Kedarnath is a town located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and has gained importance because

of Kedarnath Temple. It is a nagar panchayat in Rudraprayag district. The most remote of the four Char
Dham sites, Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea
level near Chorabari Glacier, the head of riverMandakini, and is flanked by snow-capped peaks. The
nearest road head is at Gaurikund, at a distance of 14 k.m.
The town suffered extensive destruction during June 2013 from flash floods caused by torrential rains in
Uttarakhand state.
Kedarnath is named after honour of King Kedar, who ruled in the Satya Yuga. He had a daughter named
Vrinda who was a partial incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. She performed austerities for several years and
the land is named after her as Vrindavan. However, Kedarnath and its temple exist from
the Mahabharata era when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Lord Shiva by doing penance
there.
[citation needed]
It is one of the most important dhams amongst the Chota Char Dham.
Kedarnath is located at a distance of 223 km from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand and close to the source of
Mandakini river at a height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level.
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The township itself cannot be called
attractive, as it is built on a barren stretch of land on the shores of Mandakini river but the surrounding
scenery of Himalayan mountains makes it very attractive place for pilgrimage and trekking. Behind the town
and Kedarnath temple, stands the majestic heights ofKedarnath peak 6,940 m (22,769 ft), Kedar Dome
6,831 m (22,411 ft) and other peaks of the range. There are 2 ways to reach the town: One is the traditional
14 km (8.7 mi) trek on a paved briddle path or on horses or palanquin service which are available for rent
from Gaurikund. Gaurikund is connected by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other known hill
stations of Garhwal and Kumaon regions in Uttarakhand. From Gaurikund, the briddle path passes through
Rambada, a hamlet located at adistance of 7 k.m.
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The alternative way is by helicopter service from
Dehradun, on such days when the weather is clear.
Statue of Adi Shankara Bhagavat Pada at his Samadhi Mandir in Kedarnath
The temple opens on Akshaya Tritiya (April end or first week of May) and closes on Bhai Duj (October end
or 1st week of November) due to heavy snowfall and extreme cold weather during winter. Gaurikhund is
75 km (47 miles) from Rudraprayag. In between Rudraprayag and Kedarnath there are several places of
pilgrimage such as Agastyamuni, Ukhimath, Phauli- Pasalat Devi Maa, Bamsu (Lamgoundi) Vanasur, Maa
Jwalamukhi Devi village Andarwari, Maa Chandika Devi village lwara, Maa Kali at Kalimath, Trijugi
Narayan (7 km (4 mi) from Son Prayag) (Where Lord Shankar got married to Goddess Parwati from when
the fire of hawan kund is still alive) and Kashi Vishwanath at Guptakashi.
Udar Kund is located here. It is written in Kedar Khand of Shiva purana that the water of Udak Kund is
mixture of all the 5 Oceans and always remain fresh even when kept for many years. The holy water of
Udak Kund is used for purification rituals. Hans Kund, Bharo Nath, Navdurga Mandir, Shankaracharya
Samadhi, Ishaneswar Mahadev Temple, Ret Kund, Panch Ganga Sangam, Chaurwari Taal now known as
Gandhi Sarowar, Bashuki Taal are also places to visit here. There are several guest houses in Kedarnath
with reasonable rates.
Kedarnath had a population of 479. Males constitute 98% of the population and females 2%
]
Kedarnath has
an average literacy rate of 63%: male literacy is 63%, and female literacy is 36%. In Kedarnath, none of the
population is under 6 years of age. The floating population from May to October every year is more than
5000 per day
During winter due to heavy snowfall, the Temple is closed and no one stays in Kedarnath. For six months
(November to April) the Palki with the utsava murti of Lord Kedarnath is transferred to a place
near Guptakashi called Ukhimath. People shift their settlement too from Kedarnath to nearby villages.
Around 360 families of Tirtha Purohit of 55 villages and other nearby villages are dependent on Kedarnath
for livelihood
Other than Kedarnath temple, on the eastern side of the town is Bhairava temple
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and the deity of this
temple, the Bhairava, is believed to protect the town during winter months. About 6 k.m. upstreams from
the town, lies Chorabari Tal, a lake cum glacier also called Gandhi Sarovar.
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Near Kedarnath, there is a
cliff called Bhairav Jhamp, from where pilgrims used to jump to death, believed to get instant moksha or
salvation and this practice was banned by British Government in 19th Century.
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