Kedarnath Temple

The Kedarnath Temple ( Hindi: केदारनाथ मंदिर, Kedarnath Maṃdir ) is a sanctuary of Hinduism in the Himalayan town in the Indian state of Uttarakhand Kedarnath. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, making it one of the most important Shiva temples, Shiva as ' Kedarnath ' ( lord of the land of Kedar ) is worshiped here. Next here is one of four sites of the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage.

The temple

The building consists of large, evenly cut gray slabs of stone. The exact age is unknown. According to tradition, it was more than 1000 years ago by one of the greatest Hindu philosophers and saints, Shankara, Adi Shankaracharya called built. Here he spent his last days, and many Hindus believe that his grave is directly behind the building. Outside in front of the temple stands a large statue of Nandi - bulls, the Vahana of Shiva and one of its manifestations. Inside is the ' Garbha Griha ', the center of worship, in the covered hall ( mandapa ) of wood can stop the target visitors. The walls are decorated with various deities and scenes from mythology. In the center of a Shiva Lingam is.

Myth

The creation myth of the Kedarnath temple goes back to the five Pandavas, the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. They should have built in the same place an even earlier temple here. At the age, after the great war of Kurukshetra, they came here to do for their deeds before Shiva penance. However, Shiva wanted to hide and had assumed the form of a bull in Kedarnath. Bhima, the strongest of the Pandava brothers, however, pursued him and tried to grab his cock. Since the bull vanished underground. Only the back part of his body was visible as a small hill. At this point then appeared a Jyotirlingam, a ' lingam of light ' from which Shiva appeared. He promised his help to anyone who would worship him here in this form. So the Pandavas had reached their destination and were free from their misdeeds. The other parts of the body of Shiva bulls manifested in five different places in the Himalayas, they are known as ' Panch Kedar temple '.