Shree Trymbakeshwar Jyotirlinga

Location : Brahmagiri

Description :
Shri Trymbakeshwar Temple is located at a distance of about 30-km from Nasik in Maharashtra near the mountain named Brahmagiri from which the river Godavari flows. Trymbakeshwar Temple is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva and as the source of the river Godavari. Just as Ganga is known as Bhagirathi and is one of the most important river in North India in the same way Godavari is also known as Gautami Ganga and is the most sacred river in South India.\r\nAccording to Shiv Purana it is because of the earnest request of Godavari Gautam Rishi and other gods that Lord Shiva agreed to reside here and assumed the famous name Trymbakeshwar. Interestingly locals refer to the river here as Ganga and not as Godavari. All the heavenly Gods promised to come down to Nasik once in twelve years when Jupiter resides in the zodiac sign of Leo. On this a grand fair is organized at this place. Devotees take a holy bath in the Gautami Ganga and then seek the blessings of Trymbakeshwar.\r\nTryambakeshwar Temple is an ancient shrine however the current structure is a result of the reconstruction efforts undertaken by the Peshwa Balaji Bajirao in mid 18th century. The temple is built of black stone in the Nagara style of architecture and is enclosed in a spacious courtyard. The sanctum internally a square and externally a stellar structure houses a small Shivalingam - Tryambaka. \r\nThe sanctum is crowned with a graceful tower embellished with a giant Amalaka and a golden kalasha. In front of the garbagriha and the antarala is a mandap with doors on all four sides. Three of these doorways are covered with porches and the openings of these porches are ornamented with pillars and arches. Curvilinear slabs rising in steps form roof of the mandapam. The entire structure is ornamented with sculptural work featuring running scrolls floral designs and figures of gods yakshas humans and animals.
The Shivalingam is seen in a depression on the floor of the sanctum. Water constantly oozes out from the top of the Shivalingam. Usually the Shivalingam is covered with a silver mask but on festive occasions a golden mask with five faces each with a golden crown covers it. Legend goes that a sage name Gautam Muni resided on the Brahmagiri hill with his wife Ahilya. By virtue of his devotion the sage received from Varuna a bottomless pit from which he received an inexhaustible supply of grains and food. The other rishis jealous of his fortune arranged for a cow to enter his granary and caused it to die as Gowtam Rishi attempted to ward it off with a bunch of Darbha grass.
Gautam Rishi therefore worshipped Lord Shiva to bring the Ganga down to his hermitage to purify the premises. Pleased with devotion Shiva requested Ganga to flow down and make Sage Gautam pure. After that Ganga flowed down. Lord Shiva told Ganga to stay there eternally for the good of everyone. All the Gods started singing the praises of Gautam Rishi Ganga and Lord Shiva. On the request of all the Gods Lord Shiva resided by the river Gautami by the name Trymbakeshwar (one of the Jyotirlingas). Hindus believe that Trymbak Jyotirlinga is one which fulfills everyone’s desires. It emancipates all from their sins and miseries.
Another popular legend behind Trymbakeshwar Temple is the legend of Lingodbhava manifestation of Shiva. It says once Brahma and Vishnu searched in vain to discover the origin of Shiva who manifested himself as a cosmic column of fire. Brahma lied that he had seen the top of the column of fire and was hence cursed that he would not be worshipped on earth. In turn Brahma cursed Shiva that he would be pushed underground. Accordingly Shiva came down under the Brahmagiri hill in the form of Tryambakeshwar. Trymbakeshwar Temple is the only place where Shivlinga is not out but it’s inside the floor.\r\nSome scholars say that Goddess Parvati also came down along Lord Shiva and Ganga. The place is therefore called Tryambakeshwa (three lords). Others believe that the place is so called because of the presence of three Shivlinga of Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh. The Shivlinga of Lord Mahesh has always-flowing water among the three Shivlingas.

