All You Need to Know about Panch Kedar yatra

Panch Kedar Yatra refers to five Hindu temples of Lord Shiva or holy places of the Shaivites. Therefore, it is most auspicious among Hindus. In addition to this, it is one of the most difficult pilgrimage tours in India because to complete it, you will need to do lots of trekking., and there are very less lodging and food facilities available. However, it’s really very difficult to get to Panch Kedar, but the endless devotion and the awesome natural beauty make things look easy. The Panch Kedar lies in the valleys between the rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, and therefore, the Panch Kedar becomes extraordinarily auspicious.

The Panch Kedar yatra is actually the holy yatra covering all five temples over a 170 km route (road cum trek length) containing Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheswar, and Kalpeshwar respectively, in the sequence. Therefore, no one can challenge its divine power.

What are the all Panch Kedar

Kedarnath

Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva, and therefore, in the name of Lord Shiva, this place is known as Kedarnath. It’s one of the twelve ‘Jyotirlingas’ of Kedar or Lord Shiva. Therefore, it has a prominent place in Hinduism. Lying at an altitude of 3584 m however, but this Shrine is one of the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus, and therefore, in spite of lots of difficulties devotees visit this place. Kedarnath is a magically very attractive, present in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded by lofty snow-covered peaks.

The present temple, that Adi Shankaracharya built in around 8th century, stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple that Pandavas built during Mahabharata Kaal. The inner walls of the assembly hall show the attractive figures of various deities and scenes from Hindu mythology. Outside the temple, Nandi baba in the form of an idol, guarding the temple all the time. How this temple was built that time, it’s a matter of deep research yet, because even with the present technologies, making such a great construction again seems next to impossible.

The temple has a “Garbha Griha” for worship and a Mandap apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. Here Lord Shiva is present in his Sadashiva form. You can clearly feel that this place surprises you every time with its natural beauty, Devotional beauty, and Historical beauty. In addition to these three qualities, it has great architectural beauty too.

Tungnath

As per Kedarnath myth, it’s the place having the arms of Lord Shiva, and therefore, an auspicious place. The Tungnath temple is present at an altitude of about 3680 m above sea level. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and among the Panch Kedar, it’s the highest Shiva Shrine, and therefore, as a true devotee of Shiva, you should never miss out visiting this place. It is 3 km uphill from Chopata. The sanctity of the region of Tungnath has always been incomparable, and therefore, you must visit here.

The peak of Tungnath is the source of three springs that form the river Akashkamini. You can get to this holy place through a path that bends through alpine meadows & rhododendron thickets. An hour’s climb from here will take you to Chandrashila that looks amazingly awesome. Therefore, to feel real spirituality, it’s a great destination.

How to get to Tunganath

How to get to Tunganath by Air route

Jolly Grant, Dehradun is the nearest Airport which is around 232 km away.

How to get to Tunganath by Rail route

The nearest railway station is, Rishikesh, which is around 215 Km away.

How to get to Tunganath Road route

Tungath can be reached by taking the Kund-Gopeshwar road up to Chopta, 212 km. from Rishikesh via Taking the Chamoli-Gopeshwar-Chopta route from Rishikesh, you can reach to Chopta, and from there, the temple is just 3 km away. Buses and taxis are always available.

Rudranath

This holy shrine is 23 km from Gopeshwar and around 3600 m above the sea level. Here people worship the Mukhor face of Lord Shiva as Neelkanth Mahadev. From this temple site, you may see splendid views of Hathi Parvat, Nanda Devi, Nanda Ghunti, Trishuli, and other peaks. Therefore, it’s a great point of an attraction along with devotion. In addition to this, Suryakund, Chandrakund, Tarakund, etc. are the holy Kunds nearby that attract tourists. The spiritual piousness and scenic beauty of this holy place make it enchanting as well as scenically beautiful. Therefore, for the peace of mind, it’s a great place to visit.

Anusuya Devi temple is located on the trek to Rudranath involving an additional trek of 3 km. Another path is around 13 km from Gopeshwar to Mandal, and then you will need to do 6Km trekking to reach Anusuya Devi. Devi Anusuya is a Satti Devi similarly as that of “Mata Parvati”. Therefore, this place is of additional importance.

How to get to Rudra Nath
How to get to Rudra Nath by Air route

Jolly Grant is the nearest airport. From here, it is around 258 Km away.

How to get to Rudra Nath Temple by Railway route

The nearest Rly stn is Rishikesh, which is around is 241 km away.

How to get to Anusuya Devi Temple by Road route

To get to this place, you will have to reach Mandal first by taking the Gopeshwar route. Mandal is around 13 Km from Gopeshwar, and from here, the temple is at the walking distance of around 6 Km.

Madmaheshwar

It is said that the navel of Lord Shiva reappeared at this shrine after disappearing at Kedarnath. Therefore, it’s a place of unparalleled devotion and beauty. Here, devotees worship Shiva as Madmaheshwar in the form of a navel shaped lingam. This Shrine is at an altitude of 3289 m, and from Guptkashi, it is around 31 Km away. You can reach this holy temple by trekking through the famous Sidha Peeth of Kalimath. Wild, unparalleled scenic beauty and incredible landscapes distinguish the distance from Kalimath to Madmaheshwar. From here Neelkanth peaks, Chaukhamba and Kedarnath are clearly visible. Gaundar, at the conflux of Madmaheshwar Ganga and Markanga Ganga, is the last place that is worth a visit before one reaches this shrine. Therefore, if you get the chance to visit here, feel lucky.

How to get to Madmaheshwar

How to get to Madmaheshwar Temple by Air route

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 244 km.

How to get to Madmaheshwar Temple by Rail route

The nearest railhead, Rishikesh is 227 km.

How to get to Madmaheshwar Temple by Road route

To reach Madmaheshwar, the distance of 196 km. from Rishikesh to Kalimath is motorable. The balance 31 km. has to be covered on foot.

Kalpeshwar

Here, people worship the hair locks (Jata) of Lord Shiva in this small rock temple. The temple is present at the height of 2134 m before the matted, tresses of Shiva enshrined in rock in the sanctum and Sanctorum. A natural cave passage will take you to this sanctum. This temple is present in Urgam valley. With striking views of the valley with terraced fields and lush green forests, this Shrine is a delight for the tourist. Therefore, you are guaranteed to have an awesome feeling here. The temple is reached after a trek of 12 km from Helang which is the motor head on Rishikesh – Badarinath route.

How to get to Kalpeshwar

How to get to Kalpeshwar Temple by Air route

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 272km.

How to get to Kalpeshwar Temple by Railway route

The nearest railhead, Rishikesh is 255km.

How to get to Kalpeshwar Temple by Rode route

Kalpeshwar can be reached up to Helang, 243 km. on the Rishikesh – Badrinath road by bus and taxis. From Helang, the 12 km. trek is off the main road.

However, it’s very auspicious to have a visit to all these places, but you will need to take the high-level precautions, and therefore, you should hire the best travel planner. Therefore, for all required pieces of information that you will need to visit here, you may hire a travel planner like that of Global Connect Hospitality. In addition to the best planning, here you get the best support along with the best facilities.