Panch Kedar is the five most famous temples of Hinduism, dedicated to Lord Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India. It is said that the Pandavas built these temples.
1. Kedarnath temple
Kedarnath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is located in the district of Rudraprayag of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, the Himalayan range near the Mandakini river.
This temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India and one of the Panch Kedar. It is freezing here every year, so this temple is closed for about 6 months in winter.
There is no road to this temple. Adi Shankara built this temple at the present place. It is said that when the Pandavas win the battle of Kurukshetra, they want to take the blessings of Lord Shiva.
But Lord Shiva is angry with them, so he comes to Kedarnath to chase them away. There he took the form of a bull. Then Bhima assumes a huge shape. Seeing the huge shape of Bhima, all the bulls ran away from there in fear, only one bull remainder there. Then Bhima realizes that this is Shiva and caught him.
2. Tungnath temple
Tungnath temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is located in the Rudraprayag district, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. This is the second temple of Panch Kedar.
It is one of the highest Shiva temples in the world. During the winter season, the temple is closed. The Tungnath is indelibly linked to the origin of the Panch Kedar temples built by the Pandavas.
3. Rudranath temple
Rudranath temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is also located in the Garhwal Himalayan mountains in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is the third temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage.
According to legend, this temple is also created by Pandavas. The face (mukha) of God Shiva is worshiped as " Nilkhanth Mahadev" here.
Rudranath is well connected with most of the important towns and cities of Uttarakhand Rudranath can be reached by a 21 km trek from Sagar. This natural rock temple was built in the 8th century AD.
It stands at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers. It stands pretty at 3,600 meters above sea level in Uttarakhand. Here Lord Shiva blessed Narad with the art of music.
4. Madmaheshwar temple
Madmaheshwar temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is also located in the Gounder village of Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, in India. This temple is one of the Panch Kedar.
This temple is also closed for 6 months in the winter season. Here the level of Lord Shiva is worshiped. It is said that when Bhima catches Shiva, Shiva's novel is severed and falls here so, the Pandavas built this temple here. Madmaheshwar temple is the fourth temple of Panch Kedar.
5. Kalpeshwar temple
Kalpeshwar temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is located in the Urgam valley in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state of India.
It is said that Pandavas makes this temple in the period of Mahabharata. This is the fifth temple of Panch Kedar. At this small stone temple, approached through a cave passage, the matted tress of Lord Shiva is worshiped.
It is the only temple of the sacred Panchkedars that remains open throughout the year. As a result, Kalpeshwar is visited by thousands of devotees and pilgrims of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is also known as Jatadhar or Jateshwar.
These 5 temples are collectively called Panchkedar. In these temples, different parts of the body of Lord Shiva are worshiped.
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