Nearest Stations :
   East : Aurangabad:213 Km
   West : Silvassa:154 Km
   North : Satana:118 Km
   South : Mumbai:178 Km

Shree Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga

Location : Bhimashankar
Description : The Bhimashankara temple is a composite of old and the new structures in the Nagara style of architecture. It shows the excellency of the skills achieved by ancient Vishwakarma sculptors. It is a modest yet graceful temple and it dates back to 13th century and the sabhamandap developed in 18th century by Nana Phadnavis. The shikhara was built by Nana Phadnavis. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area the sanctum is at a lower level.\r\n\r\n\r\nAlthough the structure here is fairly new the shrine Bhimashankaram (and the Bhimarathi river) have been referred to in literature dating back to the 13th century CE. Saint Jñāneshwar is said to have visited Tryambakeshwar and Bhimashankar. A unique bell (Roman style) can be seen in front of the temple which was presented by Chimaji Appa (Brother of Bajirao Peshwa I and uncle of Nanasaheb Peshwa). Chimaji Appa collected two large bells after he won in war against the Portuguese from Vasai Fort. He offered one here at Bhimashankar and the other at Menovali near Wai in front of a Shiva Temple on the banks of the Krishna river.\r\nThere are Buddha style carvings of Amba-Ambika Bhootling and Bhimashankar in the hills of Manmaad near Bhimashankar at a height of 1034 metres. A big bell in Hemadpanthi structure built by Nana Phadanavis is a feature of Bhimashankar. Places that can be visited in are Hanuman Lake Gupt Bhimashankar Origin of River Bhima Nag Phani Bombay Point Sakshi Vinayak and a lot more. Bhimashankar is a conserve red forest area and wildlife sanctuary where a variety of birds animals flowers plants can be seen. A rare animal "Shekru" can be found in deep woods. Bhimashankar is worth visiting for jungle lovers and trekkers as well as for pilgrims. This temple is very famous in Pune and people from all around the world come to visit this temple. Years ago in the dense forests of Dakini on the lofty ranges of the Sahaydris lived an evil Asura by the name Bhima with his mother Karkati. Compassion and kindness shivered in the presence of Bhima. The divine and the mortals were scared of him alike. But he was confronted by certain questions about his own existence which continuously tormented him.\r\nWhen Bhima could no longer sustain his agony and curiosity he asked his mother to unveil the mysteries of his life. He urged his mother to tell him who his father was and why he had abandoned them in the wilderness of the forest. After much hesitation and with a lingering fear Karkati his mother revealed to him that he was the son of the mighty Kumbhakarna the younger brother of the Lankadheeswara — the mighty all powerful King Ravana of Lanka.\r\nLord Vishnu in his incarnation as Lord Rama annihilated Kumbhakarna. Karkati told Bhima that his father was killed by Ram in the great war. This infuriated Bhima and he vowed to avenge Lord Vishnu. To achieve this he embarked on a severe penance to please Lord Brahma.\r\nThe compassionate creator was pleased by the dedicated devotee and granted him immense prowess. This was a terrible mistake. The evil tyrant caused havoc in the three worlds. He defeated King Indra and conquered the heavens. He also defeated a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva – Kamarupeshwar and put him in the dungeons.\r\nHe started torturing Rishis and Sadhus. All this angered the Gods. They all along with Lord Brahma beseeched Lord Shiva to come to their rescue. Lord Shiva consoled the Gods and agreed to rescue them from the tyrant. On the other hand Bhima insisted and ordered Kamarupeshwar to worship him instead of Lord Shiva.\r\nWhen Kamarupeshwar denied the tyrant Bhima raised his sword to strike the Shiva Linga to which Kamarupeshwar was doing abhishekam and pooja. As soon as Bhima managed to raise his sword Lord Shiva appeared before him in all his magnificence.\r\nThen the terrible war began. The holy sage Narada appeared and requested Lord Shiva to put an end to this war. It was then that Lord Shiva reduced the evil demon to ashes and thus concluded the saga of tyranny. All the Gods and the holy sages present there requested Lord Shiva to make this place his abode. Lord Shiva thus manifested himself in the form of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlingam.\r\nIt is believed that the sweat that poured forth from Lord Shivas body after the battle formed the Bhimarathi River.
Nearest Stations :
   East : Umbraj:91.1 Km
   West : Mumbai:111 Km
   North : Nashik:202 Km
   South : Mahad:235 Km

