Kedarnath is a holy Hindu town which is situated in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand state, India. Kedarnath Dham is the main attraction of this place, which is one of the most sacred place in Uttarakhand, India.
Kedarnath Dham comes under the Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand. There are two types of Char Dham and Kedarnath is a part of Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayan range of Garhwal near the holy river Mandakini.
The temple of Kedarnath opens only for 6 months from April to November due to extreme climate conditions. During the winters, the deity of Kedarnath is carried down to Ukhimath and worshipped deity of Kedarnath here.
There are 12 Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva in the world and Kedarnath is one of those Jyotirlingas. It is nestled at an altitude of 3,584 meters attracts tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. Kedarnath Dham is one of the most sacred place for Hindu religious peoples.
Many tourist or devotees visit Kedarnath every year. Some helicopter service provider companies make your travel journey easier they take you to Kedarnath by air with the help of a helicopter. it is also the best way to enjoy the beauty of the place.
According to history, people said that the temple of Kedarnath built by the Pandavas. Pandavas visit Kedarnath after killing their relatives Kauravas in the legendary war of Mahabharata. After the war of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna told Pandavas to seek forgiveness from Lord Shiva for killing their relatives in the war. Then Pandavas visit Kedarnath to seek forgiveness from Lord Shiva for the sin of killing their own blood. But Lord Shiva did not want to forgive them so he converted himself into a bull and mix with other cattle and cows so that Pandavas will not find him. But Bhim finds out Lord Shiva and he grabbed his tail, forcing him to appears and forgive them. But Lord Shiva dived into the ground, Bhim only gets hump of the bull. This impressed Lord Shiva, the portion of Lord Shiva's body found in four different places which are Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar, Tungnath, and Kalpeshwar. These five places are known as Panch Kedar.
The temple was renovated by Adi Shankara in the 8th Century. The temple of Kedarnath hit by the natural disaster in 2013 which causes death hundreds of innocent peoples and animal's lives.
The Dham of Kedarnath is opened every year in April- May for the Pilgrims for six months. The Kedarnath temple is open every year for six months only because of the climatic condition the temple of Kedarnath is closed during winter from November to April.
In winters when the shrine of Kedarnath is closed due to heavy snowfall and the bad climate condition, the prayer of Lord Shiva continues at Ukhimath's Omkareshwar Temple.
The opening date of Kedarnath Temple is declared on the day of a very religious Hindu festival called Mahashivratri. Mahashivratri is celebrated in India on 01 March 2022. On that day, date of opening of Kedarnath Dham has been declared.
The opening date of Kedarnath Temple depends on the special day of Akshay Tritya, The priest of Ukhimath's Omkareshwar temple will decide the opening date of Kedarnath temple by calculating the Panchang.
Kedarnath Opening Date : 06 May 2022
Kedarnath Temple Closing Date : 26 Oct 2022 (on Bhai Dooj)
Kedarnath Dham Temple opens in the morning every day at 4 am and it will closed at 9 pm at night. Everyday the darshan timing for pilgrims is 4 am to 9 pm. There is a little break in a darshan for 2 hours at 3 pm.
After this short break the temple opens once again at 5 pm for pilgrims. Devotees can visit the sacred dham of Kedarnath from 4 am to 3 pm and from 5 pm to 9 pm.
| Kedarnath Morning Pooja (4 AM to 7 PM) | |
|---|---|
| Maha Abhishek | ₹1700 |
| Rudra Abhishek Puja | ₹1300 |
| Laghu Rudra Abhishek Puja | ₹1100 |
| Sodasopachar | ₹1000 |
| Entire Pujas of a day | ₹5200 |
| Morning Puja | ₹170 |
| Balbhog | ₹900 |
| Evening Path & Aarti (6 PM7:30 PM) | |
| Shiv Sahasranamam Path | ₹360 |
| Shiv Mahimastrotra Paath | ₹360 |
| Shiv Thandavastrotra Paath | ₹340 |
| Sapurna Aarti | ₹1500 |
| Daily Bhog and Other Services at Kedarnath | |
|---|---|
| Dainik Yagya Havan | ₹1800 |
| Akhand Jyothi Daily | ₹3500 |
| Long term Puja & Bhog of Shri Kedaranth Ji (For 10 years) | |
| Shiv Bhagwan Mahabhog | ₹12,600 |
| Shiv Bhagwan Maha Abhishek Puja | ₹21,000 |
| Shiv Bhagwan Abhishek Puja | ₹11,000 |
| Shiv Sahasranam Stotra | ₹1700 |
| Puja on Special Occasions in Kedarnath | |
| Shrawani Purnima Annakut | ₹7,550 |
| Akhand Jyoti Yearly | ₹26,000 |
| Other Offerings | |
| Donation for renovation work | ₹1001.00 or above |
Note : Mahabhishek, Rudrabhishek & Laghu Rudrabhishek pujas are not performed at the Kedarnath temple during May & June.
There are many festivals celebrating in Kedarnath. Every festival which concerning Lord Shiva is celebrated here with great zeal. These festivals are celebrated by the local villagers and by the pilgrims with great interest and being a part of these celebrations of festivals you will feel like your one of the most beautiful dream comes true. These are the festivals which celebrated in Kedarnath are
Badri Kedar Festival : The festival of Badri Kedar is celebrated in both the places Kedarnath as well as Badrinath. The Badri Kedar festival is celebrated in the month of June every year. All the artists are invited to the festival of Badri Kedar to show their best talent for art & craft.
Diwali : Kedarnath Diwali festival is one of the best festivals celebrated in Kedarnath many pilgrims, as well as tv stars, visit Kedarnath to celebrate their Diwali here because the Kedarnath Dham and the area of Kedarnath are decorated by beautiful colorful flowers and colorful lights. The NIM team is lighting more than 5000 diyas which illuminate every corner of the Kedarnath.
