Uttarakhand is referred to as ‘Land of the Gods’ as it has been a place of worship and pilgrimage from time immemorial. Lord Shiva is the most revered deity in Uttarakhand and one can find many temples and shrines dedicated to him. Many local deities of Uttarakhand allude to Lord Shiva in some form or other.
Browse through the List of Panch Kedar Temples in Uttarakhand
Out of all the temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, the cluster of five shrines of Shiva is the most revered. They are known as Panch Kedar. According to Mahabharata, when Pandavas were searching for Lord Shiva, he turned himself into a bull to avoid detection. However, when Bheema tried to capture the bull, it disappeared and later reappeared in body parts at five locations, presently known as Panch Kedar.
The hump reappeared at Kedarnath, the arms appeared in Tungnath, the navel appeared in Madhyamaheshwar, the face showed up at Rudranath and the hair and head appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavs built temples at these five places for worshiping Shiva.
Many devotees of Lord Shiva take part in Panch Kedar Yatra to all the five Shiva temples mentioned above. Kedarnath temple is also a part of the Chota Char Dham circuit. Panch Kedar trek is also popular among younger people who like the thrill of trekking to the holy places perched in the mountains.