SREE RAMESHWAR JYOTIRLINGA in Rameshwaram

Location : Rameshwaram
Description : The place where the JyotirLinga is located a large and expansive temple has been built. It is famous in the world as a typical architectural example. In the Ramnad district of Tamilnadu this temple is situated on a big island of sand. It is worth seeing and is a wonderful experience. The main entrance of the temple tower has many storeys and stands tall. Its structure carvings statutes and the peaks make people dumb founded. The grandeur of the Lord is really felt here. The human weakness for being narrow-minded is automatically removed and they feel their horizons broadened.\r\n\r\nOn the tall stone pillars of temple beautiful carvings can be seen. Elephants with their trunks raised are seen. The four sides of the temple are enclosed by strong stone walls. They are 650 ft. and 12ft. wide and tall respectively. This wonderful temple built on the sand island is a work of great art and very impressive.\r\n\r\nNear to a gold plated pillar a river is carved on a monolithic stone of 13 feet high and a foot wide. This indeed is a typical example of beautiful sculpting.\r\n\r\nNear the main temple of Rameshwar there is a separate temple for Parvati known as Parvatavardhini temple. Besides this there are temples of Santana Ganapati Veerabhadra Hanuman navagrahas etc. At a distance of about nearly 2 kilometers from the main temple there is Gandhamaadhan mountain. In spite of being a sandy area it is very green with a variety of flora. This is the Nandanavan of Rameshwar.\r\n\r\nThis island shrine consists of 24 odd holy water sources like Rama teerth Sita Kund Jata Teerth Lakshman Teerth Kapi Teerthas Brahmakund Galawa teerth Mangala teerth Kodandaram teerth Pandav teerth etc. The waters at all these places is sweet and has a taste of its own. Every teerth has a typical story attached to it. Devotees take Darshan and feel purged by doing so.\r\n\r\nEveryday right from 4am till 10pm devotees keep coming to the temple and prayers go on. After the Harati at night the Lord is made to sleep in a Golden swing i.e. the Bhoga statutes of Shankara and Parvati put to bed.\r\n\r\nDuring Mahashivaratri and on the 15th day in the month of Ashadha (Rainy season) a Badatra mela/fete takes place with great festivity. Devotees flock here on these days and at all times right from Nepal and entire India. People in a variety of dresses attired differently come here.\r\nTaking the Ganga water to Rameshwar is considered as a very auspicious and pious thing to do after the pilgrimage of the four holy shrines. After taking a holy bath in Ganga water the holy water is carried and offered to Lord shiva of Rameshwaram. After this a little sand from here is carried to Ganga and immersed there. Completing this ritual is believed to make one’s pilgrimage complete and successful.\r\n\r\nOn the southern seaside of India Rameshwar sea shrine is located.\r\n\r\nIn classics like the Skandha Purana Shivapurana etc. Rameshwar is shown as a very important place. After Sita’s abduction Ram wandered in the jungles looking for her. While doing so he met Sugriva and made friends with him. Later with the help of special messenger Sri Hanuman he found out where Sita was taken. Then Rama prepared an army to invade Ravana’s empire and reached the southern seashore. He did not have any means of crossing the sea. Lakshman and Sugriva saw Rama who is a Shiva devotee in great anguish and could do nothing. But Ravana received some special boons from Lord Shiva. Rama was aware of this and therefore his fears could not be set at rest. In the mean time Rama was full thirsty. Just as he was about to drink water he remembered that he was yet to perform Shiva pooja. He immediately made a Prathiv Linga and worshipped it with sixteen methods i.e. Shodasopachar Vidhis.\r\n\r\nRamji prayed to Lord Shiva ardently and soulfully and sang songs of Lord Shiva’s praise in a loud voice. He danced and made the sounds of “Aagad bam bam”. This pleased Lord Shiva immediately and instantly appeared before Rama and told him that could ask for any boons and that he would grant them. Ram showed a lot of care affection and love to Lord Shiva and prayed and paid obeisance. Rama said “If You want to grant me my wishes please stay on this earth for the sake of all make it holy” Shiva granted the same by saying “Evamastu” meaning “so be it”. He thus stayed there and came to be known as Rameshwara in the form of a Shiva Linga and became popular.\r\n\r\nWith the blessings of Lord Shiva Rama killed all the demons including Ravana and became victorious. Any one who takes a Darshan of the JyotirLinga at Rameshwar and sprinkles the holy water of Ganga attains salvation Kaivalya Moksha or Nirvana.
Nearest Stations :
   East : Sea:0 Km
   West : Madurai:170 Km
   North : Sea:0 Km
   South : Sea:0 Km

