History Of Kedarnath
Location: Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, India
Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple, one of the twelve jyotirlinga of Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range[1] near the Mandakini river, in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April (Akshaya Tritiya) and November (Kartik Purnima, the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigraha (deity) of the temple is carried down to Ukhimath to be worshipped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogeneous form of Shiva, the 'Lord of Kedarkhand', the historical name of the region.
At a height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), 223 km (139 mi) from Rishikesh, on the shores of Mandakini river, a tributary of Ganga, is a stone edifice of unknown date.It is not certain who built the original Kedarnath temple and when. The name "Kedarnath" means "the lord of the field": it derives from the Sanskrit words kedara ("field") and natha ("lord"). The text Kashi Kedara Mahatmya states that it is so called because "the crop of liberation" grows here.
History Of Badrinath
Location: Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, India
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and gets its name from the Badrinath Temple.
In earlier days, pilgrims used to walk hundreds of miles to visit the Badrinath temple. The temple has been repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes and avalanches. As late as the First World War, the town consisted only of the 20-odd huts used by the temple's staff, but the site drew thousands each year and up to 50,000 on its duodecennial festivals (every twelve years). In recent years its popularity has increased still more, with an estimated 600,000 pilgrims visiting during the 2006 season, compared to 90,676 in 1961. The temple in Badrinath is also a sacred pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites. Badrinath is also gateway to several mountaineering expeditions headed to mountains like Nilkantha.
The Badrinath temple is the main attraction in the town. According to legend, Adi Shankaracharya discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of Shaligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple. The temple is approximately 50 ft (15 m) tall with a small cupola on top, covered with a gold gilt roof. The facade is built of stone, with arched windows. A broad stairway leads up to a tall arched gateway, which is the main entrance. The architecture resembles a Buddhist vihara (temple), with the brightly painted facade also more typical of Buddhist temples. Just inside is the mandapa, a large pillared hall that leads to the garbha grha, or main shrine area. The walls and pillars of the mandapa are covered with intricate carving.
Interesting Facts about Kedarnath & Badrinath Temple
When the Kedarnath temple is shut for six months in the winter, the deity's idol is carried into Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath and worshipped in the Omkareshwar temple for six months.
Kedarnath Temple Commission manages Kedarnath Temple under the Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
The Shiva Lingam at the Kedarnath temple is a triangular shape. This makes it distinctive in Shiva temples. It is located within the Temple's sanctum sacredorum (Garbha the Griha). The Kedarnath temple has other idols representing Parvati, Lord Krishna, five Pandavas, and their wives Draupadi, Nandi, and Veerabhadra as other goddesses and gods. Their vehicle Nandi is the vehicle of Lord Shiva
The unpredictable weather conditions can make it difficult for anyone to reach Kedarnath quickly. In 2013, Kedarnath suffered the brunt of massive flooding that led to massive destruction.
