Pancha Kedars

5 Temples of Lord Shiva (in Uttarakhand) connected with the legend of the Pandavas.

Puranic Event: After the Mahabharata battle, the Pandavas wanted to atone the sin of killing their relatives. So they went to Kashi to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was disturbed by the acts of killings and dishonesty in the Mahabharata battle. So he avoided the Pandavas by leaving Kashi and going to Guptakashi (in the current Rudraprayag district) and abiding there secretly. When the Pandavas went to Guptakashi, they recognized Lord Shiva in the form of a bull. Bhima caught the bull by its tail and hind legs, but the bull disappeared inside the ground. Later, five different parts of the bull appeared in five different places which form the Pancha Kedars. The Pandavas built temples in these five places.

1. Kedarnath:

► Kedarnath (3581 m) (Jyotirlinga) (Paadal Petra Sthalam) (Uttarakhand Char Dham) (Pancha Kedar)
(Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand)

☗ Kedarnath Parvat
▬ River Mandakini flows
◼ Chorabari Tal (3 km)
◼ Vasuki Tal (8 km)
(Uttarakhand Himalayas (Garhwal))

(Shiva Purana)

- Lord Shiva gave boons to sages Nara and Narayana who performed penance in Kedarnath and abides there as Kedarnatha Jyotirlinga.

2. Tungnath:

The Arms of the Bull form of Lord Shiva appeared here.

◍ Tungnath Temple

Tungnath (3680 m)
(Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand)
☗ Ridge dividing rivers Mandakini and Alakananda
☗ Below Chandrashila peak

3. Rudranath:

The Face of the Bull form of Lord Shiva appeared here.

◍ Rudranath Temple

Rudranath (3600 m)
(Chamoli district, Uttarakhand)
☗ Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Ghunti provides backdrop
▬ River Vaitarini or Rudra-Ganga flows
◼ Surya Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund

4. Madhyamaheshwar:

The Navel of the Bull form of Lord Shiva appeared here.

◍ Madhyamaheshwar Temple

Madhyamaheshwar (3497 m)
(Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand)
☗ Chaukhamba, Neel Kanth and Kedarnath provides backdrop

5. Kalpeshwar:

The Hairs of the Bull form of Lord Shiva appeared here.

◍ Kalpeshwar Temple

Kalpeshwar (2200 m)
(Chamoli district, Uttarakhand)
☗ Urgam Valley
◉ Alakananda - Kalpa-Ganga Sangam (Confluence)

Bharatavarsha - The Land of Gods and Sages:

• Stotras

• Scriptures

• Pilgrimages - by Groups - by Deities - by States - by Geography

• Sacred Geography - Mountains - Rivers

• Festivals

• Sages - Hermitages - Penances

• Saints - Ramakrishna - Vivekananda - Ramana

• Sadhana

• Sanskrit

• Nature

• Arts and Sciences

• Bharatavarsha - Puranic History - Puranic Lineage