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.