Kedarnath-One of the Char Dham location situation at an altitude of
3583 meters above sea level. The Temple is also among the 12 jyotirlingas of
Lord Shiva. The hump of Lord Shiva is worshipped in Kedarnath. The temple
is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river, in the
state of Uttarakhand, India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is
open to the general public only between the months of April (Akshaya
Tritiya) and November (Kartik Purnima, the autumn full moon). During the
winters, the vigraha of the temple is carried down to Ukhimath to be
worshipped for the next six months.
The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by
a 22 kilometres uphill trek from Gaurikund. Pony, mule and manchan service
is available to reach the temple. According to Hindu legends, the temple was
initially built by the Pandavas, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the
holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva.