Panch Kedar indicates five Hindu temples or holy places which are dedicated to Lord Shiva. Garhwal Himalayan in Uttarakhand, India where Panch Kedar is located. We also know that the creation of Panch Kedar relates directly to the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Panch Kedar consists of the Kedarnath Temple at an altitude of 3,583m(11,755ft), the Tungnath Temple at 3,680m(12,070ft), The Rudranath Temple at 3,559m(11,677ft), the Madhyamaheshwar Temple 3,490m(11,450ft) and the Kalpeshwar Temple 2,200m(7,200ft). The Kedarnath Temple is the main temple, which the part of Chota Char Dhams or pilgrimage centers of the Garhwal Himalayas; the three dams other than Kedarnath are Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri. Kedarnath is also known to be one of the Jyotirlingas. The Garhwal region is also called the Kedar-khanda following Kedar-the local of Lord Shiva. The region is flourished with emblems and aniconic of the Shaiva sect of Lord Shiva, even more than the Vaishnava sect. The western part of this region consists of half of Chamoli District also known as cedar-kshetra or Kedar mandala, surrounded in its ambit by all the five temples forming the Panch Kedar. Visitors to Kedarnath Temple, also the first temple of Panch Kedar temples were an impressive 557,923 in 2007 compared to 87,629 in 1987, an impressive jump in 20 years.
About the 5 Holy Temples which come under Panch Kedar:-
1. Kedarnath Temple:-
Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple which is devoted to Lord Shiva. The temple is in the Himalayan Range close to the Mandakini River in Uttarakhand, India. Due to harsh weather conditions, this temple is mostly open from April to November. During the winter season, the vigraha(god) is worshipped in Ukhimath for six months.
2. Tunganath Temple:-
Tunagnath is one of the highest temples of Lord Shiva in the world and is the highest of all the Panch Kedar temples in Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand, India. Mandakini and Alaknanda’s river valleys were formed by Tungnath’s mountains. The word Tunganath also refers to the lord or god of peaks and it describes it perfectly.
3. Rudranath Temple:-
Rudranth Temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in the Garhwal Himalayan mountains in Uttarakh and,In dia.This natural rock temple is within a dense forest known to as of rhododendron dwarfs and Alpine pastu res.This temple is visitedthe on third number in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit, the five Shiva temples in Garhwal are visited in a strict order starting from Kedarnath temple.
4. Madhyamaheshwar Temple:-
It is also located in the Garhwal Himalayan mountains in Uttarakhand, In dia.It is also one of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuits which includes: Kedarnath,Tunganath,Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kapleshwar temple.The middle which is called madhya in hindi or belly part navel or nabhi is workshopped at this temple.
5.Kapleshwar Temple:-
It is the 5th and last temple to be visited by the peoples in the Panch Kedar pilgirimage circuit after the Madhyamaheshwar Temple.It ia an ancient temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is said that this temple was made by Katyura Kings around 8th to 10th century.This temple is situated in the meeting point of Kumiya and Sakuni rivers.
HISTORY:-
It is said that the Panch Kedar Yatra could be directly related to the pilgrim traditions of Nepal known as Gorakhnath Sampradaya.It is also stated that the culmination of the pilgrimage was at the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, exactly where Shiva’s head is worshipped. In a fact, the emblem used in the Kedarnath temple dome is the same as displayed in the Pashupatinath temple dome in Kathmandu.
Legends:-
In mythology, several renditions cause the formation of these five shrines. According to popular beliefs, during one of the ages stated in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Pandava princes (characters from the Hindu epic Mahabharata) were advised to worship Lord Shiva in Uttarakhand as a self-punishment for the bloodshed caused by the war as quoted in the epic Mahabharata. Legend has it that Lord Shiva hid from the Pandavas by taking the form of a buffalo, but was identified by Bhima, one of the five Pandavas. On being recognized, Lord Shiva disappeared and showed himself in five different locations in the Himalayas. It is said that each of these sites is dedicated to a part of Lord Shiva – Kedarnath (Lord Shiva’s Hump), Madhmaheshwar (his navel), Tungnath (his arms), Rudranath (his face), Kalpeshwar (his jata or hair).
Geography:-
The five temples are established in the region of the Upper Himalayas in the high snow-covered hill ranges of Nanda Devi, Chaukambha, Kedarnath , and Neelkanth peaks creating their backdrop. Kedarnath is situated in the Mandakini River valley while the other temples are located in the highlands between the Mandakini valley and the Alakananda gorge. They are so remotely located that except Kalpeshwar, the other four are still not accessible by motorable roads but are reached by effortful trekking, starting from late April or early May till early October. For the rest of the year;the winter season, the temples are closed due to heavy snowfall. Kalpeshwar is accessible throughout the year by a short trek of about 3 km (2 miles) from the nearest road head. Kedarnath village is located on the edge of the Kedarnath mountain slope in a remote northern part of the Garhwal Himalayas. Kedarnath ranges drain into the Mandakini River which comes out from the stable edge of the Churabre glacier and forms the pleasing view of the Mandakini valley. Dudhgangua, Madhuganga, Swargadwari, and Saraswati are the flows that flow in the valley behind the temple of Kedarnath. Also, close to the temple are four sacred ponds called Retah, Adak, Rudra, and Rishi. Peaks of Panchulli, Nanda Devi, Dunagiri, Kedarnath, and Bandar Poonch give an impressive backdrop to Tunganath temple. The Vaitarani river flows near Rudranath. Kalpeshwar is in the Urgam valley in a dense forest area. Orgasm Valley has apple orchards, and terraced fields where potato is grown largely. The Kalp Ganga River, a tributary of Alaknanda, flows through the valley.
Worship during Winter Season:-
During the winter season,all the temples are inaccessible due to the excessive snowfall, the holy symbolic Shiva idol of Kedarnath is worshipped at the Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath, the emblematic idol of Tunganath is worshipped at Makkumath, the symbolic image of Rudranath is carried at Gopeshwar and the symbolic idol of Madhyamaheshwar is worshiped at Ukhimath.
