Kedarnath is a small town in de midhills of the Himalaya mountains in the state of Uttarakhand in north-western India. It is a Hindu holy town and is one of the Himalaya Char Dham yatra. Kedarnath is located at about 3584 mtrs. above sea level and lies near to the head of river Mandakini. It is flanked by many breathtaking peaks. If you arrive in the early or late season, you will most likely find your path in the morning and evening to be frozen and slippery. Then the the temple and houses are all under a pack of snow and the people around packed with many layers of clothes and all chiffering, sipping tea at the teashop next to the temple. Sadhus camp on the streets while trying to stay warm by burning locally found woods.
Kedarnath hosts one of the holiest Hindu temples and is a ever more popular destination for Hindu pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. In a scenic spot at the origin of the river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is most venerated amongst the Hindu pilgrims.
Kedarnath is accessible by a 13 km trek through a hilly paved path (horses or palanquins are available for rent) from Gaurikund. Gaurikund is a one day’s travel by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other important hill stations in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttarakhand.
Demographics
At the 2001 India census, Kedarnath had a population of 479.
As the legend goes, in the Mahabharata, while on their Himalaya pilgrimage, the Pandavas decided to pay homage to Lord Shiva. But Lord Shiva was not interested in meeting them as they were guilty of gotra hatya(killing their brethren). Seeing the Pandavas coming, the Lord disguised himself as a bull. But the Pandavas saw through Shiva’s disguise. Realizing that his disguise had not worked the bull tried to plunge himself beneath the ground. But Bhima was swift and held on the hind legs of the bull, thus preventing it from vanishing. In the struggle that ensued different parts of Lord Shiva’s body appeared at various places in Kedarkhand. The forehead showed up at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, the hump of the bull at Kedarnath, the torso including the navel at Madhmaheshwar, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, and the matted hair at Kalpeshwar. The Indian Panch Kedar trek includes all the five shrines associated with the Kedar legend. All of them are situated in the Kedar Valley.