Considered the toughest trek among the Panch Kedar trips, the strenuous journey through winding path ways, thick forests and stunning scenery ends at the Rudranath temple, where the face of Lord Shiva is said to have materialised. The Pandavas are believed to have originally built the shrine, along with other Panch Kedars. The rituals of ancestors are performed at this 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 face was materialised at Rudranath.

This Temple is part of famous Panch Kedar Yatra.

Architecture

With the peaks of the Himalayas as the backdrop, at a height of 3600 metres above the sea level, stands the natural rock temple of Rudranath. There is an idol of Narada Muni and shrines for Pandavas before Rudranath temple.. There are numerous sacred water tanks in the vicinity. The deity is a swayambhu Shivlinga shaped like a human face. A white cloth is tightly bound on the crown of the idol. The holy river Vaitarani flows near the temple, which has a grey stone idol of Rudranath and is known as the river of salvation.

Picture Courtesy:

"Rudranath temple" by rolling on - originally posted to Flickr as Day 5 Rudranath CIMG4080 (Large). Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rudranath_temple.jpg#/media/File:Rudranath_temple.jpg

Culture

The people in the villages around ardently take part in the worship and celebrations at the temple. The priests at the Rudranath temple are Bhatts and Tiwaris of Gopeshwar village. The shepherd settlements and other locals provide food and homestay to the trekkers.

Darsan Info

Temple timings: 5.00 AM to 9.00 PM

The Vandevi is worshipped first at Rudranath, as it is the local belief that the Vandevatas protect the temple.

During winter the shrine remains closed

Darsan Dresscode

Devotees are advised to wear clean and conservative attire.

Famous Festival

May - Shrine opens  (April/May)

July - Annual fair on full moon day (July/August)

November - Shrine closes after Diwali

Temple Rituals

The temple priests perform Shingar to the idol of Lord Shiva in the morning and remove it in the evening. Rituals to the dead like the 'pind' offering at Rudranath is believed to be equal to a hundred offerings at Gaya.

Special Rituals

On the trekking route to Rudranath, devotees also offer prayers to the swords protruding from rocks believed to have belonged to Pandavas.

Additional Info

 

Small eateries are available through the path and near the Rudranath temple.