Shree Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga

Location : Omkareshwar
Description : Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is on an island called Mandhata or Shivapuri in the Narmada river; the shape of the island is said to be like the Hindu symbol. There are two temples here one to Omkareshwar (whose name means "Lord of Omkaara or the Lord of the Om Sound") and one to Amareshwar (whose name means "Immortal lord" or "lord of the Immortals or Devas"). But as per the sloka on dwadash jyotirligam Mamleshwar is the jyotirling which is on other side of Narmada river.\r\nOmkareshwar temple is the main attraction of the pilgrims. In fact the town owes its very existence to this temple. As to who constructed the temple and when is all shrouded in mystry.The sanctum sanctorum containing the Jyotirlinga seems to have been originally a small temple of the old construction style the dome being made of layers of stone slabs and not of circular cut stones. As this temple is too close to the precipitously deep bank of the Narmada to the south the great extension is of new construction style. This is the reason why the sanctum sanctorum and the main deity are neither in the front of the main door nor below the higher conspicuous Shikhar or the tower of later construction. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga also has its own history and stories.Three of them are prominent. The first story is about Vindhya Parvat (Mount). Once upon a time Narada (son of Lord Brahma) known for his non-stop cosmic travel visited Vindhya parvat. In his spicy way Narad told Vindhya Parvat about the greatness of Mount Meru. This made Vindhya jealous of Meru and he decided to be bigger than Meru. Vindhya started worship of Lord Shiva to become greater than Meru. Vindhya Parvat practiced severe penance and worshipped parthivlinga (A linga made from physical material) along with Lord Omkareshwar for nearly six months. As a result Lord Shiva was pleased and blessed him with his desired boon. On a request of all the gods and the sages Lord Shiva made two parts of the lingas. One half is called Omkareshwara and the other Mamaleshwar or Amareshwar. Lord Shiva gave the boon of growing but took a promise that Vindhya will never be a problem to Shivas devotees. Vindhya began to grow but did not keep his promise. It even obstructed the sun and the moon. All deities approached sage Agastya for help. Agastya along with his wife came to Vindhya and convinced him that he would not grow until the sage and his wife returned. They never returned and Vindhya is there as it was when they left. The sage and his wife stayed in Srisailam which is regarded as Dakshina Kashi and one of the Dwadash Jyotirlinga.\r\nThe second story relates to Mandhata and his sons penance. King Mandhata of Ishvaku clan (an ancestor of Lord Ram) worshipped Lord Shiva here till the Lord manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga. Some scholars also narrate the story about Mandhatas sons-Ambarish and Mucchkund who had practiced severe penance and austerities here and pleased Lord Shiva. Because of this the mountain is named Mandhata.\r\nThe third story from Hindu scriptures says that once upon a time there was a great war between Devas and Danavas(demon) in which Danavas won. This was a major setback for Devas and hence Devas prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with their prayer Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated Danavas.
Nearest Stations :
   East : Vadodara:365 Km
   West : Betul:272 Km
   North : Indore:78.2 Km
   South : Aurangabad:347 Km