Shravani Annakoot Mela : The Fair of Shravani Annakoot Mela is celebrated a day before the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan. In this festival, the brand new paddy is offered on the Lord's Shivlinga which is known as "Prasadam". The entire Shivling of Lord Shiva in Kedarnath is decorated by the paste of freshly harvested Corn, Wheat, Rice & some other pulses.
Vinayak Chaturthi : This festival is celebrated during the month of September and October, it celebrated since Lord Ganesha was Lord Shiva's son. God Ganeshas followers or believers visit this sacred place and pray for their wellness and happiness in life.
Samadhi Pooja : The samadhi of the great sage Adi Shankaracharya is situated right behind the temple of Kedarnath. The samadhi of Adi Shankara witnesses the huge celebration during the closing day of the main temple of Kedarnath. In this festival, a grand puja is performed inside the samadhi of Adi Shankracharya after this the doors or Kapat of the temple of Kedarnath are closed for the next six months and the idol of the Lord shiva shifted from Kedarnath temple to Ukhimath.
Kedarnath dham is open only for six months in a year from April/ May to November and it remains closed for the next six months from December to April/May due to climatic condition of the place. As the temple is situated at a very high altitude so the season of summer is the best time to visit this place because it remains cool in the summer season also.
The temple is closed for six months for pilgrims because the climate of the Kedarnath is soo cool in winter and on every winter season the heavy snowfall occurs here, for this reason, the doors of the Kedarnath Temple are closed for six months in the winter season.
May and June are the most peak season for Kedarnath. On these two months, a maximum number of pilgrims visit Kedarnath Dham for seeking the blessing of Lord Shiva. If you want a quiet journey or a hassle-free trip then we suggest you visit Kedarnath temple in September and October.
Summer : The best season for pilgrims to visit Kedarnath because the climate of Kedarnath in summer is moderate or a little cool.
Monsoon : In the monsoon, it is very difficult to visit Kedarnath because of heavy rainfall which causes landslide problems on the route of Kedarnath.
Winters : In winters the temple is closed temporarily for six months due to extreme cold weather. Temple of Kedarnath closes from November to April/May.
Kedarnath is a sacred place for Hindu religion many pilgrims visit this sacred dham every year. It is a part of the Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand which are the four main pilgrimage sites at Uttarakhand. Kedarnath is not connected by motorable roads but the love of bhakts or pilgrims overlooks this barrier. Pilgrims have to take a 14 km trek to reach Kedarnath temple from Gaurikund to offer prayed at the temple of Kedarnath.
By Road : Kedarnath Temple is not connected by motorable roads. Gaurikund is the nearest area which is connected by motorable roads. There are many bus or taxi services available around it. This place is situated in NH 109.
By Air : There is no airport in Kedarnath or Gaurikund, The nearest airport is situated in Dehradun which is known as Jolly Grant Airport. It is situated at a distance of 238 km from Kedarnath temple.
From here you can travel to Gaurikund by bus or hire a taxi after reaching Gaurikund you have to trek 14 km to reach Kedarnath Temple.
By Train : Kedarnath has not any railway station, the nearest railway station is Rishikesh railway station which is situated at a distance of 224 km and Haridwar railway station which is situated at a distance of 247 km from Kedarnath. From here you can travel to Gaurikund by road, after reaching Gaurikund you have to trek 14 km to reach Kedarnath Temple.
Kedarnath Popular Route : Delhi → Rishikesh → Devaprayag (70 kms) → Srinagar (35 kms) → Rudraprayag (34 kms) → Tilwara (9kms) → Agastamuni (10 kms) → Kund (15 kms) → Guptkashi (5 kms) → Phata (11 kms) → Rampur (9 kms) → SonPrayag (3 kms) → Gaurikund (5 kms) → Rambara (7 kms) → Linchauli (4 Kms) → Kedarnath (3 Kms).
There are many places to see in Kedarnath in your precious time with your loved ones. Kedarnath is not just only a pilgrimage or a sacred tour but it has many more things to explore for you. Heres the list of those places are.
Ans : Kedarnath Dham is situated in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state of India.
Ans : This pilgrimage site has so many pilgrims in the month of May – June and in monsoon heavy rainfall occurs here every year. So we can suggest you travel Kedarnath from September to November for a hassle-free tour.
Ans : You have to trek 14 km for visiting Kedarnath Dham because there is no motorable road connected to the temple of Kedarnath. You can only travel to Gaurikund by road, After reaching Gaurikund you have to trek for the Kedarnath Temple.
Ans : Yes you can easily book chopper for yourself for Kedarnath Yatra. There are many helicopter service provider companies available for you to visit Kedarnath via chopper.
Ans The temple of Kedarnath opens at 4 am everyday and closed at 9 pm every day. Between 4 am to 9 pm there is a short break of 2 hours from 3 pm to 5 pm in which the temple is closed during this time.
Ans : The opening date of the temple of Kedarnath is decided on the holy day of Shivratri by the priest of Ukhimath’s Omkareshwar Temple. Kedarnath Dham is open on the day of Akshay Tritya, The expected date of opening of Kedarnath Shrine is 06 May 2022 and the closing date of the temple is 26 Oct 2022.
Ans : No, there is no ATM available in Kedarnath or near Kedarnath. We suggest you withdraw your money from Rudraprayag, Guptkashi and Agastyamuni.
Ans : Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport for Kedarnath Dham which is situated in Dehradun at a distance of 238 km from the Temple of Kedarnath.
Ans : Haridwar railway station is the nearest railway station for the Kedarnath temple. It is situated at a distance of 238 km from the temple of Kedarnath.
Ans : Yes you can easily do it by using a helicopter, there are many helicopter service provider companies available for you.