About The Kedarnath Temple History
It is a belief the Kedarnath Dham was originally established in the 8th century BCE when the great sage and philosopher Adi Shankaracharya came to reestablish the temple. Being a spiritual saint, it was Adi Shankara who awakened the Hindu faith on Indian soil after the dark days in the history of religion. So this was due to the invasion of various tribes, communities, and other foreign encroachers. Adi Shankara felt that it was necessary to rekindle the spirit of Hinduism among the people of India. Hence, to achieve this, he travelled extensively and set up matths, shrines and temples all over India.
Upon reaching the Kedarnath Temple, Adi Shankaracharya considered the necessity of restoring the importance of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri as pilgrimage destinations. The temple was already there in Kedarnath. But Adi Shankaracharya worked tirelessly for its development as an important pilgrimage center, in fact, he stayed most of his time in Kedarnath. He was able to attract other sadhus, devotees and pilgrims who also want to see the splendor of the Lord.
In an honor of his deed and his contributions to the society, there is a ‘Samadhi’ constructed behind the temple. People have faith that Adi Shankaracharya went to different parts of the country. But it is a belief that he wanted to take his last breath here. Now, people can avail Chardham Yatra by Helicopter to easily visit Kedarnath Temple.
Several folk tales are related to the origins and the establishment of the Kedarnath temple.
Tale Related to Mahabharata & Kedarnath Temple
The Pandavas, from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, appear in a folktale of Panch Kedar. In the great battle of Kurukshetra, the Pandavas defeated and killed their own kith and kin, the Kauravas. They wished to seek penance for fratricide or gotra hatya and brahmacharya, or the killing of priest-class Brahmins during the war. And so, they handed over their kingdom to their kinsfolk and went in search of Lord Shiva for his blessings and forgiveness.
They first visited Kashi, now Varanasi, the holy city that is the favourite of Lord Shiva. This sacred place is also home to the Kashi Viswanath temple. Shiva, however, yet want to remain away from them due to his intense resentment over the deaths and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war. Thus, he took the form of a bull (Nandi) and lived disguised in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand district.
Pandavas in The Garhwal
Seeing no sign of Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to the Garhwal Himalayas. The second among the five Pandavas, Bhima, then started searching for Shiva while resting on the top of two mountains. He saw a bull wandering around the vicinity of Guptakashi – a term used owing to Shivji’s act of hiding. Bhima at once identified the bull to be none other than Shiva. Bhima then tried to catch the bull by holding its tail and both rear legs. However, Shiva, in the form of a bull, disappeared into the earth partially and then emerged partially at Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar, and Kalpeshwar. The nabhi (navel) and stomach emerged from Rudranath, but the face and hair emerged from Rudranath. Commemorating the feeling and exuberance of the Pandavas seeing Shiva returning in five forms, the Pandavas built temples in the five regions of Uttarakhand to worship Shiva.
What Happened Next?
In one of the elaborated versions of the tale, Bhima is said to have not only captured the bull but also stopped it from vanishing. Therefore, the bull was split into five parts and incarnated in five different areas of the Kedar Khand in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. It’s worth mentioning that after building the Panch Kedar Temples, the Pandavas attained salvation or heaven by performing a yagna or fire sacrifice at Kedarnath and later by following the divine path known as Mahapanth or Swargarohini. All the Kedarnath, Tungnath, Madhyamaheshwar, and Panch Kedar Temples reflect the same North Indian Himalayan temple architecture.
Tale Related to Nar Narayan
Nara and Narayana, both the incarnations of Vishnu, were doing tapasya in Badrikashray. Hence, Lord Shiva was pleased and appeared before them. When the Lord bestowed on them a boon, Nar and Narayan prayed to Shiva to settle there permanently for the good of the devotees. Hence, it is a belief that Lord Shiva took the form of Jyotirlinga at Kedarnath Temple to relieve all his devotees of their sorrows.
Conclusion
So these are some tales and history about the Kedarnath Temple and its rich history. There are many more such interesting tales that make this temple important for Hindus. Vaayu Aviation makes it possible to complete the Yatra with minimal inconveniences. Explore the packages available and have a great Yatra experience.