Shri Kedarnath Yatra

 

Om Sai Ram !  As usual, click on any of the below pictures to see the larger view or to save them to your computer.  Today, we will be visiting the very famous kedarnath temple which is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Beautiful Sunrise at Kedarnath : Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April to start of November. Here god Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region.  Built in 8th Century AD, The Kedarnath shrine, one of the 12 jyotirlings of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range  There are more than hundreds shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in region, the most important one is Kedarnath. According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt quilty of having killed their own relative and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva Moksh.  At the end of their life, the Pandavas decided to give up their kingdom and go to the Himalayas and meditate on their favourite deity, Lord Shiva. So they set out accompanied by their wife, Draupadi. When they reached the place called Rudraprayag, they thought they had a glimpse of Lord Shiva. They tried to chase him but he took on the form of a buffalo and dashed off towards the north. They followed in hot pursuit and eventually caught up with him at the place that is now known as Kedarnath. The Lord now dived into the earth. Only the hind portion of the buffalo was sticking out. This was caught by one of the brothers called, Bhima. But pull as he might, he couldn't get the rest of the buffalo out of the ground. The hump now turned into a Shiva Lingam and remained at this place. Each of the other parts appeared at four other places and came to be collectively known as the Panch Kedars or the five Kedars. All these lie in the Garwal Himalayas in the modern state known as Uttranchal  As a matter of fact, as one enters the main temple, the first hall contains statues of the five Pandava brothers, Lord Krishna, Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva and Virabhadra, one of the greatest guards of Shiva. An unusual feature of the temple is the head of a man carved in the triangular stone fascia of the temple. Such a head is seen carved in another temple nearby constructed on the site where the the marriage of Shiva and Parvati was held.  The spire of the Kedarnath Temple with the Kedarnath Mountain in the background. The temple is devoted to Siva.  Gaurikund to Kedarnath trail : The actual temple, an impressive stone edifice of unknown date, is accessible only after a steep 14 km walk (horses or palanquins are available for rent). The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks.  This is a part of 14km trek from Gourikund to Kedarnath.  Beautiful trek towards Kedarnath  This is the beautiful trek towards the Kedarnath temple. The Holy river Mandakini accompanies the trekkers throughout the tough, but rewarding journey. The trail to Kedarnath, part of the Char Dham pilgrimage through the Indian Himalayas.  On the way to Ramwara to reach reach Kedarnath  Path from Ramwara to Garur Chatti - On way to Kedarnath  Garur Chatti : Let us all pray at this sacred temple for all our loved ones  The last phase of journey to Shri Kedarnath.  The awesome majesty of Kedarnath is first experienced at this place, ca. 1.5 kms from Kedarnath.    Kedarnath (11,753 ft.) is sacred for a temple to the god Shiva, in his form as Kedarnath (the "Lord of Kedar"). The snow on the peaks behind never melts.    Besides its affiliation with Shiva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Sankaracaraya's samadhi (achievement of beatified afterlife).  Samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath  Kedarnath temple door  Kedarnath temple shikhar       A Saadhu , who is all immersed in his daily pooja (ritual to worship Lord Shiva) just in front the famous Kedarnath temple in Uttaranchal  Nandi - Bull of Lord Shiva guarding the doors at Kedarnath temple  Kedarnath Lingam- My heartfelt pranams to this form of Lord Shiva. I thank him for all the happiness and blessings that He has showered upon me and I pray to Him to forgive me and all His devotees for all the sins and bad karmas that we have done out of our sheer stupidity.  This is one of the demons guarding a small temple with a hot spring in Kedarnath.  Amrit kund behind Kedarnath temple - Eshaneshwar temple inside the Kedarnath temple complex - [Will continue with the Kedarnath Yatra in my next mail]   Posted By Deepa H

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For Daily SAI SANDESH

 

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Om Sai Ram !  As usual, click on any of the below pictures to see the larger view or to save them to your computer.  Today, we will be visiting the very famous kedarnath temple which is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located atop the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Beautiful Sunrise at Kedarnath : Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April to start of November. Here god Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region.  Built in 8th Century AD, The Kedarnath shrine, one of the 12 jyotirlings of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range  There are more than hundreds shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in region, the most important one is Kedarnath. According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war, felt quilty of having killed their own relative and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva Moksh.  At the end of their life, the Pandavas decided to give up their kingdom and go to the Himalayas and meditate on their favourite deity, Lord Shiva. So they set out accompanied by their wife, Draupadi. When they reached the place called Rudraprayag, they thought they had a glimpse of Lord Shiva. They tried to chase him but he took on the form of a buffalo and dashed off towards the north. They followed in hot pursuit and eventually caught up with him at the place that is now known as Kedarnath. The Lord now dived into the earth. Only the hind portion of the buffalo was sticking out. This was caught by one of the brothers called, Bhima. But pull as he might, he couldn't get the rest of the buffalo out of the ground. The hump now turned into a Shiva Lingam and remained at this place. Each of the other parts appeared at four other places and came to be collectively known as the Panch Kedars or the five Kedars. All these lie in the Garwal Himalayas in the modern state known as Uttranchal  As a matter of fact, as one enters the main temple, the first hall contains statues of the five Pandava brothers, Lord Krishna, Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva and Virabhadra, one of the greatest guards of Shiva. An unusual feature of the temple is the head of a man carved in the triangular stone fascia of the temple. Such a head is seen carved in another temple nearby constructed on the site where the the marriage of Shiva and Parvati was held.  The spire of the Kedarnath Temple with the Kedarnath Mountain in the background. The temple is devoted to Siva.  Gaurikund to Kedarnath trail : The actual temple, an impressive stone edifice of unknown date, is accessible only after a steep 14 km walk (horses or palanquins are available for rent). The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks.  This is a part of 14km trek from Gourikund to Kedarnath.  Beautiful trek towards Kedarnath  This is the beautiful trek towards the Kedarnath temple. The Holy river Mandakini accompanies the trekkers throughout the tough, but rewarding journey. The trail to Kedarnath, part of the Char Dham pilgrimage through the Indian Himalayas.  On the way to Ramwara to reach reach Kedarnath  Path from Ramwara to Garur Chatti - On way to Kedarnath  Garur Chatti : Let us all pray at this sacred temple for all our loved ones  The last phase of journey to Shri Kedarnath.  The awesome majesty of Kedarnath is first experienced at this place, ca. 1.5 kms from Kedarnath.    Kedarnath (11,753 ft.) is sacred for a temple to the god Shiva, in his form as Kedarnath (the "Lord of Kedar"). The snow on the peaks behind never melts.    Besides its affiliation with Shiva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Sankaracaraya's samadhi (achievement of beatified afterlife).  Samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath  Kedarnath temple door  Kedarnath temple shikhar       A Saadhu , who is all immersed in his daily pooja (ritual to worship Lord Shiva) just in front the famous Kedarnath temple in Uttaranchal  Nandi - Bull of Lord Shiva guarding the doors at Kedarnath temple  Kedarnath Lingam- My heartfelt pranams to this form of Lord Shiva. I thank him for all the happiness and blessings that He has showered upon me and I pray to Him to forgive me and all His devotees for all the sins and bad karmas that we have done out of our sheer stupidity.  This is one of the demons guarding a small temple with a hot spring in Kedarnath.  Amrit kund behind Kedarnath temple - Eshaneshwar temple inside the Kedarnath temple complex - [Will continue with the Kedarnath Yatra in my next mail]   Posted By Deepa H

For Daily SAI SANDESH

 

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