Shree Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

Location : Darukavanam (Aunda)
Description : Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana (Satarudra Sa?hita Ch.42/2-4 referred as "nagesham darukavane"). Nageshvara is believed as the first Jyotirlinga on the earth. There are three major shrines in India which are believed as identical to this Jyotirlinga. Those are the Jageshwar temple near Almora in Uttarakhand state the Nageshwara temple near Dwaraka in Gujarat state and the Nagnath temple in Aundha in Maharashtra state.\r\nAt present there is a debate on location of epic forest Darukavana so as to identify the jyotirlinga of Nageswaram. Since no other important clues are left in the text which help in locating the place Darukavana remains as the vital clue.\r\nDarukavana the name being derived from daruvana [meaning forest of deodar trees] is taken by many to exist in Almora. Deodar (daru vriksha) is found only in western Himalayas in abundance and is not found in peninsular India. There has been a continuous association of deodar trees with Lord Shiva in ancient Hindu texts. Hindu sages used to reside and perform meditation in deodar forests to please Lord Shiva.\r\nThus most identify the Jageswara temple in Almora Uttarkhand as Nageshvara Jyotirlinga.\r\nThe very name of Darukavana in text could be misread as Dwarakavana to locate Jyotirlinga at Nageswara temple at Dwaraka. In fact there is no legendary forest at this part of dwaraka that finds mention in any of the India epics. In the narratives of Shri Krishna we find mention of Somanatha and adjoining Prabhasa tirtha but never there is any mention of Nageswara or Darukavana in Dwaraka and outskirts.\r\nDarukavana can also be taken to exist adjacent to Vindhya Mountains. It is south-southwest of the Vindhyas extending to sea in west. In the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra (6) [8] Shankaracharya praised this Jyotirlinga as Naganath: "Yamye sadange nagaretiramye vibhushitangam vividhaishcha bhogai Sadbhaktimuktipradamishamekam shrinaganatham sharanam prapadye"\r\nThis could be taken to provide evidence that it is located in the south [yamye] at the town of Sadanga the ancient name of Aundh in Maharashtra located south compared to Jageswara shrine in Uttarkhand and Dwaraka Nageshvara at West end. Pandavas came here during their Vanvas (life in forests) build a hermitage for themselves. Their cows used to go to the same river bank to drink water. After drinking wate milk used to automatically flow into the river as if the cows were offering to the river. One day Bhima saw this miraculous event. He promptly told Dharmaraja about the same. Then Dharmaraja said “Surely some great God must be living in this river”. Then the Pandavas started removing the water from te river. The middle part of the river was so hot that the water there was boiling.\r\nBheema lifted his mace attacked the river thrice. The water gave way instantly. At the very moment instead blood started oozing like a spring. Lord Shankara’s Linga could be seen as the JyotirLinga.\r\nOn the west coast in an area of 16 Yojanas Daruka and Daruk need to live. The hermits were tired of being harassed by Daruk and others. So they went and sought refuge with Orvamuni who in turn cursed the Demons that they would be destroyed. The Devas launched an attack on the Demons. Now the Demons began to worry. Daruka who received some special boons from Parvati lifted the entire forest took it away on the path of the sky and put it in the middle of the sea. Only then did the Demons relax and continue to live there. They used to go by boats and capture the hermits and imprison them the island. Once there was a Shiva devotee by the name Supriya who was among the prisoners. He never ate food or drank water without worshipping Shiva. He continued to do Puja even while in prison. \r\nWhen the guards informed their chief about his he ordered that Supriya be put to death. Then Supriya prayed to Lord Shankara for his life. The Lord appeared before him immediately and destroyed the entire group of demons including their families. The Lord laid open the entire island for all the four classes of people for living. On the other land Parvati here granted a boon to Daruka. As a result at the end of that era only Demons would be created and she would rule Daruka. Lord Shiva accepted this. Then Shiva and Parvati stayed there. Shiva once again assumed the form of JyotirLinga with the name Nageshwar and Parvati was known as Nageshwari.
Nearest Stations :
   East : Rajkot:151 Km
   West : Sea:0 Km
   North : Sea:0 Km
   South : Sea:0 Km

