Kedarnath (Home Of Lord Shiva)
Introduction
- Kedarnath is a city in Rudraprayag District in Uttarakhand in India and has gained significance because of the Kedarnath Temple. It’s roughly 86 kilometers from Rudraprayag, the quarter headquarter. It’s a Nagar panchayat in the Rudraprayag quarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of the four Chota Char Dham passage spots. It’s located in the Himalayas, about m (ft) above ocean position near the Chorabari Glacier, the Mandakini swash source. The city is adjoined by snow-limited peaks, utmost prominently the Kedarnath Mountain. The nearest road head is at Gaurikund, about 16 km down.
History Of Kedarnath
- Kedarnath Temple is the famous Holy place of Lord Shiva in India. Lord Shiva is a god known as a destroyer and creator. In the history of Kedarnath, meaning in the Sanskrit language is the lord of the field; this word comes from Indian origin and old language called Sanskrit, Kedara means an area, and Nath means lord. In the Sanskrit language, we gather the words to make a whole word. That’s why it becomes Kedarnath and develops part of Kedarnath History.
1. The Mahabharata Connection:-
It is said that after the Mahabharata war ended, the Pandavas were full of remorse at having lost thousands to the violence. They handed over the kingdom’s reins to grandson Parikshit and started seeking Lord Shiva’s pardon for Varanasi. Not interested in meeting them, Shivji leaves Varanasi/ Benaras/ Kashi and heads for the Himalayas in the form of a Bull (Nandi, the Bull). He reappears in Guptakashi as the bull, and the Pandavas reach there.
Shiva escapes again and reappears as the bull in five different parts of India as five other parts of the bull’s body: the face at Rudranath, arms at Tungnath, navel, and stomach at Madhyamaheshwar, the locks at Kalpeshwar, and the hump at Kedarnath. The powerful Pandava – Bhima – has grabbed the bull’s tail, forcing him to appear before them and forgive them. The Pandavas brothers then built the first temple at Kedarnath.
These five places where the bull had appeared in parts after diving underground are known as the Panch (5) Kedar.
According to legends and tradition, there are numerous stories connected with Kedarnath Dham Temple in Kedarnath History. According to Kedarnath History, one of the most notorious myths mentioned in Mahabharata says that the Legendary Pandava sisters erected the Kedarnath tabernacle.
2. Kedarnath History Legends:-
The fabulous Pandava family wanted Lord Shiva to forgive them for the guilt of killing their blood cousins in the Kurukshetra war. But Lord Shiva doesn’t want to complete their want, and Lord Shiva transforms himself as a bull and walks around the Himalayas Hills. But the legendary Pandava family planted him; also, Lord Shiva went underground. Still, one of the fabulous Pandava sisters managed to catch his hump, and another corridor of a bull was presented in different places in the Himalayas.
In Kedarnath, they plant the hump, two legs of a bull plant, in a place known as Tunganath. In Rudranath, they bury the face of the bull and in Kalpeshwar, grow the hair. In Madhya-Maheswar, they produce the nexus. Latterly, all these five places are known as Panch Kedar and one of the most notorious corridors of Kedarnath History.
Fabulous Pandava Brother makes the tabernacle of Lord Shiva in all five places mentation above, latterly the Fabulous spiritual Guru Adi Shankaracharya took samadhi in Kedarnath, but before Legendary failed in the 8th centuryA.D, he erected the tabernacle again and kept Hindu religion alive and made the Kedarnath History.
3. Original Kedarnath Dham History Legends:-
- There’s another traditional story of Legend Nara and Narayan, two legends of Lord Vishnu explained in the Kedarnath History. Legend Nara and Narayana simply tone- discipline in front of Jyotirlinga, which came from the earth. Lord Shiva was impressed by Legend Nara and Narayan and asked them for a Vardaan. Legend Nara and Narayan ask Lord Shiva to sit permanently as a Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath Dham Temple. Like fabulous Pandava sisters, people who seek remission should be free from their sins.
- There’s another little story in Kedarnath History about Kedarnath Dham Temple. One littler tabernacle placed next to Kedarnath Dham Temple is also worshipped, devoted to Bhairo Nath. According to tradition, Bhairo Nath protects this land from wrong. At the same time, the Kedarnath Dham tabernacle is closed in the downtime season.
The Temple
Kedarnath has been a pilgrimage center since ancient times. The temple’s construction is credited to the Pandava brothers mentioned in the Mahabharata. However, the Mahabharata does not cite any place called Kedarnath. One of the earliest references to Kedarnath occurs in the Skanda Purana (c. 7th-8th century), which names Kedara (Kedarnath) as the place where Lord Shiva released the holy waters of Ganga from his matted hair, resulting in the formation of the Ganges river.
According to the hagiographies based on Madhava’s Sankshepa-Shankara-Vijaya, the 8th-century scholar Adi Shankaracharya died near the Kedarnath Mountains, although other hagiographies based on Anandagiri’s Prachina-Shankara-Vijaya, state that he died at Kanchipuram. The ruins of a monument marking the purported resting place of Adi Shankaracharya are located at Kedarnath. Kedarnath was a prominent pilgrimage center by the 12th century when it is mentioned in Kritya-Kalpataru written by the Gahadavala minister Bhatta Lakshmidhara.
Other than the Kedarnath Temple, on the eastern side of the town is Bhairavnath Temple, and the deity of this temple, Bhairavnath, is believed to protect the city during the winter months. About 6 km upstream from the town lays Chorabari Tal, a lake cum glacier called Gandhi Sarovar. Near Kedarnath, there is a cliff called Bhairav Jump. The Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi, and Rudra meditation cave are other places of interest.
Administration
The administration included the tabernacle in the Uttar Pradesh State Government Act No.30/1948 as Act no., which came to be known as Shri Badarinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. The commission nominated by the state government administers both tabernacles. The act was modified in 2002 by the Uttarakhand State Government, which provisioned adding fresh commission members, including government officers and vice-chairman. There are seventeen members on the board; the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly names three. Each member is designated by the District Councils of Chamoli, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, and Uttarkashi sections, and ten members are nominated by the Government of Uttarakhand. On the religious side, there’s a Rawal (principal clerk) and three other preachers, Naib Rawal, Acharya/ Dharmadhikari, and Vedpathi.
The organizational structure of the tabernacle consists of a central administrative officer who executes the orders from the state government. A deputy principal executive officer, two OSDs, an administrative officer, an account officer, a tabernacle officer, and a hype officer help the chief administrative officer.
Connectivity
The Kedarnath vale with another corridor of the state of Uttarakhand was hit with unknown flash cataracts on 16 and 17 June 2013. On 16 June, at about 730p.m., a landslide and mudslides passed near Kedarnath Temple with loud clangs of thunder. What heard a tremendously loud clamor, and vast quantities of water started gushing from Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal down Mandakini swash at about 830p.m., washing everything down in its path. On 17 June 2013, at about 640a.m., waters again started slinging at a tremendous speed from swash Swaraswati and Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal bringing along with its inflow huge quantum of ground, jewels, and boulders. A huge gemstone got stuck behind Kedarnath Temple and defended it from the despoilments of the deluge. The waters gushed on both sides of the tabernacle, destroying everything in their path. Indeed viewer observed that one large gemstone got carried to the hinder side of Kedarnath Temple, therefore causing inhibition to the debris, diverting the inflow of swash and debris to the sides of the tabernacle avoiding damage. The gemstone which defended the tabernacle is worshipped as the God’s Rock (भीम शीला).
Another proposition for the tabernacle not being destroyed is because of its construction. Although the tabernacle resisted the inflexibility of cataracts, the complex and girding area were damaged, performing in the death of hundreds of pilgrims and locals. Shops and hospices in Kedarnath were destroyed, and all roads were broken. People took sanctum inside the tabernacle for several hours until the Indian Army airlifted them to safer places. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister blazoned that the Kedarnath sanctum would remain unrestricted for clearing the debris.
The experts, who the Archaeological Survey asked India to examine the foundation’s condition in the wake of cataracts, have concluded that there was no peril to the tabernacle. The IIT Madras experts visited the tabernacle thrice for the purpose. Non-destructive testing instruments that don’t disturb the structure of the tabernacle were used by the IIT- platoon for assessing the health of the system, foundation, and walls. They’ve submitted their interim report that the tabernacle is stable and in no significant peril.
Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was given the responsibility of Rebuilding Kedarnath. Although the institute didn’t have the grit in civic planning or construction, they learned in high-altitude training. Under the leadership of stager wayfarer, Colonel Ajay Kothiyal, NIM strictly worked and made the passage yatra possible from the coming time.
2013 Tragedy
- From 16 June 2013, a well-marked cyclonic circulation developed around a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, moving westwardly, rapidly intensified due to moisture supplied from both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, combining with intense western disturbances from the north, thus causing the Indian state of Uttarakhand and adjoining areas to receive heavy rainfall, leading to 375% of the benchmark rainfall during a normal monsoon. It was caused by the melting of Chorabari Glacier at the height of 3800 meters and the cresting of the Mandakini River that led to heavy floods in Govindghat, Kedar Dome, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Western Nepal, and acute rainfall in other nearby regions of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Tibet.
- The upper Himalayan territories of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are full of forests and snow-covered mountains and thus remain relatively inaccessible. They are home to several significant and historic Hindu and Sikh pilgrimage sites besides several tourist spots and trekking trails. Heavy rainfall for four consecutive days, as well as melting snow, aggravated the floods. Warnings by the India Meteorological Department predicting heavy rains were not given wide publicity beforehand, causing thousands of people to be caught unaware, resulting in massive loss of life and property.
The Place After The Tragedy
- Modi unveiled the hero of Adi Shankaracharya at the Kedarnath Temple in the Rudraprayag quarter of Uttarakhand. The place where the samadhi of Shankaracharya is located was damaged after the flash cataracts in 2013. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several redevelopment systems worth ₹ 130 crores in the Kedarnath sanctum in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag quarter. During his visit, PM Modi also unveiled a hero of Adi Shankaracharya at the place of his samadhi which was damaged during the 2013 flash cataracts in the hill state. While he inaugurated redevelopment systems that have been completed at the forenamed cost, he’s also listed to lay the foundation gravestone for an array of colorful other designs worth ₹ 180 crores, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on October 28.
Redevelopment Projects
Modi unveiled the hero of Adi Shankaracharya at the Kedarnath Temple in the Rudraprayag quarter of Uttarakhand. The place where the samadhi of Shankaracharya is located was damaged after the flash cataracts in 2013 in the state, following which it has now been reconstructed. “The entire reconstruction work has been accepted under the guidance of the Prime Minister, who has constantly reviewed and covered the progress of the design,” the PMO had said before.
Several other crucial redevelopment systems, including Saraswati Retaining Wall Aasthapath and Ghats, Mandakini Retaining Wall Aasthapath, Tirth Purohit Houses, and Garud Chatti ground on swash Mandakini, were also inaugurated.
Work Done By People And Government
Uttarakhand government officers and agencies engaged in reconstruction works in the sanctum area said the perpetration of the master plan would be over by the end of 2022. In the Kedarnath tabernacle area — known as Kedarpuri — work has reached the halfway mark, with some significant systems yet to be completed. They added that these include a multi-facility sanitarium and a sewage treatment factory (STP).
The workshop is being covered by the prime minister, state tourism clerk, and nodal officer for Kedarnath reconstruction work Dilip Jawalkar told The Print.
“We’ve limited time, 6-7 months in a time, to work at Kedarpuri due to extreme rainfall conditions besides the terrain being too fragile. It is also the time when the Char Dham passage takes place. Still, despite all constraints, master plan construction works at the sanctum area will be over by the end of the 2022 passage season,” said Jawalkar. “Construction of rain sanctum on tabernacle road, a pilgrim’s ghat, medical installations, convenience centers, and sewage drainage system are going on,” he added.
