In the lush green valley, surrounded by the Himalayan peaks, in the small hamlet of Madhyamaheshwar, stands the temple where the Lord's navel is said to have materialised. The journey to this temple is strenuous. 19kms of trek path through the forests, river sides, steep slopes and valleys have to be passed to reach this Panch Kedar shrine. The Pandavas, especially Bhima is credited with the creation of this temple. Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have visited the temple.

Location Uttarakhand , Rudraprayag, Dehradun

Legend

The Pandavas after the war of Kurukshetra, went in search of Shiva to ask pardon for the sins of fratricide. Shiva, avoided them, took disguise of a bull and went into hiding in Guptakashi. The Pandavas chased him there. Shiva's body in the form of bull materialised at five different spots where the Pandavas built the temple in his honour. Lord's navel was materialised at Madhyamaheshwar.

This Temple is part of famous Panch Kedar Yatra.

Architecture

Situated in the lush green meadows, Madhyamaheshwar temple is constructed in the north Indian style of architecture and is made of stones. The roofs are made of stone slabs and have a wooden stage on the top with arch openings around it. The older, Vriddh-Madmaheshwar, temple is a tiny blackened shrine on the ridge. The idol is a navel-shaped Shiva-lingam, made of black stone. There are two other smaller shrines, one of Parvati and the other dedicated to the Ardhanarishwara. There is also a small Saraswathi shrine.

Picture Courtesy : "Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Uttarakhand" by Bodhisattwa - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madhyamaheshwar_Temple,_Uttarakhand.JPG#/media/File:Madhyamaheshwar_Temple,_Uttarakhand.JPG

Culture

The locals of Garhwal regions are very cordial helping the pilgrims and trekkers in any way they can. Some of them, acting as coolies, help to carry the luggages. The people living in the hamlet in Madmaheshawar gather in the shrine for the evening aarti. They provide homestay and food to the visitors.

Darsan Info

Madhamaheshwar Temple timings: 6.00 AM to 8.00 PM

Temple is closed in the winter during months of November to April

Darsan Dresscode

Devotees are advised to wear clean and conservative attire.

Famous Festival

May - Opening of Shrine

November - Diwali. Closing of shrine

Temple Rituals

Priests at this temple are Jangamas of the Lingayat cast who hail from Mysore in Karnataka. They perform various pooja and aarti.

Special Rituals

The water in the temple vicinity is considered so sacred that even a few drops are enough for ablution.

Additional Info

 

Small eateries and local shops available of the trek path to Madhyamaheshwar.