TITLE:- “Kedarnath Temple: A Journey Through History and the Pandavas’ Spiritual Link”
The Kedarnath Temple, often known as the “temple of the God of the field,” is an ancient Hindu shrine to Shiva that dates back to 1200 years[1]. The temple is situated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, close to the Mandakini river, in the Garhwal Himalayan range. The temple is only accessible to the general public between the months of April (Akshaya Tritiya) and November (Kartik Purnima, the autumnal full moon), due to severe weather conditions. The vigraha (deity) of the temple is transported to Ukhimath during the winter and worshipped there for the following six months. According to legend, Kedarnath is a unified manifestation of Shiva, also known as the “Lord of Kedarkhand,” the former name of the area.
It takes 22 kilometres (14 miles) of steep hiking from Gaurikund to get to the kedarnath temple, which is not directly accessible by road. The temple can be reached by a pony, mule, or manchan service. One of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most revered Shiva shrines in Hinduism, the temple was allegedly first constructed by the Pandavas, according to Hindu mythology. By performing atonement in Kedarnath, the Pandavas were thought to have pleased Shiva.
The temple is the first of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage sites and one of the four important locations in India’s Chota Char Dham pilgrimage in the Northern Himalayas. The tallest of the 12 Jyotirlingas is this temple.[5] It is one of the Tevaram, a revered Tamil text,’s 275 paadal petra sthalams.
When flash floods hit North India in 2013, Kedarnath temple was the region that was most severely impacted. Apart from a few cracks on one side of the four walls that were brought on by the flowing debris from the higher mountains, the temple structure did not sustain any significant damage, but the surrounding areas, Kedarnath town, and the temple complex all sustained significant damage. The temple was shielded from the river by a big boulder in the wreckage. The surrounding buildings and other structures in the market area sustained significant damage.
History and legends of origin
The temple is a stone building of unknown age that is located at a height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), 223 kilometres (139 mi) from Rishikesh, on the banks of the Mandakini river, a tributary of the Ganga.[8] It is unknown when and by whom the original Kedarnath temple was constructed.
The name “Kedarnath” means “the lord of the field” and is derived from the Sanskrit terms “kedara” (which means “field”) and “natha” (which means “lord”). According to the scripture Kashi Kedara Mahatmya, this is where “the crop of liberation” blooms, which is why it has this name.[9]
There are several folk tales that are related to the Garhwal region, Lord Shiva, and the construction of the Panch Kedar temples.
The heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the Pandavas, are mentioned in a folktale called Panch Kedar. In the famous Kurukshetra war, the Pandavas vanquished and killed their relatives, the Kauravas. They wanted to atone for the fratricide (gotra hatya) and brahmahatya (killing of priest class Brahmins) they had committed during the conflict.
So they gave their relatives control of their kingdom and set out to find Lord Shiva to ask for his blessings. They first travelled to Varanasi (Kashi), a sacred city thought to be Shiva’s favourite and home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Shiva, however, wished to stay away from them as he was insensitive due to his intense rage at the death and dishonesty at the Battle of Kurukshetra.
When Shiva was not found in Varanasi, the Pandavas travelled to the Garhwal Himalayas. Standing on atop two mountains and looking for Shiva was Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers. In the vicinity of Guptakashi (also known as “hidden Kashi” because of Shiva’s act of hiding), he spotted a bull grazing. Bhima recognised Shiva in the bull right away.
Bhima grabbed the bull by the tail and its hind legs. The bull-shaped Shiva later reappeared in fragments, with the hump rising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tungnath, the face appearing in Rudranath, the stomach and nabhi (navel) surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar, and the hair surfacing in Kalpeshwar. Upon their return in five different forms, the Pandavas were ecstatic and constructed five temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Shiva.
In a different version of the story, Bhima is credited with not only catching the bull but also preventing its disappearance. As a result, the bull was split into five pieces and manifested in five different places around the Kedar Khand in Garhwal region of the Himalayas.
After constructing the Panch Kedar Temples, the Pandavas reached salvation or heaven by performing a yagna (fire sacrifice) at Kedarnath and then following the holy road known as the Mahapanth (also known as Swargarohini). The Kedarnath, Tungnath, and Madhyamaheshwar temples and the Panch Kedar Temples are built using the same North Indian Himalayan Temple architecture.
It is an unwritten religious custom to visit Lord Vishnu at the Badrinath Temple as a last affirmation by the devotee that he has sought Lord Shiva’s blessings after completing the pilgrimage to receive his darshan at the Panch Kedar Temples.
Kedarnath is not mentioned in the Mahabharata, which tells the story of the Pandavas and the Kurukshetra War. In the Skanda Purana (about 7th–8th century), which includes a tale recounting the Ganges river’s beginning, Kedarnath is mentioned for the first time. The location where Shiva released the holy water from his matted hair is identified in the literature as Kedara (Kedarnath).
The 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankara is said to have passed away in the highlands close to Kedarnath, according to hagiographies based on Madhava’s Sankshepa-Shankara-Vijaya, however other hagiographies based on Anandagiri Prachina-Shankara-Vijaya claim that he passed away in Kanchipuram. At Kedarnath, there are still remnants of a memorial marking the alleged site of Shankara’s demise.
By the 12th century, when it is referenced in Kritya-kalpataru, a work by the Gahadavala minister Bhatta Lakshmidhara, Kedarnath was undoubtedly a well-known pilgrimage site.
Kennar Teerth The Purohits are the original Brahmins in this area; they have been worshipping the lingam since the days of Nara-Narayana and Daksh Prajapati, according to their predecessors, the Rishi-Munis. They have been worshipped by pilgrims ever since King Janmejay, the grandson of the Pandavas, granted them the privilege to worship in this temple and donated the entire Kedar territory.
