The Kedarnath temple

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.

The temple entrance

The view from the helipad at Kedarnath

Kedarnath Gopuram

The view from the temple

 

The view from behind the temple

 

The Chopper & the helipad @ Kedar

                       

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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”

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. 

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.

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