Interesting facts about the Kedarnath Temple: Kedarnath Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is located at an altitude of 3,583 meters in the hills of Uttarakhand. The doors of this holy temple, which is the center of faith of crores of people, open only for a limited time every year. This temple remains closed for about 6 months of the year. Many mysteries are also associated with this temple which surprise people. It is believed that this temple built in Katyuri style was built by Maharaja Janmejaya, a descendant of the Pandavas.

What is the story behind Kedarnath Jyotirlinga?

After the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas were accused of killing their relatives. To escape the effects of this sin, the Pandavas were advised to do penance and seek forgiveness from Lord Shiva. But Lord Shiva was not ready to forgive the Pandavas. After doing rigorous penance, the Pandavas decided to find Lord Shiva. When the Pandavas came to know that Lord Shiva was angry with them and had gone to the mountains, they also reached the Himalayan mountains in search of him.

Lord Shiva did not want to give darshan.

Lord Shiva took the form of a bull and joined the herd of animals in the mountains. It became impossible for the Pandavas to identify Lord Shiva among so many animals. Then Bhima thought of a trick. Bhima stood in the middle of the road with his huge body and legs spread. Now all the animals had to pass between Bhima's legs. The rest of the animals passed through Bhima's legs but one bull stopped there. Bhima understood that this was Mahadev.

When the Pandavas moved towards Lord Shiva in the form of a bull, Mahadev started sinking into the ground. The Pandavas tried hard to stop him. In the end, only the hump part of the bull was left. However, Lord Shiva was pleased with the willpower of the Pandavas and freed them from the sin of murder by giving darshan. Since then, the back part of the bull has been worshipped as the form of Lord Shiva in Kedarnath.

The temple was buried under snow for 400 years.

It is believed that the temple is at least 1200 years old. This temple has faced many terrible disasters, yet it is still intact. The part of the Himalayas where the temple is located receives heavy snowfall. From the 14th century to the middle of the 17th century, Kedarnath Dham remained completely buried in snow.

Other Interesting Facts About the Temple

The stones with which the Kedarnath temple has been built are not found in the surrounding hills. That is, for the construction of the temple, these stones were brought from somewhere else and transported to such a height. During winters, the doors of the temple remain closed for about 6 months and during this time the idols present in the temple are brought to Ukhimath and are worshipped here. It is believed that one attains salvation by seeing the wonderful Shivling of Lord Shiva in Kedarnath.