A legend claims that “many hundreds of years ago” one priest used to offer prayers at both the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples, journeying between the two locations every day, as stated by the English mountaineer Eric Shipton (1926).
The temple
The presiding image of Kedarnath, which is a lingam, has an uneven pedestal that is 3.6 m (12 ft) in height and circumference. In front of the temple is a tiny, pillared room with pictures of Parvati and the five Pandava princes. The Panch Kedar pilgrimage destinations are comprised of four temples in the area surrounding Kedarnath, namely Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar, and Kalpeshwar.[18] The five Pandava brothers, Krishna, Nandi, Shiva’s chariot, and Virabhadra, one of Shiva’s guardians, are all depicted in statues at the Kedarnath Temple’s first hall. In the main hall, there are also statues of Draupadi and other gods.
The head of a man that is etched into the triangular stone lingam is an uncommon element of the temple. A similar head is visible in a nearby temple that was built on the spot where Shiva and Parvati’s wedding ceremony took place. This temple, along with Badrinath and other Uttarakhand temples, were said to have been restored by Adi Shankara, who is also credited with achieving Mahasamadhi at Kedarnath. The Adi Shankara Samadhi Mandir is located behind the temple.
The Veerashaiva caste of Karnataka is home to the temple’s chief priest (Raval).[20] The Kedarnath temple’s Raval, in contrast to the Badrinath temple, does not conduct pujas. On Raval’s instructions, his assistants perform the pujas. During the winter, the Raval travels to Ukhimath with the deity. The temple has five primary priests, and they alternately take on the role of chief priest for a year. Shri Vageesha Ling Acharya, a native of the Davanagere.
There are numerous Pandava-related symbols all around Kedarnath. At Pandukeshwar, Raja Pandu perished. The “Pandav Lila” dance is performed by the local tribal people.[21] The “Swargarohini” peak, which is off Badrinath, is where the Pandavas journeyed to Swarga. One of the Pandavas’ fingers fell to the ground while the oldest of them, Yudhishthira, was heading for heaven. A Shiva Linga the size of a thumb was erected there by Yudhishthira. Lord Shiva and Bheema engaged in a maces-based battle over Mashisharupa. Bheema experienced regret. He began applying ghee while he massaged Shiva’s body. Even still, ghee is used to massage this triangle Shiva lingam in remembrance of this incident. For worship, bilva-patra leaves and water are used.
Administration
The Shri Badrinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act, also known as Act No. 16,1939, was enacted by the Uttar Pradesh State Government and contained the temple. Both temples are managed by a committee chosen by the state government. The Uttarakhand State Government amended the statute in 2002, providing for the appointment of extra committee members, including government officials and a vice-chairman.[22] Seventeen people make up the board, including three chosen by the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, one chosen by each of the district councils in Chamoli, Pauri, Tehri, and Uttarkashi, and 10 chosen by the government of Uttarakhand.
There is a Rawal (head priest) and three additional priests: Acharya/Dharmadhikari, Ved Pathi, and Naib Rawal. A chief executive officer who carries out the directives from the state government makes up the administrative structure of the temple. The chief executive officer is assisted by a deputy chief executive officer, two OSDs, an executive officer, an account officer, a temple officer, and a publicity officer.
2013 floods
On June 16 and 17, 2013, the Kedarnath valley and other areas of the state of Uttarakhand saw unprecedented flash floods. On June 16 at around 7:30 p.m., there were powerful thunderclaps and mudslides near Kedarnath Temple. Around 8:30 p.m., a tremendously loud peal was heard, and vast amounts of water began to pour down the Mandakini River from Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal, destroying everything in its path. On June 17, 2013, at around 6:40 a.m., water once more began to cascade rapidly from the Saraswati River and Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal, carrying with it a significant amount of silt, rocks, and boulders. Behind Kedarnath Temple, a large rock became trapped, shielding it from the ravages of the flood.
Everything in their path was destroyed as the waves rushed on all sides of the temple. Eyewitnesses said that one enormous boulder was transported to the back of Kedarnath Temple, blocking the river’s flow and directing the debris to the temple’s sides to prevent harm. The temple was shielded by a rock, which is revered as the God’s Rock.
Another explanation for the temple’s survival is that it was built well. Even though the temple was severely flooded, the surrounding complex and surroundings were completely devastated, killing hundreds of tourists and locals. In Kedarnath, all of the roads were broken, and stores and hotels were destroyed. Before the Indian Army airlifted them to safer locations, people sought refuge inside the temple for a number of hours.[20] The Kedarnath shrine would be shuttered for a year to clear the debris, according to the chief minister of Uttarakhand.
The Archaeological Survey of India consulted experts to assess the foundation’s state in the wake of the floods, and they came to the decision that the temple was not in risk. For this, the IIT Madras experts made three trips to the temple. The IIT team employed non-destructive testing equipment to evaluate the walls, foundation, and structure of the temple without causing any damage to them. They’ve turned in their interim assessment, which states that there was no significant threat and the temple is stable.
Kedarnath’s reconstruction is the responsibility of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM). The institute specialised in high altitude training, while lacking experience in urban planning or building. NIM diligently laboured for a year under the direction of seasoned climber Colonel Ajay Kothiyal to prepare the pilgrimage yatra for the following year.
READ MORE ABOUT KEDARNATH TEMPLE HISTORY FROM GIVEN LINK BELOW,
https://www.shikhar.com/blog/kedarnath-dham-history/