Kedarnath reconstruction works took off in the true sense after the master plan was prepared and presented to the Prime Minister. Also, Uttarakhand, principal minister Harish Rawat in 2015, said Nikul Shah, director of Ahmadabad- grounded establishment in Design Studio’, which prepared the master plan.
“First phase was over before Diwali while the PM inaugurated alternate phase workshop on his Kedarnath visit on 5 November,” he added.
INI Design Studio is also responsible for conceptualizing, selecting, and sub-terrain installation of Adi Shankaracharya’s statue behind the tabernacle.
Top 13 Interesting Facts About Kedarnath
Legend says that when Nar and Narayana-the two embodiers of Lord Vishnu, performed a brutal act of austerity in the Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand, they worshipped a Shivalingam which surfaced out of the Earth beautifully. It, in turn, pleased Lord Shiva, who also appeared before Nar and Narayana and asked them to seek a gift.
Nar and Narayana requested Lord Shiva to live as a Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath permanently. The people who come to worship Lord Shiva then won’t be enslaved to their miseries in life presently.
The of Kedarnath dates back to the Mahabharata, which states that when the Pandavas came to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva to free themselves from the sin of killing their relatives.
Lord Shiva disguised himself as a humped buffalo and hid at Kashi, also known as Guptkashi. The Pandavas ultimately managed to discover Lord Shiva, who was hiding beneath the ground with his hump in the background, and this impressed Lord Shiva also.
Another legend of the Kedar tabernacle states that Goddess Parvati worshipped Kedareshwar to unite with Shiva as Ardhanareshwar.
The Derivate of the Name of Kedarnath Temple- An Intriguing Fact about Kedarnath is the derivate of its name. A tale of history says that formerly to save themselves from demons, the gods worshipped Lord Shiva for their protection. Lord Shiva appeared, disguised as a bull; he said to the‘Kodarum’ (whom to rip and tear piecemeal). Lord Shiva destroyed the demons and threw them into the Mandakini River with his cornucopias and hooves. Therefore the name Kedarnath is decided from the name‘Kodarum.’
One of the Lower Given Data of Kedarnath is that The Bhairo Nath Temple, located at a veritably short distance from Kedarnath Temple, is a guardian of the Kedarnathji.
It’s believed that Bhaironathji guards the Kedarnath Temple by keeping down the wrong while the tabernacle remains close. Thus the Bhiaronath Temple is visited ceremoniously at the opening and ending of Kedarnath.
Significance of the Kedarnath Jyotirlingam- The Lingam at Kedarnath is one amongst the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. It’s said to have blessed the Himalayas and keeps them soaked with the saintliness of Lord Shiva. Its history dates back to when Nar and Narayana, the two embodiers of Lord Vishnu, performed the act of austerity. Lord Shiva was impressed and converted Lord Shiva to live as a Jyotilingam in Kedarnath so that addicts who would come to seek the blessing of Shiva will seek deliverance then.
The Kedarnath Temple is at least a 1000 time old tabernacle that has been blessing the Himalayas and the people who visit it each time. It’s said that during the 2013 cataracts in Uttarakhand, the entire city of Kedarnath was ruined. Still, the tabernacle wasn’t so harmed, as a large gemstone behind the tabernacle diverted the massive deluge water coming towards the sanctum.
Inside the Kedarnath Temple- The head clerk of the Kedarnath tabernacle is of the Veerashaiva community of Karnataka, also known as Raval. However, the Raval doesn’t perform the puja in the tabernacle. The puja is carried out on the instructions of the Raval by other preachers. The Raval moves with the deity to Ukimath during the downtime season.
The Persuasion of The Pandavas- It’s said that the Pandavas wanted to seek deliverance from the sin of killing their relatives; to do so, they set on a path to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva. He was ignorant towards the Pandavas, moved to Kedar, disguised himself as a bull, and hid other creatures in the Himalayas.
Although Bheema was suitable to fete Lord Shiva through his hump when he, with his polite strength, ripped piecemeal two mountains, where Lord Shiva, who was submerging under the ground, had his hump on the floor. Bheema got hold of it, and that’s how Lord Shiva blessed them.