Shree Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga

Location : Srisailam

Description : Mallikārjuna also called Śrīśaila is located on a mountain on the river Krishna. Srisailam in Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich.It is one place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.\r\nMallikarjun Temple is situated on Shri Shaila Mountain by the banks of the Patal Ganga Krishna River in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Kailash of the South Mallikarjuna constitutes one of the 12 Jyotirlingam shrines of Shiva and is one of the greatest Shaivaite shrines in India. The presiding deities of Mallikarjuna Temple are Mallikarjuna (Shiva) and Bhramaramba (Devi). Every year there is a fair organized on account of Mahashivratri.\r\nSrisailam mountain is looked upon reverentially as the Kailash of South. The temple situated here is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is among the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. The temple sculptures narrate in stone epics from thre great Hindu epics-Ramayana nand Mahabharata.This temple is considered very holy and is dedicated to Mallikarjuna Swamy and Bhramaramba. One unique feature of the temple is that all the devotees who visit the temple are allowed to touch the idol which is not prevalent in any other temple. The temple is located at a distance of 245 km from Hyderabad. According to Shiva Purana when Lord Ganesh was married of before his Kartikeya and because of this brother Kartikeya became angry. Despite being stopped and consoled by his parents Shiv-Parvati Kartikeya went away to the Kraunch Mountain. Even the Gods went and tried consoling Kartikeya but all their efforts were in vain. Because of this incident Shiv-Parvati were very sad and both decided that they would themselves go to Kraunch Mountain. However when Kartikeya came to know that his parents have arrived he went away. Eventually Lord Shiva assumed the form of Jyotirlinga and resided on that mountain by the name of Mallikarjuna. Mallika means Parvati while Arjuna is another name of Shiva. In this way both Shiva and Parvati came to reside in this linga. It is said that by merely seeing the tip of mountain one is emancipated from all his sins and worries. The person becomes free from the vicious cycle of life and death. \r\nThe architecture of the ancient Mallikarjun Temple is very beautiful and intricate. The temple has fort like walls towers and a rich endowment of sculptural work.\r\n\r\nThe huge temple is built in the Dravidian style with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards and is considered to be one of the finest specimens of Vijayanagar architecture. Temple of Tripurantakam Siddavatam Alampura and Umamaheswaram located in the vicinity of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlina are considered to be the four gateways to Sri Sailam. Hari Har Tirthdham is here in Somnath. This is the holy place of Bhagvan Shri Krishnas Neejdham Prasthan Leela. The place where Bhagvan Shri Krishna was hit by an arrow of a poacher is known as Bhalka Tirtha. After being hit by the arrow Bhagvan Shri Krishna arrived at the holy confluence of Hiran Kapila and Saraswati and their Sangam with the ocean. He performed his divine Neejdham Prasthan Leela at the sacred and peaceful banks of river Hiran.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Geetamandir is built here where the divine message of Shrimad Bhagavat Geeta is carved on eighteen marble pillars. Shri Lakshminarayan Mandir is close by. The Balramjiki Gufa is the place from where Bhagvan Shrikrishnas elder brother Balaramji took journey to his nijdham-patal.\r\n\r\nHere is the Parshuram Tapobhumi where Bhagvan Parshuramji carried out penance and he was relieved from the sin of Kshatriya killings. The Pandavas have said to have visited this place and taken holy bath in the Jalprabhas and built five Shiv temples.
Nearest Stations :
   East : Guntur:221 Km
   West : Gadwal:219 Km
   North : Hyderabad:212 Km
   South : Rudravaram:190 Km

Shree Kedarnath Jyotirlinga

Location : Kedarnath
Description : Kedarnath Mandir (Hindi: श्री केदारनाथ ज्योतिर्लिंग  ) is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions the temple is open only between the end of April to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon). During the winters the murtis (idols) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. In this region Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath the Lord of Kedar Khand the historical name of the region. This temple is a Paadal Petra Sthalam (the 275 Holy Abodes of Shiva on the continent) praised by the Tamil Nayanars saints in the 6th-9th century CE.\r\nThe temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 14 km uphill trek from Gaurikund . The temple is believed to have been built by Adi Sankaracharya[1] and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas the holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva. The older temple existed from the times of Mahabharata when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath. The temple is also one of the four major sites in Indias Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas. The actual temple is an impressive stone edifice of unknown date. During the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas the kith and kin of the Pandavas were killed; in order to absolve themselves of this sin the Pandavas undertook 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."\r\nFrom Guptakashi (Rudraprayag) the Pandavas went ahead till 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.\r\nThen! Bheema 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 Doleshwar Mahadev located in Sipatol Bhaktapur Nepal.\r\nOn 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 place Dharmaraj installed a Shiva Linga which is the size of the thumb.\r\nTo 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.\r\nWhen 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.\r\nBy visiting Kedareshwar sorrows do not come even in dreams. By worshipping Shambara (Kedareshwar) Pandavas were rid of all their sorrows. Badri-Keshwar’s darshan rids one of the material ties. Whoever gives Dan (alms) at Kedareshwar just gets assimilated into Shivaroopa.\r\nSrimat Shankaracharya praised Lord Shiva thus:\r\nmahAdripArshve 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. As a matter of fact as one enters the main temple the first hall contains statues of the five Pandava brothers Lord Krishna Nandi the vehicle of Shiva and Virabhadra one of the greatest guards of Shiva. An unusual feature of the temple is the head of a man carved in the triangular stone fascia of the temple. Such a head is seen carved in another temple nearby constructed on the site where the marriage of Shiva and Parvati was held. No specific family of pujaris supervise rituals at Kedarnath where the focus is on veneration of the stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple.\r\nBehind the temple is the samadhi mandir of Adi Sankara. Tamil saints Nayanars of 1st century like Sundarar and Sambanthar praised the deity in their hymns famous by the name of Tevaram.
Nearest Stations :
   East : Pauri:110 Km
   West : Chandigarh:212 Km
   North : Dehradun:50 Km
   South : Haridwar:21 Km