Badrinath is the abode of Lord Narayana and the temple is situated on the banks of Alakananda river in Chamoli district , this is a divyadesam of Vishnu and the idol here is known as Badrinarayan. Lord Narayana sits here in this temple under the Badri tree and the idol is made of salagrama.
This is the only temple that is believed to be in existence from Satyayuga and is mentioned in our ancient religious texts. It is also glorified in Nalariyam Divyaprabandan
There is separate shrine for Mahalakshmi , consort of Lord Narayana.
The temple puja and worship was designed by Sri Shankaracharya.
The temple is flanked by the snow capped Nar Narayan parvats.
There is a hot water spring just outside the temple and pilgrims take bath as it is supposed to have medicinal effect.
The mahadwara of the main temple is richly decorated and is a stark contrast to the snow laden surroundings.
This temple remains open only for 6 months and during winter months it gets covered in snow.
The Kedarnath temple is situated at a height of 11000 feet in Himalayan Garhwal region and is a very popular pilgrim centre for the millions of Hindus all over the world.
The temple houses one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
The temple is supposed to be more than 1000 years old and has withstood the onslaught of 2013 devastating floods which erased and changed the geography of Kedarnath. The Lord here is a self manifestation and was first worshipped by Panch Pandavas. The idol of Kedarnath here is in the form of a pyramid on the floor of the sanctum and the devotees can offer puja rituals without the aid of a priest. Touching the deity and offering worship is a great feeling.
The breath taking view of the temple with the Chorabari glacier in the background is terrific. The glacier is the head of river Mandakini. The river flows with all its full might and the strong cascade with the reverberating sound is stupendous.
The temple remains open from May to November and rest of the time it gets submerged in snow.
The roads leading to Kedarnath are narrow , hazardous and always there is threat of land slides which may hamper the journey.
The Gaurikund is the base from where the trekking path starts to the temple and the distance to be covered is around 24 Kms. Ponies and dolis (a kind of cane basket to carry the pilgrims) and helicopter services are available to aid the pilgrims.
Helicopter services make the travel easier and helps one save time and energy. One can have a great experience of flying above the Garwhal region . The breath taking aerial view of the meandering river Mandakini, the green carpeted and the silvery snow capped mountains at arms length is an overwhelming experience. It just takes a few minutes to fly to the the temple and back and we were fortunate enough to complete the whole trip worship included in flat 3 hours as we flew from the closest point Sersi. From the helipad the temple is just about half a Kilometre . Dolis are available for those who are unable to walk in cold . One also gets breathless faster as the Oxygen supply dips at times.
Note for pilgrims
The fee for helicopter ride is about 7500 per person (depends on the weight of the individual too)
Fees also differ depending on the distance as heli services operate from 3-4 different areas.
Aadhar card compulsory for registration. Online registration is available for heli rides.
Preference given to those who register online. No luggage allowed except a small bag.
Complete silence to be observed during the ride. Helicopter carries a maximum of 6 passengers per ride.
Photography a big No during helicopter ride.
Dolis services are offered at around Rs.5500 -6000 and and pony rides above Rs.10000 and are uncomfortable and tiring. (The above rates as per September 2018)
Trekking is for the young and adventurous.
Avoid visits during rainy season which is between July and August.
Try visiting Triyugnarayan temple yet another ancient temple which is very near to Gaurikund.
for any queries regarding the Kedarnath trip please email me at manchitra2001@yahoo.co.in
Triyugnarayan temple, nestled in a small quaint village amidst the Himalayas is dedicated to Lord Narayan. This temple structure resembles Kedarnath temple and is very popular as this is believed to be the venue of Shiva and Parvati's marriage which took place in Satyayuga in the presence of Lord Narayan and other Gods and Rishis.
There is a Akhand Dhuni ( perpetual fire) which burns in front of the sanctum and it is believed that this Dhuni is burning since the divine marriage of Shiva Parvati.
Devotees worship the Gods in the sanctum and then offer firewood in the Dhuni and this ritual has been going on since three yugas hence the temple derived its name Triyug Narayan. There is a Brahma sila in front of the temple and this is the exact place where Siva-Parvati marriage was solemnised.
There are 3 natural springs inside the temple known as Brahma Kund , Vishnu Kund and Rudra kund and devotees sprinkle holy water from this kund on their head .
The serenity enveloping the temple, the amber glow of Dhuni, the recitations of mantras by the priests will help one to easily connect with the divinity .
This temple is 5 Kms from Gaurikund, the base camp for trek to Kedarnath.
As it is close to Gaurikund do visit and get blessed when planning a visit to Kedarnath temple.
Performance of marriage ceremony in this temple is considered very auspicious.
Check some pictures Captured during my recent visit.
Early morning we set off to Kedarnath. It took about 2- 3 hours to reach Gouri kund, the base camp from where the trek starts. No vehicles can go beyond this point as there are no proper roads. Gouri kund has hot springs & many were taking bath in it. It was surprising to see hot springs in that place. Kedarnath is 14 kms from Gouri kund and one has to rely on pony, palki or baskets which are carried by pahadis (People living on hilly terrain) on their backs. Many choose to go on foot. We hired 2 ponies, for my SIL and me, a palki for MIL and my husband and BIL decided to go on foot. Walking sticks were available for a nominal rent.
The air was cool and pollution free. Everything was perfectly set and I mounted the horse along with my son. My sonny was comfortable but when the pony started moving my head reeled and I screamed. My throat went dry and I wanted to jump down. It took a while for me to settle down and after a while we set off.
