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| Kedarnath Temple |
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| Name: |
Kedarnath Temple |
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| Primary deity: |
(Shiva) |
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| Location: |
Kedarnath |
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Kedarnath temple is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva located atop the Garwal Himalayan range near the holy river of Mandakini in Kedarnath, Uttaranchal in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April to start of November. The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 13 km trek from Gaurikund down the hill. The temple is believed to have been built by Adi Sankaracharya [1] and is one of the twelve Jyothirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Lord Shiva. The temple is also one of the four major sites in India's pilgrimage - Char Dham.
[edit] Temple and significance
The actual temple is an impressive stone edifice of unknown date. No specific family of pujaris supervises rituals at Kedarnath, which focus around veneration of the stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple. Besides its affiliation with Shiva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Shankaracharya's samadhi (achievement of beatified afterlife)[citation needed].
[edit] References
- ^ Kedarnath.
[edit] External Links
