Kedarnath
The long wait came to an end on this fine day as I set foot on the chopper starting the journey to have darshan of the Lord, Kedarnath. Lord Shiva in Kedar is one of the Jyothir Linga. He is beautifully seated amidst the Himalayan Range. I was able to visualize Lord himself in every mountain range. The snow clad peaks, cloudy mountains and the green valleys were a treat for the eyes.
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| The temple entrance |
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| The view from the helipad at Kedarnath |
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| Kedarnath Gopuram |
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| The view from the temple |
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| The view from behind the temple |
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| The Chopper & the helipad @ Kedar |
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| The beautiful valley & Mandagini flowing through it |
Early that morning, we went to the ‘Himalayan’ (-the private
helipad) and boarded the Choppers. It was my first experience riding in the
chopper. During my childhood (and even today) every time I sight a
helicopter/giant Damselflies I used to wonder how it would it be to fly like
them and the butterflies. It was totally enjoyable. Seated next to the pilot,
wearing the seat belt, I enjoyed the view of the valley at the end of which was
the Lord seated in Linga form. Could feel the breeze, clouds, the sky, the
green valleys, the beautiful white angel flowing down as river Mandagini, the
horses, bulls and snow clad giant mountains. It was as if I got wings of the
damselflies or I became the Pan, Peterpan. If I had gotten them for real, I
would never have left the Himalayas for sure.
I could sight the broken route which was earlier used by the devotees
who walked to have darshan of the Lord. Every turn, I could witness tiny, long
water falls falling down to join the enchanting beauty, Mandagini. It was
hardly 7 to 8 minutes ride and we safely landed in the helipad. The Climate was
favorable which was in itself a great blessing for us.
Walking towards the temple, couldn’t resist myself from
taking pics as all around me was giant snow clad mountains. People talked about
the flood and the after effects of it. Could see people working around the
temple and in the banks of Mandagini river. One will have to cross the River
Mandagini to have the darshan. There is a bridge built across the river and
people working along the river banks. Crossing the river, there are shops on
either side, selling flowers, Thalis for the Pooja offerings and the Prasad.
Leaving the shoes at one such shop, we bought a Thali and walked towards the
temple. Set Majestically in front of was the temple. We could find Sadhus/
saints seated on either side of the Nandhi (Bull- the vehicle of the Lord) made
of stone and the thrishool- Trident
The entrance is painted with bright blue, yellow and red
colors and as soon as you enter the temple, you can find another Nandhi and to
its left is God Vishnu with goddess Lakshmi. After this darshan, you can enter
into another Mandap where you can find Ganapthi in the left and Goddess
Parvathi in the right. Entering the main sanctum, you can find the God as
Linga. As we went in the morning, we were able to do Pooja touching the God and
behind the Linga was the idol of God Shiva and the trident.
The outer premises of the temple had workers working in the
left working on flooring and behind the temple was the Amrith Kunda, a whole
containing the holy water. Just behind the temple premises was this huge Rock
exactly to the width of the temple. It is said that this rock saved the temple
during the 2013 flood that completely changed this region. This region is
highly unstable climate surrounded by the snow clad mountains.
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| The rock that is believed to have saved the temple during the 2013 flood |
A moment it is
sunny and again is cool wrapped by the clouds. Always cool region. Kedarnath was
the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods in North India. The temple
complex, surrounding areas and Kedarnath town suffered extensive damage, but
the temple structure did not suffer any "major" damage, apart from a
few cracks on one side of the four walls which was caused by the flowing debris
from the higher mountains. A large rock among the debris acted as a barrier,
protecting the temple from the flood. The surrounding premises and other
buildings in market area were heavily damaged. The temple structure has been
standing erect and facing nature's fury for the past 10 centuries and it is
expected that the structure has the endurance to remain intact in the future as
well.Also, there is this location mentioned a few meters away
from the rock, where Adhi Sankara Swamigal was believed to be last sighted by
his disciples.
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| The shining sun glowing on Nandi , Trident & Damroo in front of the temple |
The story of how the God appeared in Kedarnath:
Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing
penance in Kedarnath. The Lord appreared as Bull and the 5 Pandavas identified
them. It is believed that Bheema caught hold of the mace of the bull and Lord
submerged leaving behind the pyramid shaped linga as Jyothir Linga in Kedar
nath
It is believed that the temple was built by Pandavas and
revived by Adi Sankaracharya and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest
Hindu shrines of Shiva. It is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalams, expounded in
Tevaram. The temple is one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham
pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas. This temple is the highest among the 12
Jyotirlingas.
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| The view of Bhairav temple |
Mandakini river:
The prefix "mand" (Sanskrit) means
"calm" and "unhurried", and Mandakini thus signifies
"she who flows calmly". The river flows as pure white dressed angel without making much noise.
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| Mandagini flowing down |
This
name immediately rang a bell in top of my head as I usually recite this Sloka during every Pradosham.
In Shiva Panchakshara stotram:
mandakini salila chandana charchitaya
nandisvara pramathanatha mahesvaraya
mandara pushpa bahupushpa supujitaya
tasmai ma karaya namah shivaya
मन्दाकिनीसलिलचन्दनचर्चिताय
नन्दीश्वरप्रमथनाथमहेश्वराय ।
मन्दारपुष्पबहुपुष्पसुपूजिताय
तस्मै मकाराय नमः
शिवाय
Meaning:
He who is worshipped with water from the Mandakini river and
smeared with sandal paste,
He who is the lord of Nandi and of the ghosts and goblins, the great Lord,
He who is worshipped with Mandara and many other flowers,
Salutations to that Shiva, who is represented by the syllable “ma”
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| Mandagini & the bridge used to cross it on the way to temple |
We planned the trip as one way chopper- the onward journey
was via Chopper and the return by walk. So after darshan, we started the trek
down the hills. A visual treat, for a nature lover.
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| The trek down the hills |
Had to stop several times
as there were Horse trafficking and once for the cows and bulls which looked as
if they had a velvet clothing on them. The way was fully tiled with stones for
a safe trek. The walk with friends who
shared their dry fruits, snacks and water and the Chai shops at frequent
intervals make the walk easier. Before the floods of 2013, the entire journey
covered 14 KM. But after the floods, we have to take a longer trek of 21 Kms
from Gourikund. Below is the route map.
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| The old broken trek route due to the flood & land slide |
For more details refer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedarnath
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedarnath_Temple