Soon I became comfortable and started enjoying the upward trek taking in all the pristine beauty of nature. The path was narrow and at times the pony jumped to avoid big rocks and my heart came to my mouth. My son was enjoying the ride. Little boys of 7-8 years were manning the ponies and mine was also managed by a small boy. They are very casual in managing the ponies as they are very familiar with the surroundings. At one point he just left the pony and it was moving on its own. While taking a turn it went close to the edge of the cliff and stood there. I thought that was the end of my journey.
We decided to skip lunch and took rest & had tea in the afternoon. My SIL was with me but I could not find other members. The saddle was biting into my flesh and I was finding it difficult to move my legs with my son in front so I shifted him in MIL’s Palki when I met her. We reached Kedarnath in 5 hrs. My hubby and brother in law took about 9 hrs and for last 1 km. which was quite steep; they too used ponies as it was getting dark. But till 8 p.m day light was there which was surprising.
We got accommodation again in Kali kambli (it is run by Rajasthanis) and we got into something like a hut. Inside was dark as there was no electricity, as during the snow fall previously the electricity had been switched off and we were one of the early pilgrims that season & they informed us that it will take another week to re start the supply. We were not sure how that room looked. Due to tiredness, MIL & SIL called it a day and got into the bed. They decided to visit the temple the next day. Outside our room it was full of snow which was slippery as it had started melting.
Then we went to the temple and had Darshan of Kedarnath. At night we were served hot rotis but by the time it reached our hands it turned cold. A sigree (A stove like thing in which burning coal is kept) was kept in the room for keeping us warm and we switched it off when we went to sleep as it is harmful to keep burning coal in a closed room.
Next day we went to the temple performed pooja and we could actually touch the Siva lingam which is in the form of a pyramid. Here we can perform our poojas and all that is required for the same is available at the entrance itself.
Our Team with Kedar Nath temple in the background
Morning light gave us a clear picture of the surroundings. The Scenery was of the snow covered Himalayas was breath taking (even other wise one gets breathless as the oxygen in the high altitude is low) and we could see only snow covered mountains all around. I felt we had reached the heaven finally. Snow covered Kedar Mountains
Accommodation is not a problem in Kedar Nath but it is wise to plan well before taking the journey. There are many dharamsalas and hotels around the temple.
After the pooja we started our journey downwards. This time both men in our team, also used ponies to reach the base fast as we wanted to leave for Badrinath on the same day.
We decided to go on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath in May 1991.At that time my son was 4 1/2 years. My SIL, BIL, MIL were in our team. Many discouraged me telling that it would be very cold and may be difficult for my son, who was allergic to cold climate. Some teased me that we were undertaking a pilgrimage at a young age. But we went ahead with our decision and let me tell you that we enjoyed every moment of it & the same has etched vivid pictures of that in my memory and even after two decades I am able to recall it very clearly.
We embarked on the journey with so much excitement as this was the first time we were going to see snow covered Himalayas. We took the train to Delhi on May 20th. 21st was uneventful as far as we were concerned as we spent the day by eating, sleeping and chatting in Tamilnad express. But next day i.e. 21st of May, some thing was in store for us. On that day, as we were reaching Delhi station a coach attendant rushed to us and told us to down the shutters of all the windows.We got worried at the sudden turn of events. We did not understand what was happening but we knew that something was wrong. We heard from the coach attendant that Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Chennai and we were shocked.He also said as our train was from Chennai they wanted to avoid any untoward incidents. We really got scared, I called and prayed to, all the Gods I knew and we thought that was the end of our journey.
When we reached Delhi station we heard that all the trains were cancelled and there was a kind of tension in the whole city. We had to catch the Dehradun express that night and we knew we had to resort to some other mode of transport.
First thing we wanted was to get out of the railway station, as we feared some disturbance. No buses or taxis were plying in the city. Every thing had come to a sudden halt. So we went to the Rail yatri niwas which was close by and thankfully got accommodation which gave us great relief. We stayed there anxiously worried, doing nothing as there were no mobile phones then. We wanted to get out of Delhi as early as possible as there was an uneasy calm in the city.
Next day my husband’s colleague helped us to get a taxi up to Haridwar which was our first scheduled halt and we thought we would think about our further journey once we reached there. Our taxi driver was a young cheerful sardar called Balbir. As we were nearing Meerut we heard it was under curfew and we took a by pass on the way to Haridwar. My husband asked Balbir if he would take us to Kedar and Badri. He agreed readily to our great relief, the repercussions of it we had to endure through out our subsequent eight days.
We reached Haridwar in 4-5 hours and we went straight to Kasi Math, where we had planned our stay at Haridwar. They provided us with excellent accommodation and homely food particularly Konkani cuisine. We felt safe in the confines of the Veda Vyasa Mandir which was inside Kasi math . To our great relief the authorities informed us that there was no harm in continuing our journey further up. We stayed in Haridwar visiting Hari Ki Pauri where evening aarti to Ganges is performed. We strolled along the banks of Ganges for a while, taking in all the charm of the river. Next few days We had this river by our side through out our journey up The Himalayas.
Next day was Sunday and we left early morning at 7 am on our Kedar, Badri mission. We just passed Hrishikesh and climbed around 5 kms. and we got the first check post. To our surprise we learnt that all vehicles beyond that check post requires a hill permit which our vehicle did not have and which Balbir conveniently forgot to inform us earlier. To our relief we found that temporary permits could be obtained from an office close by. We turned back to locate the office and promptly found it to be closed, that being a Sunday. On enquiry we found the officer was living close by. With great difficulty we located his house. It was around 9 ‘o clock and our officer was busy sleeping. On knocking his door he got up reluctantly and informed us he would come to the office shortly and asked us to wait in the office. We returned and completed our break fast and waited patiently. It was nearly lunch time when he came and by the time we left completing all the formalities it was noon. With glee in our mind and cheer in our heart finally we set course. “KEDAR BADRI HERE WE COME.”
