Lord shiva gave them the divine appearance, they requested him to make Kedareshwar his permanent abode. Lord Shiva thus manifested himself in the form of Jyotirlingam.

The Pandavas are believed to have visited this area several times. Arjuna is believed to have come here to pray to Shiva to obtain the coveted Pasupataastra. The other Pandavas are believed to have come here in search of him, where Draupadi came across the heavenly lotus Kalyana Saugandikam, and requested Bhima to bring here some more of the same. It was during his venturing out to seek these flowers that Bhima met Hanuman.

An interesting story about Kedarnath

A brahmin (member of the priest class in Hindus) was going on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath. Along the way, he kept helping other pilgrims, unmindful of the fact that he was getting late and that the Kedarnath shrine would soon shut for winter. Sure enough, by the time the brahmin reached the shrine, the doors were closed. When he requested the head priest to open the doors just once, he advised him to return next spring. The brahmin was heartbroken. "Lord! I have come all this way to meet you and was delayed only because I was trying to help others. How is it that you refuse to see me?" The temple door closed with a bang, but the brahmin refused to budge. All of a sudden, he saw a sadhu (holy man) coming down the mountain. The brahmin recounted his woeful tale to the sadhu.

"Who told you that the temple has closed for the winter? You are mistaken. Tomorrow is the last day of the pilgrimage. Don't lose heart, you still have a whole day left to meet the Lord," said the sadhu. The brahmin was utterly confused. "Why don't you come and spend the night with me?" said the sadhu. "I know of a nice, warm cave behind the temple." The brahmin agreed and went with the sadhu. After a frugal meal, the two men began a game of chess. The sadhu was a good player, but the brahmin managed to beat him once, twice, thrice... every time. The brahmin hardly noticed that the night was almost over and dawn was breaking.

He realized that it was time to go. Since it was the last day when he could see his Lord, he did not want to waste time. He hurriedly packed his bags and bade farewell to the sadhu. "Thank you very much for the company last night, but it would have been better if you could have beaten me just once. There is no fun in winning all the time, " he said.

The sadhu replied, "Do you not know that I always lose myself to those who seek the Lord as intensely as you?" The brahmin was in a tearing hurry and barely heard what had been said. He rushed towards the temple and found the doors open. The brahmin entered the temple and met the head priest who had refused to open the doors. "Why did you say that the temple was closed for the year when it is possible for me to enter the temple today and meet my Lord?"

The head priest was amazed. "You must be out of your mind! Today is the first day when the temple is opened for this year. The temple had been closed for winter. How could I have told you anything last night, when I have come up to Kedarnath only this morning?"

The brahmin was thunderstruck!
The truth finally dawned on him - this morning was actually the NEXT year! He started running towards the cave shouting, "My Lord, my Lord, you played with me last night. Show me your face again..." But there was neither any trace of the sadhu nor any sign of the cave where they had spent the "night".

In short, it is to say that in order to visit Kedarnath, JyotirLinga, one has to go through a treacherous route. But when people are determined and dedicated, they never get tired. Every one keeps chanting Jay Kedarnath! Jay Kedarnath!!

Srimat Shankaracharya praised Lord Shiva thus:

Mahadriparshve cha tate ramantam
sampujyamanam satatam munindraih |
surasurairyaxa mahoragadhyaih
kedaramisham shivamekamide ||

Meaning:
Oh Lord, who resides in the great heights of Himalayas, oh Lord, thou, who art worshipped forever by saints, Hermits, Demons, Gods, Yakshas and Maha Nag (giant snakes), I bow and offer millions of Pranams.

ll OM NAMAH SHIVAYA ll

JAI HANUMAN !!