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Rudranath Temple, Uttarakhand
Rudranath temple, dedicated to god Shiva is located in the Garhwal Himalayan Mountains in Uttarakhand, India. Located at 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) above sea level, this natural rock temple is situated within a dense forest of rhododendron dwarfs and Alpine pastures.
Rudranath Temple, Uttarakhand
Rudranath is a Hindu temple dedicated to god Shiva, located in the Garhwal Himalayan Mountains in Uttarakhand, India. Located at 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) above sea level, this natural rock temple is situated within a dense forest of rhododendron dwarfs and Alpine pastures. The face (mukha) of god Shiva is worshipped as “Nilkanth Mahadeva” here. Literally, the word ‘Rudranath’ means ‘Him who is Angry’.
Rudranath Temple comes in the Panch Kedar (five Kedar) pilgrimage circuit. The other four temples of this circuit include the Kedarnath Temple, the Tungnath Temple, the Madhyamaheshwar Temple, and the Kalpeshwar Temple.
The temple is surrounded by a number of pools – Surya Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund and Manas Kund – while the great peaks of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Ghunti rear overhead. It is the toughest trek to reach as compared to other Panch Kedar dham of Lord Shiva. Devotees generally take bath in the Narad Kund prior to visiting the temple.
The deity is a Swyam Bhuva (Self Appeared) Shivalinga shaped like a human face formed by the projection of a huge rock. This face has a serene smile and a gaze of pure benevolence in the all-seeing eyes. Measuring about 3 feet from the chin to the top of the jatas, a white cloth remains bound tightly on the crown of Lord Shiva.
Rudranath Temple, Uttarakhand
Rudranath is the fourth temple in the series of holy Panch Kedar. The temple was originally constructed way back in 8th Century AD.
Story associated with the temple is that after killing their cousins at the war, Pandavas started their journey to visit Lord Shiva to wash their sins. Lord Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war. Therefore, he disguised in the form of a bull (Nandi) and disappeared into the ground with different parts of the body appearing at various places. His hump appeared at Kedarnath, his bahu (arm) was spotted at Tungnath, his head surfaced at Rudranath, the stomach and navels were traced at Madhyamaheswar and his jata (tress) was divined at Kalpeshwar. Pandvas built a temple at this place to worship Lord Shiva and to please him. The face of Lord Shiva is mysteriously embodied on a shivling, at Rudranath Temple.
The temple celebrates Rudranath Temple organizes various fairs and festivals. On the day of Rakshabandhan, a fair is organized in the temple. During winter, a celebration for Gopeshwar worship takes place in special manner.
During winters, a symbolic image of Shiva is brought to Gopeshwar for worship and the rudranath temple remains closed during this season.
After winters the image is brought back to the main temple of Rudranath. The Doli Yatra starts from Gopeshwar and pilgrims cross Liti Bugyal and Panar and finally reach Pitradhar. Then, after crossing Dhalabni Maidan, the Doli or the symbolic image of Shiva, reaches Rudranath. Here first the Vandevi is worshipped as local belief is that Vandevi protects the area.
By Air
Nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 258 km.
By Rail
The nearest railhead, Rishikesh is 241 km.
By Road
Rudranath is located on Gopeshwar-Kedarnath Road. From Rishikesh, the entry point, Sagar is 219 km. A 22 km trek from Sagar will end at Rudranath.
