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.
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