Jyotirlinga 5 of 12
Kedarnath
केदारनाथ
Kedarnath, Rudraprayag district · Uttarakhand
Nara and Narayana, Vishnu's two avataras, secure Shiva's presence in the Himalayas by daily worship. The Purana then tells of the Pandavas chasing Shiva in buffalo form.
In the list of twelve (Shata Rudra Samhita)
Kedara on the slopes of the Himalayas. The Shata Rudra list calls it the fifth avatara and says that when Nara and Narayana, Hari's two avataras, requested it, Shiva remained there in Kedara, and that he is the lord of the field in particular.
The story in the Shiva Purana
A condensed retelling, about a third of the source length, from Bibek Debroy's translation. The chapters linked below give the Purana's account chapter by chapter. Quoted speech is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation.
Nara and Narayana at Badari
Suta begins with Nara and Narayana, whom he calls avataras of Hari. In Bharata, at the hermitage of Badari, they practised austerities. Shiva, the text says, is subservient to his devotees. At their request, Shambhu came to them every day in the form of a parthiva lingam so that worship could take place. The two, who were like sons to Shiva under dharma, did this for a long time.
The boon
Parameshvara was pleased one day and offered a boon. Nara and Narayana asked for the welfare of the worlds: if Shiva was pleased, let him remain here in his own form so that Shankara himself could be worshipped. Maheshvara Shankara agreed and remained in the Himalayas at Kedara in the form of a jyotirlinga. The text says he did so to dispel misery and fear for everyone, and to show himself to his devotees. He is present there as Kedareshvara.
The Purana adds that in ancient times devas and rishis worshipped him there, and when Maheshvara was pleased they obtained the fruits they sought. The residents of the Badari ashrama worship Bhava constantly.
The Pandavas and the buffalo
The chapter then jumps to a later episode, which the translator's note places at the time of the Pandavas' final journey. When Shiva saw the Pandavas, he resorted to his maya, took the form of a buffalo and began to run away. The Pandavas caught him. He stayed with his face turned downwards. They held on to the tail and prayed to him repeatedly. He remained there in that form and is known as Bhaktavatsala, the one who is affectionate to devotees.
Part of the head went to a place the text calls Nayapala, which the translator identifies as Nepal, and is established there. Shiva instructed that he should always be worshipped in this incomplete form. Shambhu himself then gave the Pandavas boons, and they left happily, having obtained whatever their minds desired and freed from all miseries.
What the Purana says of the place
Hara is himself constantly present in the kshetra, and the people of Bharata worship him there. Anyone who gives a valaya (a ring or bracelet) there is dear to Hara, and reaches Hara's form. To see that form frees one from sin. One who goes to the forest of Badari becomes a jivanmukta. One who sees Nara, Narayana and Kedareshvara obtains a share in emancipation. Those who die on the road to Kedara are also said to be emancipated, with no need to reflect on it, and one who goes there, worships Kedara and drinks the water there does not have to be reborn. Suta calls it special because Shiva is lord of everything but especially of this region.
As elsewhere in this series, these are the Purana's own statements of its fruits. This page reports them and does not endorse them as outcomes.
Read the source chapters
The temple today
From Wikipedia's article on the temple. Disputed or inconsistent items are marked as such, not resolved.
History
- About the 7th to 8th centuryThe Skanda Purana is one of the earliest texts to refer to Kedara, linking it to the origin of the Ganges. The Mahabharata does not name Kedarnath.
- 12th centuryKedarnath appears as a prominent pilgrimage centre in the Kritya-kalpataru of Bhatta Lakshmidhara.
- TraditionalAdi Shankara is believed to have revived the temple along with Badrinath. Hagiographies disagree on where he died: some say Kedarnath, others Kanchipuram. A monument at Kedarnath marks the purported site.
- 16 and 17 June 2013During the Uttarakhand floods, a large boulder lodged behind the temple and diverted the debris, so the temple structure was not seriously damaged though the surrounding area was devastated. The rock is now worshipped as Bhim Shila.
Architecture
The presiding deity is a three-sided lingam. A small pillared hall in front holds images of Parvati and the Pandavas, and the main hall has statues of the Pandavas, Krishna, Nandi and Virabhadra.
The lingam is described as having a carved human head. A samadhi shrine of Adi Shankara stands behind the temple.
Features and practices
- Local tradition links the Pandava legend to the five Panch Kedar sites, each said to hold a part of the buffalo: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the navel and stomach at Madhyamaheshwar and the hair at Kalpeshwar. This is the Wikipedia article's account of the tradition, and it differs from the Shiva Purana chapter, which sends part of the head to Nayapala (Nepal) and says nothing of five sites.
- At 3,583 m (11,755 ft) the Wikipedia article calls it the highest of the twelve jyotirlingas.
- The head priest (Raval) is from the Veerashaiva community of Karnataka, and assistants perform the pujas on his instructions. The lingam is anointed with ghee, a practice tied to a Pandava legend.
Festivals
- Maha Shivaratri is the festival listed.
Getting there
The temple is on the Mandakini River in the Garhwal Himalayas. Travellers usually go from Haridwar or Rishikesh, about 220 km by road, to Gaurikund, the last motorable point. The remaining 17 km is on foot, by pony, by palanquin or by helicopter. The trek takes about 6 to 8 hours. Helicopter services run from Phata and Sersi, and the flight takes 8 to 10 minutes.
Before you go
- The temple is open to the public from April (Akshaya Tritiya) to November (Kartika Purnima). In winter the deity is moved to Ukhimath and worshipped there for about six months.
- Season dates, helicopter services and daily timings change from year to year. The Wikipedia article gives no daily timings, so confirm with the Uttarakhand authorities before you plan a trip.
- Darshan hours, special-ritual rules and access change over time. Confirm with the temple trust or the local authorities before you travel.
Source note
Story: Koti Rudra Samhita chapter 19 and Shata Rudra Samhita chapter 42, condensed to roughly a third of the source length (the linked Purana chapters give the account chapter by chapter). Temple facts: Wikipedia's Kedarnath Temple article. The Purana's Nayapala detail and the Panch Kedar tradition are reported side by side and not merged.